Fry's is one of my favorite places to coupon shop. If I wasn't using coupons, I would absolutely shop at Fry's. Their prices are consistently lower than the other major grocery chains in Arizona. As if that weren't enough, Fry's regularly runs awesome sales and promos! When you time your shopping trip correctly with sales and promos and then stack coupons on top of that, you are in for major savings at Fry's and any of the Kroger affiliate stores (Kroger, QFC, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, City Market, Fry’s, Dillons, Baker’s, Gerbes, Smith’s, Jay-C, Owen’s, PayLess, Highlander, and Ralphs).
Step #1: You need a Fry's V.I.P. Card.
Stop into your local Fry's to pick up a Fry's V.I.P. card application, fill it out, and return it to your store. As soon as you have your card in hand, make a small purchase (candy bar, etc.) to activate your card. If you don't do this, it will take 6 weeks for the EQ sites to recognize your card as valid. This is a short-cut to start saving money immediately. Once you've got your card,
click here to register it online at the Fry's website. This will enable you to enroll in the savings clubs Fry's offers and you'll also be able to load Fry's store EQs onto your card.
Step #2: Learn the kinds of coupons accepted by Fry's.
Manufacturer Coupons (from Sunday newspaper)
These coupons are found in the free standing inserts in your Sunday paper: Smart Source, Red Plum and Proctor & Gamble.
Internet Printable Coupons
Fry's accepts internet printable coupons. The coupons have to scan at the register in order for the cashier to accept them. They also must follow the same format as a manufacturer's coupon - redemption address, expiration date, and state "Maufacturer Coupon" somewhere on the coupon. Fry's will accept internet printable coupons for free products.
E-Coupons
E-Coupons equal tons of savings and money makers at Fry's. Load these coupons directly onto your club card. When you swipe your card or enter your phone number, the coupons automatically deduct when the cashier hits total & you can see them on your receipt. The cash register will still accept a manufacturer coupon in addition to an e-coupon, but they both are manufacturer coupons. This can change at any time, but for now Fry's allows the stacking of coupons. There are links to the major E-Coupon sites on the right side of my blog. Make sure you load these every 2 weeks as soon as the coupons are released. Sometimes, you end up with duplicate EQs on your card for the same item. When you purchase that item at Fry's, only one coupon will deduct for the one item. If you've ever used EQs, you know they are unpredictable and sometimes don't deduct as they should.
Catalina Coupons
At Fry's, you’ll find the gray Catalina machines sitting at the registers. These machines dispense long, receipt-like coupons. Don’t let your cashier forget to hand them to you! Catalina coupons may be store or manufacturer coupons. You may receive a catalina worth $2 off your next purchase of $10 from the produce section. Or you may get a catalina for $1.00 off planters nuts, it just depends on the coupon.
Other Retailer's Coupons
Fry's does not accept other retailer's coupons. Occasionally, Fry's will run a week long special where they accept competitor coupons, but this is rare and is not the norm.
Store Coupons
You can find them in the weekly store ad from your newspaper or located in the front of the store. Fry's allows using one store, one E-Coupon, and one manufacturer coupon per item. This means you can stack a Fry's store coupon, with a manufacturer coupon, and E-Coupons on one product. In-Ad Coupons sometimes require a minimum purchase. The minimum purchase is your subtotal before using any coupons. In-Ad Coupons often have limits. These limits are per transaction.
Printable Store Coupons
Fry's has some great printable and loadable store coupons
here. Note: only some of the coupons are Fry's store coupons. The rest are standard manufacturer coupons, the same that you’ll find on any other printable coupon database.
Step #3: Now, we wait for the perfect sale.
If you head to the store with a handful of coupons and no plan, you'll spend more money than necessary. Wait until the sale price or promotion matches your coupons, so you can save big!
Fry's runs Mega Events where if you buy x number of items, you get $x off your entire order. Fry's also runs Catalina promos like: Spend $25, save $10 on your next shopping order. When you combine deals like these with coupons, you can get those really high savings of over 70%. Whenever you see a minimum purchase like “spend $25", remember that total is the subtotal you must reach before redeeming any coupons. If you can spend $25 and redeem $12 worth of coupons, you’ll still receive a $10 catalina good on your next shopping order.
You will also see promos like this: Buy 5 select products, receive $5 on your next shopping order. The best couponers will separate their transactions, buying 5 products at a time, and then roll the “$5 on your next shopping order” catalina from one transaction to the next. This minimizes or completely eliminates your out of pocket spending. It's always better to spend Fry's money than actual cash.
What is Fry’s sale cycle?
Fry's sales and weekly ads begin Wednesday and end Tuesday. The new ad and "My Favorite Deals" for the week are posted each Wednesday morning.
Doubling Coupons
Fry's stores double coupons, usually 50 cents and under (up to a limit of 3 like couponsper transaction). Here in Arizona, we are lucky to live in one of the most competitve grocery markets in the country. This makes for awesome sales and fantastic coupon policies. Since earlier this year, Fry's has been holding a $1 coupon event. Any coupon under $1 equals $1. A 10 cent coupon equals $1. We don't know how long this will last, but soak it up while it's here!
If the coupon states "Do Not Double", the cashier is supposed to suppress the double. If the coupon coding begins with a 5, it will double automatically. If it starts with a 9, it will not double. Cashiers ignoring the "Do Not Double" restriction is a complete "Your Mileage May Vary" situation. I've had cashiers suppress the doubles, while others at the exact same location let them all double.
Occasionally, Fry's will run a super coupon event where all coupons up to and including $1 are doubled. I haven't seen this event in a while, but when it runs there are always tons of freebies and awesome deals.
Does Fry's give discounts for bringing reusable shopping bags?
Yes! Fry's will deduct 5 cents for each reusable bag you bring from your transaction total.
Does Fry's offer a senior discount program?
If you're 55+, you can save an additional 10% on your food bill (less V.I.P savings, taxes, and coupons) the first Wednesday of every month.
Store Clubs
Fry's has a few fun programs that can help save you money:
Fuel Saver Rewards
Simply spend $100 on qualifying grocery purchases. For every $100 you spend in a calendar month, you earn a total of 10 cents off per gallon (up to 20 gallons) on your next fuel fill-up at any Fry’s Fuel Center locations. Limit 1 fuel discount per customer, per vehicle, per fuel fill-up. The $100 threshold is based off shelf price, not sales price. I rarely spend actual cash at Fry's and I have over 200 fuel points. Two other ways to earn fuel discounts are to purchase select gift cards purchased in our stores and/or have prescriptions filled in Fry's pharmacies.
Click here for more info & to link your V.I.P. card up and start racking up those fuel points!
Phoenix Suns V.I.P Rewards Club
Phoenix Diamondbacks V.I.P Rewards Program
