How To Coupon: Is “Buy One, Get One Free” the Same as “Two For One”?
6 Comments | Written on February 24, 2012 at 9:00 am, by Rachel Achmad
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Let’s say you’re in the grocery store, and you see a sign that says “Buy One, Get One Free,” and then you see another, “Two For the Price of One.” That’s the same thing, right? Not exactly. By knowing the difference between the two, shoppers can maximize their coupon savings.
In retail parlance, “Buy One, Get One” is often referred to as “BOGO.” With BOGO deals, you buy one item, and the store gives you a second item for free. In contrast, “Two For the Price of One” (known as “twofer”) means you’re buying two items, and each one costs half as much as the item would normally cost.
This difference is important: If you only want one of the items, under a BOGO deal you would still have to pay the full price for it. If you didn’t want your second item free, you’d forfeit it. Under a twofer deal, though, you’d only have to pay half as much for the item, unless the store specified “must buy two.” Which would basically make it a BOGO deal disguised as a twofer. Yes, even many store employees can get confused. If you find a mistake has been made at the register, be polite in pointing it out — you’ll have more success in getting it fixed.
There’s no standard regarding couponing on these deals. Most stores — but not all — will allow shoppers to use coupons on both items. For example, if boxes of cereal are BOGO and you have a coupon for $1 off two boxes, you’ll be allowed to use it, since you’re getting two boxes even though you’re not paying for one of them. These policies can vary store by store though, and are often updated, so always check your store’s policy before you shop.
Shop smart and save! Check out more tips on couponing and savvy shopping:
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How to Coupon | Tags: Beef, Casseroles, Chicken, Dinner, Quick and Easy
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6 Responses to “How To Coupon: Is “Buy One, Get One Free” the Same as “Two For One”?”
The Writer’s statement about BOGO isn’t true in all cases. Where I live, BOGO means if you purchase one item, you get it at half price; you do not pay full price for that one item.
@ANDSOITGOES: There is often a lot of confusion about the difference between BOGO and “Twofer”…stores might even call a sale a BOGO sale when what they really mean is a “Twofer”. Sounds like that might be what you’re encountering. Most stores will not let you pay half when you buy one item in a BOGO. For example, if I get two bags of chips in a BOGO, the first bag of chips scanned rings up at the regular price, and the second bag rings up at $0.00. If it were a two, the first bag would ring up at half the regular price.
@ANDSOITGOES: There is often a lot of confusion about the difference between BOGO and “Twofer”…stores might even call a sale a BOGO sale when what they really mean is a “Twofer”. Sounds like that might be what you’re encountering. In general, stores will not let you pay half when you buy one item in a BOGO. For example, if I get two bags of chips in a BOGO, the first bag of chips scanned rings up at the regular price, and the second bag rings up at $0.00. If it were a twofer, the first bag would ring up at half the regular price.
@Glennis: Stores like Target, CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens usually abide by their national policies, which do allow you to use both a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon on an item. Have you tried at any of those stores?
None of the stores I shop at in the south Seattle area will allow you to use two coupons on the same items. I have to choose which is the best deal for me.
Great read!