Being from Fort Worth we have quite a few Grocery stores we can shop at. One of them is WinCo Foods. I can’t honestly tell you how long they’ve been here or even when I began shopping here but one thing I can tell you is they were not here when I was a child or when Suzzane was here nor were they here when Charlie was little.

But I would like to thank the LORD for bringing Winco into my life because there Meat is cheaper at other stores and we can find items here we can’t find anywhere else. For a family living on one income that is a Godwink.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to shop at Winco before you go you should STOP. CHECK. SAVE. I have to tell you something before we even get to the coupons. One of the things I personally like about WinCo is that it is employee-owned. That has always stood out to me.

The people who work at WinCo can actually become owners of the company through its Employee Stock Ownership Plan. WinCo says participating employees become part owners and benefit financially from the company’s success.

And then there’s another thing I like about WinCo. The Winco close to me is open 24 hours most days. The website says: WinCo says a majority of its stores are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for certain holidays and its Waremart by WinCo locations.

Living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, that’s something I appreciate. Sometimes you need groceries when everybody else is already closed. So when I started researching WinCo for our Did You Know? Check the App Before You Pay Full Price! series, I thought I already knew what I was going to find.

I didn’t. Because WinCo doesn’t work exactly like the restaurant rewards programs we’ve been looking at. And that’s what makes this one interesting. If you’ve been following this series, you’ve probably noticed that every business seems to have its own way of saving money.

Some have points. Some have birthday rewards. Some have free food. Some have digital coupons. And some have an app where you can do almost everything from your phone. Saving us time.

WinCo is different. WinCo’s digital coupons are available through WinCoFoods.com. You don’t have to download a traditional WinCo rewards app and start earning points for every dollar you spend.

Instead, WinCo gives shoppers access to digital coupons through its website. That means if you’ve been saying, “I don’t think WinCo has an app,” you may actually be looking in the wrong place. You’re looking for WinCo’s digital coupons.

So How Do WinCo Digital Coupons Work? This part is actually pretty simple. You create a free profile at WinCoFoods.com. You’ll need your name, ZIP code, mobile phone number and email address. WinCo says the mobile phone number must be verified in order to browse and clip new digital coupons. Make sure you put this information in your password notebook.

Once you’re logged in, you can browse the available coupons. When you see one you want, you clip it. Then you go shopping. At checkout, before you pay, select the Digital Coupons button on the payment keypad and enter the mobile phone number connected to your WinCo account.

If your purchase meets the coupon’s requirements, the coupon is deducted from your total and will appear on your receipt. That’s it. No paper coupon to cut out. No coupon folder to remember to bring. But there is one thing you absolutely need to remember.

Don’t Wait Until You’re Paying! WinCo says that after clipping a coupon, you should allow up to 15 minutes before trying to redeem it at the register. And digital coupons have to be applied before the transaction is completed. Once you’ve paid, you can’t go back and add the digital coupon to that transaction.

So here’s our WinCo version of:

STOP. CHECK. SAVE.; Stop before you shop. Check your coupons. Save before you pay.

What Kind of Coupons Will You Find? This is where I think Debbie was probably seeing the coupons she told me about. WinCo says the digital coupons available to us can vary from what another shopper sees. The company says its system can provide relevant offers based on your shopping history.

So your WinCo coupons may not look exactly like your sister’s WinCo coupons. And that is something I want to pay attention to. Because we shouldn’t automatically assume: “My friend has that coupon, so I’ll have it too.” Maybe you will. Maybe you won’t. Check your own account. That’s another little #TeachingMoment.

Another question I had was is there a WinCo Rewards Program? The answer is not in the traditional points-for-purchases way we’ve seen with some of the other businesses in this series.

WinCo’s savings model is different: The company emphasizes its everyday low prices, bulk foods and digital coupons rather than making shoppers jump through hoops to earn points. WinCo itself describes its stores as employee-owned and says shoppers can use digital coupons for additional savings.

And honestly, I kind of like that. Sometimes I don’t want another complicated rewards program. Sometimes I just want to know: What’s on sale? What coupon can I use? What is the price? And what will my total be

Another question I had is can I share my account with David and Charlie because they do the shopping at times. This is a question I want to share about every business in this series from now on.

Can my husband use my account? Can my sister use it? Can my child use it? Can we all use the same phone number? Because if we all have to have our own account it can become complicated.

With WinCo, the digital coupons are connected to the mobile phone number associated with the account, and that phone number is entered at checkout. I did not find an official WinCo statement that clearly says families may share one digital-coupon account.

I also didn’t find an official rule saying that every member of a household must have a completely separate account. So I’m not going to guess. If WinCo doesn’t clearly tell us, we’re going to say that.

Don’t assume that because you’re family, every rewards or coupon account can automatically be shared. That’s important and what I would say is do what you feel is right for your family.

Now, that Charlie does some of the shopping another question I had was is there a certain Age who can sign up. For the regular WinCo digital coupon account, WinCo’s registration instructions don’t state a minimum age for simply creating the profile.

However, WinCo’s general online promotion rules say participants in its online promotions must be at least 18 years old and meet the other eligibility requirements for that particular promotion.

So we’re going to keep those two things separate. Digital coupons are one thing. Contests and promotions are another. Always read the rules for the specific promotion before joining something.

While researching WinCo, I noticed something else worth checking when you visit the website. WinCo runs contests and promotions, and its official rules explain that some promotions are available to eligible Texas residents and other residents of the states where WinCo operates. The general rules say participants must be 18 or older, and individual promotions have their own dates and entry requirements.

And this is exactly why I like the idea behind this series. You don’t just check for a coupon. You check for opportunities. Maybe there’s a digital coupon. Maybe there’s a promotion. Maybe there’s a contest. Maybe there’s an offer you didn’t know existed. You won’t know if you never look.

When you create your WinCoFoods.com profile, your email address becomes part of your account information, and WinCo uses email as part of its online promotions and communications.

So if you’re setting up your WinCo account, make sure you know which email address you’re using. And please don’t put your actual password in your Coupon & App Savings Notebook. Write: Password: Stored in my password manager. That’s enough.

I don’t know about you but I’ve tried to use coupons in the past and they didn’t work. This is one of the reasons I keep telling people: SAVE YOUR RECEIPT. WinCo says that if a digital coupon doesn’t apply, you should keep your receipt and contact the company so they can review the transaction and determine whether the problem was with the coupon requirements or the system.

That’s your Plan B. Don’t throw the receipt away immediately. Give yourself a chance to figure out what happened. And remember: WinCo says digital coupons cannot be added after the transaction and payment are completed.

#TeachingMoment This is probably my favorite part of researching these articles. I went into this one thinking I was going to find a WinCo app. Instead, I learned that WinCo’s digital coupons are primarily handled through its website. That matters.

Because we get so used to hearing: “Download our app!” that we can forget to ask: “What does this company actually offer?” Maybe it’s an app. Maybe it’s a website. Maybe it’s digital coupons. Maybe it’s an email. Maybe it’s a contest. Maybe it’s a combination of all of them.

The lesson isn’t: Every store has an app. The lesson is: Before you pay full price, find out what the store offers. And that is why #TeachingMoments belongs in this series. Sometimes I learn something, too which I can teach David and Charlie.

What I Would Put in My Coupon & App Savings Notebook

For WinCo, I’d write: Business: WinCo Foods Website: WinCoFoods.com Account Email: __________________________ Account Phone Number: ___________________

What I Can Save: Digital coupons gives me savings through coupons and opportunities through current promotions/contests. What to Check Before I Shop: Digital coupons and current promotions Plan B: Keep my receipt if a coupon doesn’t apply Password: Stored in my password manager Important Note: Clip coupons before shopping and enter the account phone number at checkout before paying.

My WinCo STOP. CHECK. SAVE. Routine

STOP. Before you shop, stop and check WinCoFoods.com. CHECK. Look at your digital coupons. Check the requirements for current promotions and contests. Give newly clipped coupons up to 15 minutes to become available. SAVE. Enter your WinCo account phone number at checkout before you pay. Check your receipt. And keep that receipt if something doesn’t look right.

For me, WinCo isn’t just about finding a coupon. I like knowing that the company is employee-owned. I like that the people working there can actually become owners. I like the everyday-low-price approach. I like the bulk foods. And I really like having a grocery store that can be open when I need it.

WinCo says a majority of its stores are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with exceptions for certain holidays and Waremart by WinCo locations. That’s a pretty good combination. Low prices. Digital coupons. Employee ownership. And, in many locations, 24-hour shopping..

So the next time you’re heading to WinCo, don’t just walk through the doors and start shopping. STOP: Check WinCoFoods.com. CHECK: See what digital coupons and promotions are available to you. SAVE; Use your coupons before you pay, check your receipt, and don’t forget that sometimes the best savings are the ones you find before you ever leave home.

And if you were like me and thought: “Does WinCo even have an app?” Now you know. You may not need a traditional grocery rewards app at all. You just need to know where to look. #TeachingMoment Because sometimes saving money starts with something as simple as asking: “Did I check before I paid full price?” STOP. CHECK. SAVE.

Remember if you see something at Winco like Aldi’s you may want to purchase it because when you go back they may not have it.

What is your favorite item to purchase from here and why?

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates