Promo codes and other discounts for Mother’s Day gifts and more

You have eight shopping days left until Mother’s Day, so now’s the time to start looking for the perfect item to bring a smile to your mom’s face.  It’s also a good time to take advantage of sales, promo codes and shipping specials being offered by a variety of retailers. Check out these offers:

You can get $40 worth of flowers or gifts for $20 with this FTD offer from Groupon. If your mom doesn’t like flowers, you can use it for another special occasion, because it doesn’t expire until Sept. 10. You can buy up to two of these deals. Be sure to visit the FTD website before purchasing to confirm FTD delivers to the recipient’s ZIP code.

Take an extra 20 percent off your purchase at Kohl’s online with promo code FF20MAY. You can also get 99-cent shipping per item or free shipping on purchases of $75 or more.

Bed, Bath & Beyond is offering free shipping on a variety of items, including silicone prep bowls, silver-plated photo frames, bath salts and wall art.

If your mother likes to read, take advantage of a 15 percent discount online at Barnes & Noble. Use promo code K4H4K9L.

If you’re planning a group gift for Mother’s Day or splurging on an item for mom or yourself, you can save 15 percent at Meijer.com when you spend $125 or more. Use promo code COUPON. Gift options include jewelry, clothing and electronics.

Would new window coverings make mom’s day? Get 30 percent off and free shipping through Sunday, May 6 when you shop online with Select Blinds. No coupon code is required.

Does your mom have a fondness for things that sparkle? Get $100 worth of jewelry for $50 at Blue Nile with this Living Social Deal. Act now–the offer ends Monday.

Another Living Social deal offers you a two-year subscription to a variety of women’s magazines for just $7.

Finally, get bubble bath, fragrance mists, candles and other items 20 percent off at Bath & Body Works when you use promo code BathBodyGarden.

What gift will your mom receive on Sunday, May 13?

Check out this week’s promo codes and online deals

Web shoppers can take advantage of several sales and discounts this week:

Use promo code L9P9M4A to get 15 percent off one item at Barnes & Noble through April 8.

Enter code “BLUESKY” to add a 15 percent discount to your total purchase at Meijer.

Take 20 percent off your purchase at Kohl’s with promo code “SPRING2SAVE.”

Get 26 percent cash back on Magazines.com purchases when you shop through Ebates.com. Other Ebates deals this week include 15 percent off Easter bouquets from Teleflora, along with 20 percent cash back. Use code “Ebatesae112” to take 40 percent off one item at Joann’s fabric and craft store, plus get 5 percent cash back by starting your shopping at the Ebates website.

Bad coupon experience a reminder to “know before you go”

Happy 2012 to all! Now that the rush of the holidays is over, I’ll be back to posting detailed blog entries on a regular basis. In addition to coupon codes and sale deals like those offered at Christmas, I’ll post information on other ways to save money and avoid customer service headaches.

For me, 2011 ended with a disappointing customer service experience at Meijer, a grocery store chain serving Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. I don’t normally shop there because I live closer to another chain store, but I went to Meijer because it sells a brand of yogurt my regular store does not. I had a set of coupons expiring soon, and I wanted to take advantage of the store’s double coupon program to get a good deal.

The yogurt was $1 per container, and my coupons had a face value of 50 cents off two containers. When the coupon was doubled, my final cost would be 50 cents per container, a great deal for Greek yogurt. I grabbed 12 containers of yogurt, pulled six coupons from my folder and headed to the self-checkout lane. As I scanned the first couple of coupons, I watched the monitor to be sure they were doubling. Then, I scanned the remainder, paid the checkout total and left.

When I got to my car, I looked over my receipt and realized only two of the six coupons had been doubled. I went back into the store and asked the customer service staff why this was the case. The woman who assisted me explained that Meijer only doubles the first two coupons for a set of like items. So, whether I bought two yogurt or 20, only two coupons would be doubled, unless I purchased the containers in separate transactions. She said Meijer mentions this in the fine print in its newspaper ads.

This experience was a good reminder to me to review the coupon policies of stores at which you rarely shop before heading there to make a purchase. However, when I checked Meijer’s coupon policy online today, I couldn’t find a mention of the limitations on double coupons; in fact, there’s no mention of double coupons at all. Another page on the site states the store doesn’t regularly double coupons at all, information that should be included in the coupon policy itself. This is poor customer service; even a shopper who attempts to be informed can’t easily find accurate information on the store’s website.

To be sure you know all the provisions of a store’s policy, call or stop by the customer service desk before you begin filling your shopping cart. Ask about specifics that apply to your shopping scenario, such as a limit on the number of coupons you can use or when those coupons will be doubled. Also, find out if you are allowed to use a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon for the same item.

What “lessons learned” have you experienced while couponing? Please share your advice so others can avoid the same headaches.

December 16 is Free Shipping Friday

It’s Free Shipping Friday on the Web, with more than 2,000 retailers offering the discount today. A minimum purchase amount may apply to qualify for the deal.

If you’re ordering an item for Christmas, be sure to check the site’s holiday shipping schedule and the product page to confirm your item will arrive in time with the free shipping method.

Sites offering free shipping with pre-Christmas delivery include Overstock, Walmart, Old Navy, Meijer, OfficeMax and Lowe’s.