Shaw’s: The Rules

The Good:

-  Some great sales.  Often their best sales are their “two-day” sales, so make sure you check your circular early.

-  Will double manufacturer’s coupons under 99 cents, and they will allow you to pair a Shaw’s coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon at most stores.

- Occasional Catalinas (coupons for items or money off of your next purchase that print out at the register when you buy a certain amount of required items.)  If you pair the coupons and catalina sales up well, you can often walk out with a lot of stuff for a very small amount.  For more information on how Catalinas work, go here.

- Usually brighter, cleaner, and nicer than other stores.  (This is a plus if you’re like me and your shopping environment is part of the experience.)

The Bad:

- Non-sale prices are often much higher than other stores.

- Need to be wary of Shaw’s “sale” prices and make sure they’re REALLY better than Market Basket’s regular price.  Often, Market Basket’s regular price is lower than Shaw’s so-called sale.

- Need a “Shaw’s Rewards” card to get their advertised savings, but they offer a key tag for your key ring, so it’s not too hard to carry it around.

The Ugly:

- No “picking up a few other things” on your trip if you’re really comitted to saving serious money. You pretty much have to make a list of sale items and stick to ONLY the things on your list, because if you start buying things at Shaw’s normal prices (even a gallon of milk) you’ll end up cutting into the money that you saved.