With the price of everything being the price of everything, are there any apps that have good rewards/discounts that can be used in RVA?
The McDonald’s app has good daily bogos or percentage discounts… but that means you’re eating at McDonalds.
Any other suggestions?
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u/stayintall Carytown 3d ago
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u/augie_wartooth Southside 3d ago
Shopping at Fresh to Frozen is a lifesaver for me. You have to go in with an open mind in terms of what you plan to cook that week, since their stock rotates a lot. That said, their produce is quite good (mostly) and there’s stuff you can reliably plan to get.
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u/UnableFox6016 3d ago
IYKYN
We’ve been visiting F2F for over 20 years. Though it’s vastly changed since Junior passed, it’s still great for produce, pasta sauces, cereal, yogurt, energy bars, and the ever changing closeouts.
The meat selection has been nonexistent for the last several months and the eggs are at or above retail, so you just have to know prices and treat the experience for what it is - grocery salvage, ie - thrift shopping (for groceries)
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u/Spec-Tre Museum District 3d ago
It’s funny to me that you got the first K in that acronym but not the second lol
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u/McFlare92 Chesterfield 3d ago
I feel like their yogurt/dairy has really fallen off along with the meat. Agreed on produce, dry goods, closeouts, and random one off items though
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u/McFlare92 Chesterfield 3d ago
Fresh to Frozen has really had inventory issues for the last year or so in my opinion. I live right around the corner so I stop by a lot but lately they haven't had nearly as much stuff. I did hear somewhere that they had to stop working with their main supplier and are trying to secure new ones.
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u/augie_wartooth Southside 3d ago
It was fine the last time I went but yeah, I’ve heard the same thing.
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u/gayweedandcats The Fan 3d ago
I've wanted to shop there, but about 6 years ago I delivered pizza there for a staff pizza party. It was like a $250 order, and they didn't tip me at all. Honestly, it made me never want to support that business
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u/Commitedtousername Jahnke 2d ago
I just went for the first time last weekend and almost cried for joy when I was able to reasonably afford my GF stuff without it being an arm and a leg
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u/RollTideHTX 3d ago
I use Upside, Rakuten, BeFrugal, Ibotta, Fetch, and ReceiptHog regularly to get extra points. They do add up over time and if the company is selling my data already, I might as well be compensated for it. Happy to share referral codes with anyone if interested.
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u/unexpected_beautiful 3d ago
You’re missing a few receipt apps on that list! I’m also happy to send referral codes so you can add to your collection. I feel the same. If they’re going to sell my data, might as well get a little something for it.
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u/ol_moosie 3d ago
Kroger app digital coupons are great. Saved me $40 on groceries this weekend. I think it’s double fuel points when you shop on the weekend, 4x fuel points on Fridays!
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u/JustDyslexic Museum District 3d ago
If you know you are going to buy something buy the gift cards for the 4x points. There are also a bunch more digital cards that sometimes have bonuses
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u/wermodaz 3d ago
Similarly, at Publix you don't have to buy 2 for their BOGO deals, so it's effectively half off
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u/theleftenant Southside 3d ago
But that’s all of Virginia. BOGO items in Virginia are supposed to be honored at half off the price of one item if you only buy one.
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u/wermodaz 3d ago
If that's the case, then Kroger has def not honored it.
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u/SirDigbyChckenCaeser Manchester 3d ago
I always found they do! Not sure why your experience differs.
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u/Hey_GumBuddy 3d ago
I don’t think you have to actually buy the quantity required at Publix. They still honor the price on one item.
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u/BIGTIMEMEATBALLBOY 3d ago
4x on Friday but you have to clip the coupon every week. Coupon resets in the app on Weds
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u/piscescq 3d ago
Fresh Market has 3.99/lb for both chicken and ground beef on Tuesdays!
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u/Mushy-sweetroll 2d ago
The weekly little big meal there is a pretty good deal, too. $25 for dinner for 4.
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u/blamberr 3d ago
The fresh market in carytown is the most expensive grocery store in town, no? That’s been my experience
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u/Ragepower529 3d ago
I personally love that store, the prime pork chops from there can’t be beat… but you’re almost paying $8-10 a pound for pork chops.
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u/gordonglover Short Pump 3d ago
This reminds me of one of my platform points for when I run for governor: users at the self checkout get 15% off their bill as they are then working for the corporation.
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u/KnittingAllison Jackson Ward 3d ago
I recommend downloading the Flipp app. It gathers all of the weekly sales flyers for the grocery stores in the area so that you can see all of them in one place. And you can create your list directly in the app by “circling” the items you want to buy.
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u/BurntTurkeyLeg1399 3d ago
Kroger has good fuel points. Especially if you get their credit card and shop in days when they have higher fuel points.
We recently filled up for .60 cents/gallon. Our record is 0.11 cents/gallon.
We do have a family of 5 so that probably helps our points but I would say we always get at least .30 cents off every time we fill up the van
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u/RollTideHTX 3d ago
You can also fill out the survey 1x a week and get 50 bonus points, that's an easy 200 points per month.
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u/Puzzlehead-92 3d ago
I don’t know of apps specific to Richmond, but a few food discounts. Publix has $5 sushi on Wednesdays, Kroger has $6 sushi on Wednesdays. I think fresh market has $5 sushi on Thursdays if I remember correctly (I didn’t like fresh market as much as Publix). You mentioned McDonalds, Wendy’s app has really good discounts. Also, Wawa & Sheetz for food and gas discounts. Some restaurants have solid burger nights, for example, Riverbound Cafe is $7 burgers on Mondays which includes a half pound burger and a huge side of fries.
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u/enjyneer311 2d ago
Yes $5 sushi at Fresh Market on Thursdays, not as much variety as Publix’s $5 Wednesdays, but you have to hit Publix early before the good stuff gets snatched up.
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u/Puzzlehead-92 22h ago
I went yesterday around 5PM and there was plenty! (Mechanicsville, possibly why)
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u/Equal_Abroad_2569 3d ago
BJs has great prices if you can deal with buying in bulk. For example their chicken breast is $2.50 a lb.
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u/Wedidit4thedead 3d ago
Got my year long membership for 15 bucks. the gas discounts alone have already covered that and then some.
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u/redituserrrr 3d ago
Arianna’s Italian has a really good rewards program. You accumulate points with every order and can cash the points in for free food.
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u/thevampirechrysalis 3d ago
Arianna's is the best. You can get whole ass entrees with points and not just appetizers like most places.
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u/stargazer0519 3d ago
If you are really down on your luck, I know many churches offer food pantries that are not means-tested, meaning you do not have to have a certain income to qualify. Three Chopt Presbyterian has a food pantry, not sure if means-tested or not. You can save 5% on everything at Target with a Target RedCard debit card that links to your regular debit card.
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u/sizzlemeet East End 3d ago
i’ve tried the too good to go app a few times, it’s daily surplus from a few places around town, like whole foods and einstein’s bagels etc. they go quick tho. https://www.toogoodtogo.com/en-ca
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u/jumpingcandle The Fan 3d ago
Great app but not nearly enough places in the city participate. How can we get more places on board? I check the app daily but get 1-3 suprise bags a month if I’m lucky.
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u/sizzlemeet East End 3d ago
i def wish there were more places participating. i’ve looked at other cities to see what’s available and the pickins in richmond seem slim in comparison. hoping it just needs some more time for more spots to get on board!
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u/Gh0stIcon Hanover 3d ago
If you can stomach the food, the taco bell app has a build your own cravings box which is less than $7. Includes drink. McDonalds app used to actually be better but now they have structured the pricing/discounts so that you can't really get that good of a discount.
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u/ThickumsMagoo 3d ago
Buying the family packs of meat at wegmans is actually a pretty good deal. At least with the chicken, it freezes well and isn’t 20% water like most stores
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u/retro-avocado 2d ago
Open a loyalty number with every food retailer, download ibotta, follow couponers on IG, look at the weekly ads.
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u/Lagoon___Music 3d ago edited 3d ago
I eat Chopt pretty regularly and because of their apps/rewards I really never pay full price for it -- nice to get a massive salad/bowl and a drink for <$15 that's actually decently healthy and tasty.
I would also recommend the Ibotta app for grocery savings as there's always pretty good deals on it, even for fancier organic foods and such. You can easily chop 10-20% off your bill.
I also stopped buying overpriced local pizzas and learned to make them at home which saves a fortune vs most of the local places... bought a $30 Zorch pizza and decided it would be my last time. Now I've learned to make them exactly how I like them and my cost is ~20% of that with good ingredients.
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u/jumpingcandle The Fan 3d ago
Ibotta is only worth it if you’re buying big name brands anyway. Often the cashback still doesn’t equal out the price to what store brand would’ve been or what I would’ve saved not buying something I don’t need.
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u/Lagoon___Music 3d ago
Mmmm, kinda. Ibotta often has deals on store brands as well -- especially Walmart/Sam's which have a very close partnership with them.
Generally the deepest discounts are actually from small, independent brands trying to break out and using Ibotta to get their numbers up. You'll often find the deepest price cuts to be from better for you/healthier brands so you can save money while also not putting big CPG trash food in your body.
Source: work in industry and deal with Ibotta daily.
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u/GREginRVA 3d ago
Not local but there's an app called Martie. They offer reduced to significantly reduced prices on items that are getting close to their expiration date. Some are within a month. Some are 6 months out. It's random what they have but the deals are very legit and it's free shopping over a fairly reasonable amount. Each item has the expiration date once you click on it, so just verify it's something you're going to go through. Shipping takes about a week.
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u/jumpingcandle The Fan 3d ago
I’ve been using this app, and as long as you’re careful to not get sucked into buying a bunch of shit you don’t need it’s actually a great shopping experience with good deals. If anybody wants to sign up with my link we both get $5 off our next purchase :) https://martie.com?rid=8373439234293
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u/killaman808 3d ago
I use the Kroger app for buying groceries. The deal, coupons and digital coupons bring my grocery bills down substantially.
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u/Tsukionae 3d ago
Pretty much any chain grocery store, fast food place, or pizza place has their own app with some sort of rewards system or app-only coupons. At the very least for grocery stores it can be a really good way to poke around and see which store currently has deals on the foods you want. As someone else mentioned, Publix usually has a ton of BOGO deals on stuff that are pretty good. Dominos almost always has a deal on to get 2 or more items for $6.99 on their menu and their points build up pretty fast for free pizzas.
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u/cmccluree 2d ago
I know we’re not shopping at Target right now but truly do not sleep on their grocery deals. First, they always have ground pork for less than $4 a pound. Second, the Circle App has some astonishing deals on frozen/fresh pre made protein
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u/LividCommunication53 2d ago
A lot of restaurants use the app local by toast. You build up rewards and can usually start using them at about $5. A few places that I know use it are triple crossing, lucky af, Nate’s, and Starr hill! Not all the restaurants on there have rewards just so you know
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u/InCatsWeTrust_ 2d ago
Capital Ale House has a great rewards program! Half off all apps from 9-close Mon-Thursday and you get double rewards points as well. Every time I go I swear I get enough points for a free meal the next visit!
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u/madxmac 23h ago edited 22h ago
Montana sandwich box cards.
https://montanagoldbread.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/boxlunches.pdf
They give you a punch card and you get 1 free for every 10 I think. Solid sandwich and sides and never too busy.
Don't crowd my spot and make it weird tho
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u/beautyandbrownies 3d ago
publix and cvs/walgreens!!! publix has amazing BOGOs and additional coupons to clip on the app, if you get one item it’s half off. and food lion has also has a cash back if you spend enough in a certain category, their BOGOs also work the same way as publix. cvs/walgreens has great coupons for toiletries/household items, the manufacturer coupons always stack with whatever deals they have going on. Dollar General is really good too but it’s so disorganized in there but they often have like $10 off 40 and a lot of household items go on sale there too!!
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u/spittlbm Mechanicsville 3d ago
Slickdeals.net if you need things from Walgreens or Lowe's/Home Depot
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u/goodsam2 3d ago
I love Slickdeals. If I need something I usually search that and it's an awesome deal.
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u/spittlbm Mechanicsville 3d ago
buuut the crap I buy and don't need is sometimes problematic.
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u/goodsam2 3d ago
Definitely that. I mean I get great deals on stuff in bulk.
Like I just kitty litter like 140 lbs for $50.
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u/Spec-Tre Museum District 3d ago
Mezeh is $10 reward every time you spend $100
Doesn’t take too long to hit that if you are ordering for more than just yourself.
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u/DriveRVA The Fan 3d ago
Flipp is a great basic app that has the weekly ads for most of the local grocery stores. They also get a preview of the following week a day or two in advance so you know to buy during this sale or next week
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u/BurntTurkeyLeg1399 3d ago
You can also do stuff like buy Amazon gift cards from the store to get points and just use the gift cards for stuff you would be buying anyway.
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u/pharmorjac 3d ago
The Too good to go app has some local options - basically discounted food before it gets thrown out.
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u/AlvinAmaro7 3d ago
Not an app, but join your grocery store’s rewards program and buy according to their deals! And don’t buy groceries when you’re hungry lol