Today’s tough economy has led consumers to be more economical when grocery shopping. With the continued increase in the prices of gasoline and food, added by the fact that unemployment and foreclosures have become more and more common, shoppers have turned to the help of coupons in saving as much money as they can.

Extreme couponing has gained widespread popularity in the country. This is because shoppers who use coupons in their grocery shopping are able to save a lot by purchasing goods at very low, discounted prices. These grocery coupons allow shoppers to maximize their shopping without spending so much.

One of the grocery chains that accept these grocery coupons is Publix. In fact, the grocery chain has the most lenient coupon policy in the country. Publix not only accepts manufacturer coupons, it also accepts coupons that are from its competitors. The grocery chain accepts store coupons that come from Albertson’s, Sweet Bay, Wal-Mart, Target, Winn-Dixie, Walgreens, CVS and a number of other grocery stores. With this coupon policy, Publix gets flooded with coupons everyday from its customers as they use any type of coupon (even from competitor stores) just to get the best deals.

Recently, Publix has announced that they will be making some changes to its coupon policy. Although the changes have not yet been announced as the company is still in the process of revising their policy, a number of analysts predict that the changes will relate to the stores’ acceptance of competitor coupons. Some predict that Publix might not accept competitor coupons anymore, while others predict that although the store might still accept competitor coupons, there might be some limitations as to which of the coupons will be accepted.