What is a Catalina?

When I first started reading couponing blogs, I was very confused by the number of coupons people were writing about for a salad dressing that no one has bought since 1986. Turns out a "catalina coupon" is not a coupon for salad dressing (yes, I literally thought that's what they were).

Catalina coupons are those coupons that print out at the register that cashier usually hands you with your reciept.

These coupons are triggered by the items that you purchase. Sometimes they are for competing products, sometimes they are for your next purchase of the same product, and sometimes they are money to use on your next purchase of anything in that store.

Catalina coupons can generally only be used at the store that generates them (this information prints on the coupon). However, some stores in the same "family" will take catalina coupons from one another. In the Northwest, QFC and Fred Meyer catalinas can be used at either store because they are in the Kroger "family".

Most catalinas are manufacturer's coupons so they cannot be combined with another manufacturer's coupon. However, Target has their own catalinas which print as Target coupons and can be stacked with a manufacturer's coupon.

Sometimes I know about a catalina deal ahead of time from a fellow blogger. Sometimes you will see a tag near the product that indicates a catalina promotion. And sometimes, it is a total surprise what you get back.

What other questions do you have about catalina coupons?