Greetings from sunny Orlando, Florida and welcome to the SavingsAngel show!

I am Josh Elledge, consumer expert and money-saving advocate, and the Chief Executive Angel of SavingsAngel.

I’ve appeared over 1500 times in the media, including on television in 76 cities and on the radio, and I write a syndicated newspaper column.

Speaking of newspapers, I’ve been keeping my eye on the changes within newspaper inserts and ads for a long time. Over the past 9 ½ years since the inception of SavingsAngel - and even before that - I’ve kept track of trends in couponing and sales.

In 2016, there have been a couple of notable changes from two large grocery chains, so we’ll talk about those.

After that, I want to wrap up our ongoing discussion about life insurance. We’ve covered a lot this month, but if you’ve missed any podcast episodes, you can listen to them at SavingsAngel.com, where I’ve discussed life insurance already. You will have an education in life insurance that will reward you for life.

As always, I’m keyed up to help you to save more, earn more, and live more abundantly - so let’s get to it!

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I mentioned a few moments ago that I’ve noticed changes in two large grocery chains - in particular Whole Foods and Walmart.

I’ve always advocated comparing ads and cherry-picking the absolute best deals, and it appears that method of saving is still going strong.

However, ad matching appears to be drying up. Yep. You heard me right - and went ahead of me in your mind, I’m sure. Walmart ad matching - at least for groceries - appears to be coming to an end.

Here’s what I know...

In a February 2016 survey, Market Force found that 79% of shoppers still plan their purchases based on the deals being offered, and 61% of shoppers compare prices between grocers.

So that would lead you to believe that grocers would up their sale ad game, right?
But neither Whole Foods and Walmart are. In fact, neither store has ever been big in the sale ad war in the first place.

Whole Foods has traditionally released a very small sale ad each week. And Walmart has never really put out grocery sale ads at all. Rather, what Walmart releases is more of a flyer that features items at regular price, with a few "roll back" items tossed in here and there for good measure.

So - let’s talk about some changes coming to the Whole Foods brand...

Whole Foods is rolling out a new store chain, called 365 by Whole Foods Market. This new store concept is designed with lower prices, and even offers coupons and loyalty rewards. The plan is to have a chain of stores that will compete for the business of comparison and coupon shoppers - while still maintaining the quality Whole Foods is known for.

They just opened the doors to their flagship store in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, CA and they have two others opening with a total of 12 locations announced so far. The concept isn't difficult to imagine. By simply not carrying as many high-priced and specialty items, and focusing more on Whole Foods' store brand products, they have the opportunity to attract more shoppers. And that may be all it takes. Because it's really the "high prices" perception they are trying to change, while riding the still rising demand for organic and local foods. As a consumer advocate who has watched those demands for years, I predict that the new chain could be quite successful. Especially since they are pairing lower prices with coupons and incentives. You can check out 365 by Whole Foods online at 365bywfm.com.

Now - let’s talk about some changes coming to Walmart...

For years, Walmart has simply relied on slick marketing to claim they "always have the lowest price" - and now they're attempting to reinforce that concept. Although it has only affected about 500 stores so far, they have announced they are eliminating price matching. And they're not announcing which stores. That's right. No more price matching at Walmart - but you won't know until you arrive at the store. Instead, they are claiming that they plan to simply reduce prices throughout their stores - in an attempt to further convince shoppers they "always have the lowest price".

As a consumer advocate that has tracked Walmart price matching (ad matching) for a long time, and have encouraged consumers to use it, I see a huge problem with this. Sorry, Walmart, but you simply don't have the lowest prices. Stores that run sales and offer store incentives do - period. And savvy shoppers who were once using the price matching and their coupons to shop Walmart won't be able to anymore. That's why I predict that this could cause their grocery and consumable goods sales to drop as the ability to price match disappears. Walmart, on the other hand, is banking on convincing enough people that they don't need sales and coupons, in order to offset the mass exodus of ad matchers.

Only time will tell if my predictions are right about the future of Whole Foods and Walmart. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to encourage shoppers to compare sale ads - real sale ads - to save money every week on their groceries.

And, of course, to encourage our fans and listeners to use Retailmenot.com for coupons on just about everything else!

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Not only do I encourage you to compare ads and use coupons, we do all the hard work of it for you!

Our VIP Grocery Savings membership - also known as Enlightened Shopping - has store sale lists - complete with matched coupons and store special offers - so you’ll always know the best deals.

You can make a shopping list, clip the necessary coupons, and go shopping easily - because we do the heavy lifting of matching the coupons and notating the store special offers.

On top of the store lists and matched coupons, for the same low bundle price, you also get my huge video library, called 90 Days to Abundance that covers multiple areas of saving, including travel, family expenses, and car savings. There is even a section to will help you feel more on top of all your responsibilities in life.

If this sounds great to you, it’s only $3.99 a week - paid in 4 week blocks of time for just $15.96 - and you can cancel anytime you like, for any reason. And, if you just want to try this thing out, risk free, no worries. Simply write our HelpDesk to ask for a refund within your first 28 days and Rachel will take care of you.

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TRANSITION TO INTERVIEW

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Well, that’s all for this podcast.

If you’ve loved all the helpful ideas and advice on this podcast, would you take a minute to leave a 5-star review in iTunes? By doing so, you help us get this podcast out to more people. The higher our rating, the more we’re noticed.

And as always, if you have any specific questions, or if there is something you’d like to hear me talk about, you can drop me a comment in the podcast feedback, write me on my Facebook group, or call my podcast hotline at 407.205.9250 and leave me a message. I’ll answer your question, write you back, or - with your permission - I might even share your question or story with others on this show.

Have an amazing open to October - full of saving more, earning more, and living more abundantly!

In the weeks ahead, I’ve got some fun interviews I’m excited to share with you!