WinCo Explained

The discount-oriented retailer entered the Utah market this week with stores in Midvale and West Valley.  Here are the top three questions, and the responses:

Does WinCo price match? Unlike Target and Wal-Mart, WinCo does not match competitor's prices on identical items.

Does WinCo allow coupon "stacking"? (Stacking involves combining a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon on the same item for added savings.) Yes, the store definitely allows shoppers to use these two types of coupons on one item,  just like most other stores do, even though one writer here at the Trib and several readers were told they couldn't do so when they tried to check out this week. Insist on talking to a manager if a WinCo cashier doesn't allow you to stack coupons. In any case, WinCo says to keep costs down the company doesn't make store coupons available each week - they tend to offer them only during grand openings and other special occasions.

Note: WinCo does not accept competitor's coupons.

Why is WinCo not listed in directory assistance? The company's phone number is not listed in phone books and not available from directory assistance. While you can get store addresses from the company's web site, phone numbers aren't available there, either. Company officials say they save money on directory costs by not being listed. They also say they don't have a lot of extra people in stores to handle phone calls.

Does WinCo REALLY not take credit cards? The chain does not accept credit cards because the company doesn't want to pay the fees merchants that accept cards must pay. You can use cash, checks or debit cards to pay for your purchases at WinCo. There's an in-store ATM, too.