The month of August 2019 presented a variety of promotional offers and discounts available to U.S. consumers across different categories, including groceries, retail, dining, and household services. These offers ranged from immediate savings on everyday items to future redemption credits and free products through specific shopping platforms. The availability of these deals varied by retailer, membership requirements, and specific promotional dates.
Retail and Membership Savings
Several significant discounts were available through membership programs, specifically targeting seniors and general consumers. A prominent offer involved savings on Walmart+ memberships. According to the source material, seniors could utilize the AARP website to save $40 off every year of their Walmart+ annual membership. This membership provided benefits such as free same-day delivery, including on eligible prescriptions, and free shipping with no order minimum. Additional perks included savings on gas and video streaming.
In the clothing sector, a specific promotion offered a $15 discount on Crocs purchases. This offer was valid only on the Crocs website and required a minimum spend of $75. For consumers planning travel, AARP members were eligible for savings on Disneyland tickets. The discount offered up to $35 off a minimum purchase of a 2-day ticket, with the final amount varying based on the date, number, and type of tickets purchased.
General retail discounts were also widespread during this period. Old Navy ran several promotions, including up to 60% off kids and baby items, 50% off all tees, 40% off all dresses, and 30% off all jeans. Clearance items were marked down up to 75%. A cardmember exclusive offered an extra 10% off orders using a Gap family brand credit card with the code EXTRA. Office Depot offered free delivery on all ink and toner, as well as on all sale-priced furniture and seating.
Grocery and Food Product Offers
Savings on food and beverages included both coupons and specific product discounts. A coupon offer provided a $0.75 discount when purchasing one 1.74-liter carton of A2 Milk. Another offer provided a discount on a 6-pack of 8 oz cans of A2 Milk.
Instacart hosted a "Back-to-School Deal Week" from August 11 through August 17, offering daily freebies on lunchbox essentials. To receive these free items, customers were required to add the featured item to their cart, and while there was no specific purchase minimum for the free item, the total order needed to be at least $10 to be eligible for delivery. The schedule of free items was as follows:
- August 11: Free box of Cheerios Cinnamon Protein.
- August 12: Free six-pack of Danimals Strawberry Smoothie.
- August 13: Free box of Welch's Fruit Snacks, Mixed Fruit (40 count).
- August 14: Free block of Land O Lakes Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese Chunk.
- August 15: Free four-pack of Orgain Kids Protein Shake (Chocolate).
- August 16: Free bag of Pringles Mingles Cheddar and Sour Cream Puffed Snacks.
- August 17: Free pack of Mott's No Sugar Added Applesauce Pouches (12 count).
In addition to the daily free items, the Instacart Back-To-School Shopping Hub offered savings up to $8 on items such as Uncrustables, Bounty, and Dawn through automatically applied stock-up-and-save offers. Furthermore, Instacart users could save 20% on school supplies from retailers including Staples, Michaels, Ulta Beauty, Family Dollar, The Container Store, The Home Depot, Dollar Tree, and Sally Beauty from August 11 to September 12.
Dining and Restaurant Promotions
Restaurant deals in August 2019 focused on back-to-school savings and gift card incentives. Einstein Bros. Bagels offered rewards members the ability to purchase a baker's dozen bagels and a shmear box (13 bagels and two cream cheese tubs) for $10 when ordering online or in the app. This offer was valid from August 6 through September 2.
Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's ran a joint promotion where customers who purchased $30 in gift cards received a MiniBon and an Original Pretzel for free. This was valid with qualifying gift card or e-gift card purchases made through the online gift card ordering webpage through September 30. Cinnabon also offered free five-count CinnaSweeties with the purchase of any baked good on Sundays at participating locations.
Moe's Southwest Grill offered a "Kids Eat Free" deal every Sunday from August 3 through August 31. Rewards members received a Free Kids Meal offer for every adult entrée purchased, which could be redeemed at any point during the week in-store or online. Moe's also offered 15% off catering orders of $350 or more using the code B2SCHOOL25 from August 3 through September 7.
Schlotzsky's introduced a permanent $5 Pizza Program available every Friday through Sunday after 5 p.m., featuring core pizzas like Double Cheese and Pepperoni & Double Cheese for $5, with premium pizzas available for an additional $2. From July 28 through August 17, customers purchasing a $30 gift card received a small Original Sandwich reward.
McAlister's Deli offered a free dessert reward to customers who spent $25 on gift cards during August. This dessert reward was valid for redemption from September 1 through October 31, 2025.
Home, Pet, and Magazine Offers
For home organization and cleaning, Clean Mama provided a free printable Homekeeping Calendar for August 2019. The calendar detailed weekly and daily tasks, along with rotating cleaning tasks, and was designed to be used as a checklist. It could be placed on a clipboard, in a planner, or on a refrigerator.
In the pet category, Petco offered several promotions, including 20% off orders of $80 or more plus free shipping (valid August 25–27), 20% off $80+ on Pet Pharmacy purchases (valid August 25–27), and 25% off cat toys for online orders picked up in-store (valid August 4–31). Additionally, Petco offered 10% off for online orders picked up in-store (valid August 10–28) and 30% off the first repeat delivery subscription.
Magazine subscriptions were available at discounted rates through Discount Magazines using the coupon code JOETHECOUPONGUY for an additional 20% off. A "Weekend $5 Sale" ran from August 23 at 7:00 AM ET to August 26 at 11:59 PM ET. Daily deals included: * August 26: Woman’s Day for $4.95 per year (Code: 66189) and Wired for $4.95 per year (Code: 19473). * August 27: INC for $4.99 per year (Code: 50185) and Zoobooks for $17.99 per year (Code: 62674). * August 28: Clean Eating for $7.99 per year (Code: 68761) and Vanity Fair for $11.99 per year (Code: 25644). Free shipping was available on any order with no minimum.
Insurance and Service Discounts
Beyond retail and dining, savings were available on service plans and insurance. AARP offered savings on home warranty plans through American Home Shield, allowing members to save $36 or more on any plan. These plans cover household items that break over time, such as refrigerators and dishwashers.
Conclusion
The promotional landscape in August 2019 was characterized by a mix of immediate discounts, future redemption credits, and free product offers. Consumers had opportunities to save on clothing, groceries, and dining through specific codes, membership programs, and retail events. The Instacart Back-to-School Deal Week provided a structured schedule of free grocery items, while magazine subscriptions and home organization tools offered low-cost or free resources for household management. Many offers were tied to specific dates or membership requirements, necessitating careful attention to eligibility and validity periods.