8 Precautions Wisconsinites Should Take When Shopping at Woodman’s

If your Woodman’s receipt ends up crumpled at the bottom of your grocery bag, it’s worth digging out.

You don’t have forever to act on what’s printed there.

Here are the precautions Wisconsinites should take when shopping at Woodman’s.

1. Credit Card Limits

Woodman’s accepts only one credit card at its registers, and that card is Discover.

A Visa or Mastercard credit card won’t pay your bill.

Debit cards that use a PIN still work.

So do cash, Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) vouchers.

ShopWoodmans.com orders are the exception, since the site takes major credit and debit cards.

Woodman’s says the limit helps it keep card fees lower.

We’d keep cash or a debit card in your wallet, since the credit card you reach for first may not be a Discover.

2. Check Payment Rules

If you plan to write a check at Woodman’s, first make sure your store takes them.

Woodman’s FAQ says most stores take checks, with two exceptions: Racine and Plainfield, Illinois.

Leave the checkbook at home.

Bring cash or a debit card instead.

Where checks work, the cashier can ask to see a driver’s license, state ID or U.S. passport.

Your bank has to preprint the check information, and the check can cover only the amount of your purchase.

Payroll, two-party, temporary and starter checks don’t qualify.

Checks won’t buy lottery tickets or gift cards either.

A check that bounces costs you a $25 fee, deducted from your account.

3. Account Holds

Your bank may hold more money than your Woodman’s total, according to the store’s FAQ.

Woodman’s and its card processor say they aren’t responsible for placing or releasing the hold.

Holds usually release within 24 to 48 hours.

So your balance can look lower than your receipt total for a day or two.

Don’t panic.

If your balance looks short after a trip, call your bank for details.

4. Digital Coupon Timing

Woodman’s digital coupons only work if the cashier scans your Shopper ID before finishing the transaction.

Once the sale is complete, you can’t redeem a forgotten digital coupon after the fact.

So have your Shopper ID ready before you pay.

You can clip digital coupons in the ShopWoodmans app, on ShopWoodmans.com or at an in-store kiosk.

Woodman’s names Ibotta, Checkout51 and Fetch as outside savings partners, and its coupon page links to more details.

Pre-hung coupons on the shelf work differently: You can take one for each item you’re buying, and only for that purchase.

Woodman’s won’t take coupons from other retailers, including competitors.

5. 14-Day Overcharge Window

Woodman’s says it will refund the exact amount of any overcharge within 14 days of the purchase.

Check your receipt against the shelf tags soon after you get home.

Receipts end up crumpled at the bottom of a bag, and two weeks go fast.

Don’t wait.

The refund covers the overcharge, not the whole trip.

6. Return Limits

Woodman’s will refund or exchange an item returned unopened within 30 days with a receipt.

If you might return something, leave the package sealed until you’re sure.

Keep the receipt.

Without a receipt, Woodman’s may offer an exchange at the item’s lowest selling price in the last 30 days, if store management approves.

An item you bought with a coupon returns for less since Woodman’s subtracts the coupon’s value.

Perishables don’t come back unless there’s a quality problem.

Tobacco, alcohol, gift cards, books and magazines, and special-order items are on the no-return list.

You can exchange infant formula within three days of purchase with a receipt.

7. Online Order Rules

According to Woodman’s FAQ, ShopWoodmans.com charges $4.95 for pickup orders from $50 to $99.99.

Delivery orders need a $50 minimum and come with a $9.95 fee.

Woodman’s doesn’t accept returns on online orders.

Instead, you can request a refund within 7 days of delivery.

Woodman’s doesn’t sell alcohol online.

Online prices often differ from the store’s, and some in-store sales may not show up on your order.

If you’d rather get a refund than a substitute, choose Don’t Replace; the default is Find Best Match.

Woodman’s says that if you leave an order unattended after delivery, you accept full responsibility for it.

8. Bagging Before Paying

Woodman's treats hiding product before you pay as shoplifting.

Items can't go into Woodman's bags, personal bags, boxes or pockets until the purchase is complete.

The store's FAQ says you can use reusable bags at any register.

The same goes for your reusable bags.

Pay first, bag second.

EBT Payments

Woodman's lets you pay for part or all of a ShopWoodmans.com order with EBT, but a credit or debit card still covers fees, taxes and ineligible items.

You can save only one EBT card to your profile.

ShopWoodmans.com can't take EBT cash.

EBT doesn't cover hot or prepared foods or supplements.

A replacement item paid for with EBT has to be eligible and can't cost more than the original.

Store Hours

Woodman's store locations page lists the liquor stores in Racine, Kenosha, Waukesha and Green Bay at 8 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.

The grocery stores at those four locations are open 24 hours, so the liquor store closes first.

If you're planning a late wine or spirits run, you'll want to beat the liquor store's 8:45 p.m. closing, not the grocery store's.

Plan around it.