MARTIN SLOANE \ Supermarket Shopper Travel the information supermarket aisleway

The Internet is an adventure for Smart Shoppers. Here are some examples of why I recommend surfing the brand Web sites.
Dozens of brand Web sites offer coupons: $1 Children's Advil coupon at www.advil.com; 75-cent coupon at www.coffee-mate.com; $5 coupon at www.colgatesimplywhite.com; 55-cent coupon at www.eggbeaters.com; $1 coupon on new Nescaf & eacute; Ice Java at ww.nescafeu-sa.com; a $2 or $5 coupon for Science Diet pet food at http://naturesbest.sciencediet.com.
Some sites offering coupons ask you to join their "club" and receive periodic e-mail information such as recipes and promotions. You will receive $2.50 in coupons and other benefits by joining the Smart Rewards Club at www.landola-kes.com.
Free samples are part of the adventure of surfing the brand Web sites. You will find a Nesquik Very Vanilla free sample and a 55-cent Nesquik syrup coupon at: www.nesquik.com/special.asp. The current sample offers at www.her-balessences.com are Intensive Blends and Hawafena conditioner. At www.dailyfacials.com, you can receive a sample Olay Daily Facials cleansing cloth (look for "Try a Sample" at the upper right).
For moms
The Web is a great place for new moms to connect with savings: Earth's Best Organic baby food site includes a $5 coupon for Green Babies 100 percent organic cotton, soft, irritant-free clothes. Find it at: www.earthsbest.com. At www.beechnut.com, you can sign up for free monthly e-newsletters, with information customized to your baby's age, nutrition and parenting tips, plus valuable coupons to use for your favorite Beech-Nut baby foods. There is an offer of $45 in savings at www.gerber.com. Look for the free Lipil Smart Bag containing samples and information at www.enfamil.com.
Do you have a new puppy? Order a free puppy starter kit including $8 in puppy food coupons at http://freesample.pedigree.com. At www.meowmix.com, you will find a catalog of "Fun Stuff" you can receive for making Meow Mix purchases and sending in "Special Offers" weight squares. They include a dangler, meow mouse, a kitty bowl and a plush kitty. Nine Lives has a Morris points program for you to consider at www.9lives.com. At www.naturesearth.com, rebates for a free bag of kitty litter are offered to first-time users.
Brand merchandise offers, some of them free, are another reason you should explore the Web sites: At the Jennie-O Turkey Store Web site, www.jennieo.com, you will find an offer of free "essential" cooking merchandise in return for proofs-of-purchase. They include an instant-read meat thermometer and a Pyrex four-piece portables set. At www.cheerios.com, look for "The Store" and a great looking yellow T-shirt. Another favorite of mine is the www.energizerstore.com. The big pink bunny is a fantastic gift at $19.50. Spam? Whether you cook it or delete it, there is a neat T-shirt at www.spam.com/ss.htm. I have one and it gets smiles whenever I wear it. The Pillsbury Catalog includes cute Doughboy merchandise, like the Doughboy Giggling Cookie Jar, at: www.pillsbury.com. The 2004 Healthy Choice Calendar includes $185 worth of coupons and other savings. It is free in return for three Healthy Choice proofs-of-purchase. It requires the official mail-in form you can find at: www.healthychoice.com. The offer expires Jan. 14, 2004. The 2004 Campbell's Kids Calendar also includes money-saving coupons. You can print out the mail-in form at the collectibles section of the Web site: www.campbellsoup.com. The offer expires Jan. 30, 2004.
Finding sites
A few tips: Finding a brand on the Internet may be as simple as typing www then a period, the brand name, another period and com (www.brandname.com). If this does not work you will find more than 2,000 click-on links to brand Web sites in the "Manufacturers Web site Finder," at: www.siteforsavings.com. When you visit a Web site, look for the promotions and special offers sections. Whether an offer is made on the Internet or on the back of a box, read it carefully, including the fine print.
A few words of caution: Occasionally, you will find an offer that is no longer available. Someone at the company forgot to remove it from the Web site. For example, an offer for a free two-week health club membership at Mott's Web site. And, you may find that a Web site offer I have mentioned has disappeared between the time this column was written and when you read it. That is the nature of Web offers.
What is your experience using the brand sites on the Internet? Have they helped you stretch your grocery budget? Write to me, Martin Sloane, The Supermarket Shopper, in care of this newspaper. I publish the most interesting letters. If you still do not have access to the Internet, considering the fun and savings, isn't it time you joined up and logged on?
XSend questions and comments to Martin Sloane in care of The Vindicator. The volume of mail precludes individual replies to every letter, but Martin Sloane will respond to letters of general interest in the column.
United Feature Syndicate