The News & Observer's  coupon database has been updated with all of the new coupons.

This Sunday's home-delivered Final Edition of The News & Observer contains two inserts -- one Smart Source and one Red Plum -- for a total of 127 coupons with a face value of nearly $175.

And while you're clipping, don't forget the $1 nail polish coupon in the Walmart circular. Since it's a manufacturer's coupon, it can be used anywhere.

Not familiar with the coupon database? You can access it on the right-hand side of the blog. There's a button at the bottom right to view it as a full-size page.

Or, you can download it as an Excel spreadsheet by clicking on the attachment at the bottom of this post.

It's a handy tool, listing every coupon we receive in the Triangle in the Sunday N&O.

For a detailed tutorial on the database, head over HERE to my Coupons 101 section.

Please note: Single-copy and State Edition papers may not contain all coupon inserts.



Documents:

Look for two coupon inserts -- one sizeable Smart Source and one Red Plum -- in this Sunday's home-delivered Final Edition of The News & Observer.

As I posted earlier this week, Harris Teeter ranked among the Top 10 supermarkets nationwide in a just-released survey by Consumer Reports.

Here are a few more details, along with the rankings of other stores that do business in the Triangle.

Can you guess which Triangle supermarkets were in the very bottom of the rankings?

Here's a look at today's local headlines:

First, watch OrangeChat later today for news about last night's county commissioners and aldermen meetings.

GRAFFITI GROWS: According to Chief Hutchison anyway, who says the anarchists are "marketing their territory." I called the only anarchist I know, but he said he hasn't seen an increase and told me to go look online. I had better luck in Durham, where Impact Team manager Darryl Hedgepeth called me back three times to make sure we reported how the Bull City handles its graffiti problem. Thank you, Darryl.

BIG BOX VS. BIG BUILDER: A couple of months ago now outgoing Chapel Hill economic development officer Dwight Bassett told me a Chatham WalMart could deal a crippling blow to retail demand in the southern part of Chapel Hill (Read Obey Creek). Now local business leaders including the Obey Creek developers are saying not necessarily. Read Dave Hart's story. 

THE COST OF COMPETITION: I wondered if Faith Gardner's family might think we overemphasized the finances of her competitive riding.  I had asked correspondent John Sharpe to rework the story after a first draft to play up how hard the family works to support her hobby. But Faith's mom, Adrienne wrote us a note this morning:

"It was a pleasure to work with both your writer and photographer, both of whom were so nice and professional. Mr. Sharpe was very careful to get all the details correct and I think he did a great job."

And ... Tom Hartwell reports on the closing of Pope's hardware in Cole Park Plaza in the second of our new semi-monthly business features, Lynden Harris says some kids need to be treated like kids when they break the law, and Hillsborough is considering a possible 6-cent-tax rate increase, about a $110 increase on a $200,000 house. The town is getting an early start on budget season, telling folks what it's looking at so residents can have meaningful input in this spring's budget talks.

And there's more ... Ed Holland makes OWASA's case for Jordan Lake (not everyone will agree). John Wooding has a prescritpion for culling Orange County's deer herd. And Daniel Becton gives a shout out to CHCCS guidance counselor Mary Gratch.

Thanks for reading,

Mark   

Chatham County received a site plan today for a 148,400-square-foot, full-service Walmart store off of U.S. 15-501 just south of the Orange County line.

"Walmart's announcement of a second store in the county means approximately 300 new jobs and we need every one of them," Commissioners Chairman Brian Bock said in a statement. "Given how many of our residents must commute outside the county to work, often for long distances, this is very good news."

According to Walmart, the average hourly wage for its regular, full-time employees in the state is $12.39 per hour, as of October 2011. This does not include benefits. Walmart's statement said that more details on job opportunities will be available toward the end of the construction phase.

Bock said that the store will be a much-needed boost to the county's sales tax revenues and the property tax base. "Given the store's location, it will attract shoppers from nearby counties."

Dianne Reid, president of the Chatham County Economic Development Corporation said, "In developing our Economic Development Strategic Plan, we found that approximately 64 cents of every retail dollar spent by Chatham County residents is spent outside the county. This project will help us stem the resulting leakage in retail sales tax revenues."

Orange County leaders have watched for Walmart's announcement. Some have expressed concern about how a Walmart so close to Chapel Hill-Carrboro would affect possible plans for Obey Creek, a big mixed-use project proposed for U.S. 15-501 just across from Southern Village.

We're working on this story now for tomorrow's N&O and Sunday's Chapel Hil News. What do you think about today's announcement? Will you shop there? Are you worried about a further loss of sales tax dollars outside the county? Tell us here or in a letter to editor@nando.com  

The News & Observer's  coupon database has been updated with all of today's new coupons.

This Sunday's home-delivered Final Edition of The News & Observer contains two inserts -- one Smart Source and one Red Plum -- for a total of 100 coupons with a face value of about $132.

Look for two coupon inserts -- one Smart Source and one Red Plum -- in this Sunday's home-delivered Final Edition of The News & Observer.

Also, be on the look out for two manufacturer coupons in this Sunday's WalMart circular.

All together, there will be a grand total of 100 coupons with a face value of about $132 -- and that's before every-day double coupons, which we're fortunate to have at Kroger, Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods. And of course, that's also before Super Double coupons at Lowes Foods this week and possibly at Harris Teeter next week.

As always, I'll have the coupon database updated and the best Sunday deals posted early Sunday morning, about the same time your paper hits the driveway.

Please note: Single-copy and State Edition papers may not contain all coupon inserts.
 

WalMart is offering the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet this week with a gift card incentive that essentially shaves $50 off the price.

On the front page of today's WalMart circular, the full-color 7-inch tablet is advertised at the regular price of $199, but it's bundled with a $50 WalMart gift card.

One of the hottest gifts of the 2011 holiday season, the Kindle Fire still sells for $199 on Amazon.com and other major retailers.

I'm wondering just how many Kindle Fires each WalMart store will have in stock. If you're interested, I wouldn't procrastinate.

You can pick up FREE cough syrup at CVS, FREE Stayfree pads at Rite Aid and FREE Valentine's candy and aspirin at Walgreens. But the best bargains of the week are on basics: milk and eggs.

Pick up milk for $2.88 per gallon at Kroger and a dozen eggs for 99 cents at Walgreens. And if either store happens to be out of stock, be sure to get rain checks. And remember, WalMart and Target will price match.

Read on for all the best deals this week at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Kerr Drug and Kroger. These are the deals that stood out to me so please jump in and leave a comment if you spotted a bargain. That way, we can all save.

A new infusion of coupons along with Super Bowl promotions make for an excellent week of deals. You can score bargains on soda, frozen pizzas, M&Ms and nuts. You can also collect several freebies, including greeting cards, chocolate and aspirin. But my favorite deal of the bunch: milk for $2.79 a gallon at Walgreens.

Read on for all the best deals this week at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Kroger, Kerr Drug, Target and WalMart. These are the deals that stood out to me so please jump in and leave a comment if you spotted a bargain. That way, we can all save.