If you're a savvy grocery shopper, it appears you're losing out on big savings at many local stores.

Most people still clip coupons the old-fashioned way, but if you spend a few minutes on the Internet, you can find even more bargains that you might not see in your Sunday paper.

The problem is that fewer and fewer grocery stores are willing to accept them.

"I just was stunned," said shopper Jennifer Deemer. "I was just trying to save money."

Deemer tried to use a handful of online manufacturer coupons at a Greensburg-area Shop 'N Save only to find out at the register that the store does not accept them, leaving her bill several dollars higher.

Giant Eagle said it has had a similar policy for six years.

But at a time when more shoppers are searching for online discounts to combat rising food prices, many supermarkets across the country are adopting the restrictions.

One major reason is fraud. With customers being able to design bogus Internet coupons at home, the supermarket industry reportedly is losing big money.

"I don't blame them, but I do think that in the future there's a need for manufacturers and retailers to sit down and examine all of their current market marketing tools," said Carnegie Mellon University marketing expert Baohong Sun.

But not all major retailers are shying away from online coupons.

Wal-Mart and Target accept the coupons with some limitations.

And because Shop 'N Save stores are independently owned, storeowners can whether to take them.

Deemer said she still wonders why the rest won't.

"I would think that there would be a way with technology to determine if the coupon is fraudulent or not," she said.

Some supermarkets like Giant Eagle now allow you to access its coupons from the store's own Web site, but you could still be missing out on other offers.

For information on identifying fraudulant coupons, visit www.Couponing.about.com.

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