Couponing should not be so difficult. This weekend, I went to two stores and used coupons. At both, I had problems. It’s one reason I think people don’t use them, because they don’t want to deal with the hassles. If the fight takes awhile, it’s almost not worth it because time is money.
In the first instance, the coupon simply didn’t ring up at the big box store. The woman looked at the printed coupon, and looked at me as if to size me up to see if I was trying to commit coupon fraud. I was sweaty and on my way back from the gym, but really? There was nothing about this coupon that looked fraudulent. Then, she groaned and tried to tell me they don’t take coupons that don’t scan. Not so fast! I am a frequent coupon user, and I know that is not the case because half the time the manufacturer coupons I clip from the paper don’t scan properly.
The woman then looked at the picture on the coupon and said it’s not valid because it’s only for Father’s Day cards and I bought generic cards. Wrong! I said there is a picture of Father’s Day cards but read the bold print – it says good for any card. I point out “any” to her and then she obviously read the rest of the coupon that said excludes cards 99-cents or less. She interprets that as meaning the coupon is only valid for cards 99-cents or less. Wrong again!
By this point, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from this woman. She was trying everything possible to not accept this $2 coupon. Little did she know she was dealing with a consumer advocate, and I was ready for war! After a good 3-4 minutes, she finally accepted the coupon. I felt bad for the guy behind me who thought he was going to zip through line quickly because I had so few items. Sorry sir. I am ready to fight to save money.
Next, it was time for grocery shopping. I gave the cashier several coupons, and she rang them up. I watched carefully at the end for my $2 electronic coupon. It never appeared. I received several free items in the transaction thanks to sales and coupons, and I wanted the cereal as close to free as possible. Combined with the sale price, the manufacturer coupon, and the e-coupon I was paying next to nothing for that cereal. Only, the $2 e-coupon never came off my bill. The cashier had no idea how to fix the problem, and called over a supervisor. He threw his hands up, too, and sent me to the service desk. Much to my surprise, the service desk employees threw their hands up too and handed me a piece of paper with corporate’s phone number. Really, only corporate can handle electronic offers?
I called corporate this morning, and within minutes they loaded $2 onto my card. Apparently, they were having problems with their e-system. I was glad it was so easy to get my $2. It didn’t take any arguing, but why couldn’t the store help me with this? It’s a reminder to watch carefully. Know how much you’re owed in savings, and fight to get that discount.
This is not the first time a coupon system has failed me. This past summer, I got caught up in the Target coupon mess. The company’s computer system wasn’t scanning all the coupons properly, so consumers were not always getting full price. You really had to know the true value of your coupons before you handed over the coupons.
These three examples are proof you need to keep track of discounts you’re owed because computers and human error sometimes miscalculate your savings. Don’t give up trying to save money. Just be ready to fight.
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I have also had problems with coupons,even with the ones you can get off of the computer. What the clerks don’t understand,is their company gets reinbursed from the vendor. They should check the experation date and move on.
Agreed. It’s bc there is a lot of fraud, but sometimes they just make it difficult on purpose.
Target is notorious for bad coupon redemption. Policies are getting tighter lately not just because of fraud, but because of the extreme couponing show. The best advice I can tell you is to make sure you carry a copy of the store’s coupon policy with you when you shop.
Good advice. I have a piece on extreme couponing coming up next week for NewsChannel 5.
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I completely agree with your article and I thank you for publishing it. If I had a dime for every time I went to the store and the $2 off next shopping order didn’t print out, the e-coupon didn’t subtract, or the price on the shelf was lower than what actually rings up at the register I wouldn’t need to use coupons because I’d be rich! I watch and plan my trips so carefully and pretty much every time I go I get at least one instance of improper charging. I get the same thing at the customer service desk too where they are at a loss for helping. If I didn’t save so much money altogether I would throw in the towel because it’s so much of a hassle. And I do believe it is on purpose sometimes because there will be more expensive items stacked on the shelf with the “sale” items and more than once I’ve grabbed one. I truly feel sorry when I especially see older people there who probably wouldn’t know that they are getting ripped off. A few cents here and there for the consumer may be overlooked but the grocery store is definitely reaping the benefits.
Actually, many larger chains have the “must-scan” policy. In fact, Target, Walmart and Kroger have it in their published coupon policies. Sometimes they override that, and often the issue is on the scanner end, not the coupon end. But their policies do state that they only accept coupons that scan.
On your point with the coupon photo, you’re absolutely right. It is one of those “I don’t know why this isn’t working so let me guess” answers we couponers hear from cashiers all of the time. Similar to the “you bought three of these but may only use one coupon because it says limit one per purchase” line, or the “You didn’t get a Catalina/rebate because you used a coupon” line. None of them are true. It’s all in the wording.
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From a reader posted to another story — Thought I’d share her experience: Hi Jenn I too am an avid coupon user The one thing that I did learn too was to know your prices and watch everything they scan.At Target I had 10 mistakes-wrong prices Walmart I had 6 mistakes It all adds up but takes more time than you have sometimes yet I still fight for every penny! I also used the $2.00 coupon for cards and had the same problem They said it had to be fathers day cards I told her to read the fine print and it could not be the .$99 cards She was not happy but gave it to me She then said “she didn’t see the use in coupons,people should worry about real problems,what is saving a few dollars going to get you” I said “alot especially when you are on disability” She said “you don’t look disabled” I said “then what am I doing in a wheelchair? being lazy, trying to get attention,etc.” She looked at me and said ” what is your disability? I said Some young girl decided to talk on one phone and text on another while driving and plowed into my husband and I ,I no longer can walk and don’t know if my leg will heal.etc.” She shut up real quick I asked her if their was any more of my life she would like to know about,or could I just have my purchase rung up? As I was leaving the shopping strip she was driving away talking on the phone!! I yelled out the window “it is because of people like you that I can’t walk ” She called me a few choice names and took off. All this for 5 items! No wonder why I have migraines! I just had to share this with you. Sorry it is so long but I am still in shock about it ! Some people…. Hope to hear from you Have a great day Ann Skelnik
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