Should stores be allowed to restrict the use of coupons?

[LoZoccolo]

Poll question: Should stores be allowed to restrict the use of coupons?

[NYC_SKP]

1. Well, yes, stores are free to set the sales policies as they see fit.

I am at a loss to think of an instance in which a store would be compelled to act against their own policy.

If a manufacturer has a coupon on the box that says "$1.00 off next purchase", I imagine that it's not a surprise to the business and that, for having chosen to sell that item, they are compelled to honor the coupon and, I would think, are duly compensated for their efforts.

But I'd be annoyed with doing it, were I the grocer.

But then that's why I'm not a grocer.

I'm an astronaut!

(j/k)

:hi:

[treestar]

2. Yes. They don't have to have them at all.

But then there are always people who overdo and abuse things, and that means the rest of us end up doing without them.

Moderation seems to be a rare trait in America.

Restaurants don't have to offer all you can eat either. And they'll quit doing it with enough stories of somebody bringing the football team in.

[qb]

3. It's driven by the market. Many stores accept competitors coupons & ignore expiration dates

because it brings in more customers.
If a store wants to get all pissy about coupons, I'll just shop elsewhere.

[WinkyDink]

17. Where are these "many stores [that] ignore expiration dates"? They will not get reimbursed.

[jberryhill]

47. Ones that will take a hit for customer satisfaction

[WinkyDink]

53. Well, that answer doesn't help my shopping plans. :-)

[GodlessBiker]

4. I think that if a store chooses to stock a particular product, they should be required to ...

accept a manufacturer's coupon for that product. They have entered an implied contract with the manufacturer to do so.

[napi21]

5. The only stores I am aware of that refuse to accept coupons are the

wholesale clubs & not all of those refuse to accept them. I believe BJ's does. Their phylosophy is that they sell at the lowestprice already. I know, when I worked for a specialty retailer quite some time ago, we had to hire a number of people to do nothing but sort, calculate and file coupons to get the $$ from the manufacturer. Then of course, you always have the problem of some of your cashiers mistakenly accepting expired coupons which make that a loss for your co.

The only reason retailers accept coupons is to entice more customers, not to make any money or even break even on the process.

[HopeHoops]

6. I have a good example of why it is necessary.

There's a "surplus" type store in our area called Amelia's. You can get some really great deals there, but you do have to check expiration dates. They don't allow coupons from most of the major companies (like Kellogg's) and I asked why one day. Apparently, if you aren't a first source purchaser (meaning you buy directly from the manufacturer-authorized distributor), then the company won't honor coupons for their products. You have to be able to provide proof of stock purchase from an approved channel in order to be reimbursed. It sucks, but that's how they work it.

[cpamomfromtexas]

7. But the stores that do buy direct, should have to accept them since they are paid by mfr

[HopeHoops]

8. Yes, that's true. They don't have to double them, but they should accept them.

Frankly, if a first-source store won't accept coupons, then I see no reason to allow them to accept my money. I'll shop elsewhere.

To be fair, I don't use a lot of coupons because I don't use a lot of major brands. Store brands are generally indistinguishable in all ways other than the label and the price, but there are some exceptions. NOBODY makes anything even close to Tabasco sauce for example. We grow Tabasco peppers and make our own sauce from it, but even it can't compare. Store brand razors are half the price of name brand ones even AFTER you apply the coupon. I don't need Arm & Hammer baking soda - ANY baking soda is the same shit. Sugar is sugar. Oat rings are oat rings. Take a look at the price after applying the coupon and THEN decide if you're really getting a better deal.

[etherealtruth]

9. Sure they do ...

... and shoppers are allowed to shop where they feel their needs (financial, aesthetic...) are met.

I believe the above, in general .... however, I think it can be used to really "screw" the poor in urban and rural settings (where choices are already limited by circumstance)

[Cool Logic]

10. Yes. And shoppers are allowed to restrict their use of stores.

[left is right]

13. It’s the shoppers that buy $200 worth of groceries

and have $150 worth of coupons to redeem that gets to me. Their orders take more than a half hour to ring up and cash out. In the meantime 5 people standing behind her have ice cream melting and milk and eggs growing warm. Good for them that they can save so much money but why should the rest of the patrons have to endure the long wait. Create a special line for coupon users and let the rest of us get out of the store in a timely fashion

[Autumn Colors]

15. I'm one of those people

It pays to save coupons and then use them when the items are on sale and stock up. Excuse me for trying to cut costs in trying to survive.

On a big shopping trip like that, I usually take my bf and we use the self-checkout (me scanning, him bagging) and when anyone comes up behind me in line, I give them a heads up so they can choose another lane if desired.

Don't hate just because some of us plan ahead and have a strategy to save money.

[left is right]

44. I don’t mind your cutting cost

but why should I and 10 other patrons be inconvenienced and have our food reach unsafe temperatures. As I said stores should have a line for extreme coupon users. That way you only inconvenience each other

[DeschutesRiver]

82. Move to a different checkout then. If there aren't enough lines open, then complain to mgmt.

There is no reason why someone who is trying to help their family survive by taking hours and hours to gather coupons, esp. in a recession, should be inconvenienced by people who can't figure out how to use a different checkout line. Or that their complaints should be directed at store management, not at coupon users as you state above.

Would you be of the same opinion if the reason for the line delay was a disabled person, or is this condition of "unsafe food buying" reserved only for being stuck behind an "extreme couponer"? Probably not, as you stated that you'd like extreme coupon users to be in their own line so that they can only "inconvenience each other." Hey, maybe you can suggest to management that disabled folks have their own checkout too, and for the same reason.

So you really believe your ice cream has reached an unsafe temp due to someone in front of you taking too long to make their purchase, and yet you buy it anyway? Of course not. I don't coupon but why would I stand behind omeone who clearly does, and let my food grow so warm that it isn't safe to eat? And then buy it, and take it home for my own family to eat in that unsafe condition? What sense does that make?

At least the couponers are trying to do right by their families in a tough economy. Seriously, have some compassion for others situations, and use some common sense. Life sucks for a lot of people, and not just because their ice cream might be melting.

[WinkyDink]

19. No sympathy here! Saving money trumps your impatience any day! (Get into another line.)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

24. damn skippy!

i applaud those people for using resources at their disposal to save every dime they can.

sP

[lildreamer316]

45. Krazy Coupon Lady's book is called "Pick another checkout lane, honey!"

I try to go late at night or on Sunday when there aren't too many ppl to get backed up behind me.

[WinkyDink]

54. And the trick with ice-cream is to get only that, and go express!

[ileus]

77. Find another line...

[PoliticAverse]

11. Only for people who are in line ahead of me... n/t

[krispos42]

12. Yes, with the caveat that they can't ignore any coupons that THEY issue.

If Stop & Shop (cursed be thy management) sends out a flyer in the mail with a coupon that S&S created and printed, then they have to follow through.


But if they don't want to honor coupons printed by a food producer (say, the coupons you sometimes find in pet food or on the back of cereal boxes) then they don't have to.

[Lucian]

14. Absolutely.

Those extreme couponing nutcases always hold up the goddamn line because they have to dig through all of their goddamn coupons for every goddamn item they have. :grr:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

21. yeah, FUCK all those assholes trying to save money...

they should rot in hell and go bankrupt rather than inconvenience anyone and give a teller a fucking job...fuck yeah.

sP

[Lucian]

33. They should have separate lines for those types of people.

I have milk, eggs, and ice cream and I don't want to wait for 45 mins while they clip every fucking coupon.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

34. most places DO have express lines or self-check

for folks with onesy-twosey type stuff...as a matter of fact, i have not been to a major grocery that doesn't...

And on-edit : yes, if they were clipping in line then THAT is a problem. Have the stacked and ready if you are going to use them!

sP

[jmowreader]

51. There's a difference between "saving money" and extreme couponing

My mom was a coupon shopper long before anyone dreamed of extreme couponing, and even she thinks that is insane.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

67. if someone can get a week or a month worth of groceries for next to nothing

why the hell would anyone here have a problem with that? people are just amazing. DON'T YOU DARE FUCK WITH MY TIME! I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU SAVE OR WHAT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE IS! FUCK YOU IF YOU USE MORE THAN THREE COUPONS!

ya know what...what if they were taking all the free stuff they didn't need to a food bank or a shelter and donated it? would that make a difference? to some of the people here it wouldn't! and that is a crying shame.

sP

[jmowreader]

81. Oh god...not the "they're donating it!" shit again!

No one should ever donate FOOD to a food bank, and I'll be happy to tell you why: Food banks can get special deals ordinary civilians cannot. They run under a separate set of tax laws because they're 501(c)3, and the stores will get a tax break for selling below cost to a food bank because they can deduct whatever they lose as a charitable contribution. If you take your money and coupons to the food bank and say 'here,' they can get more food with that money than you can. Even if you're an extreme couponer.

Extreme couponing is a form of hoarding, and should be discouraged. I have to look at it also from the point of view of the newspaper carrier. Most newspapers treat their carriers as independent contractors. They purchase the papers--it's taken out of their biweekly settlement--and we handle billing and collections. If someone puts $2 in the rack and removes $40 worth of newspapers so they can take the coupons, guess what? And very, very few carriers have one single-copy rack on their routes--they either have none or quite a few. Expect single-copy sales to end if this keeps up, or inserts to only be available to subscribers.

[DeschutesRiver]

83. I don't use coupons. But in my small rural town, whenever something is on sale

that I know can be used by our local charities, I buy extra and drop it off.

They even have lists of what they are short on, esp. around the holidays (when a lot of things are on sale).

These are not probably whatever you are calling "food banks." They are local churches, St. Vincent De Paul food centers, and quite a few others here in this small town. There are people who coupon and donate to these organizations. The more connected or ambitious call on stores to donate and take it to these organizations. The rest of us who donate either take it out of our own pantry or stock up on sale, as I said, and hoof it over to them to cover holidays and winter months.

Not one of these groups here really cares about the motivation behind how the food ends up at their place. Not one.

I'm sure some extreme couponers are hoarders; and I am equally certain that many are not (know of quite a few that have large families and that also do charity work by dropping stuff off themselves to those in need - that happens in rural areas, maybe not in bigger cities where you do this "food bank" stuff?)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

88. my wife donates everything we don't plan on using ourselves

and, despite what is mentioned below, we don't take is as a donation for tax purposes...

some of you are just so cynical you cannot see the benefit to those involved. we are not hoarders by any stretch (and maybe we wouldn't qualify as 'extreme couponers' in your eyes because we don't but 80 sticks of deodorant at a time). we shop for what we need now or in the relatively near future (stuff we can freeze or toiletry items that will last for a few months without use) but thanks to the structure of some of the coupons and other incentives offered by stores and manufacturers we sometimes pay little to nothing. i will say, however, if there is something that is useful and can be donated, my wife will take full advantage of the sale/coupon and donate the extras that we don't use...so, it's not 'shit' that people are donating these items. and quick question...if food banks get such awesome deals, why are they constantly asking for donations of various items???

sP

[tblue37]

69. It isn't insane. Extreme couponing takes time and energy, but if people who do it get a significant

return on their time and energy, it is essentially the same as a part time job: they are getting "paid" for their time and energy. I can't believe anyone is upset that some people manage to save money and buy food and necessary household goods at a lower cost than they would otherwise have to pay.

I just wish I were organized enough to use coupons more than I do.

[GoCubsGo]

32. Most of those "extreme couponing nutcases" already have their coupons ready.

In fact, probably all of them do. These types already know what they are buying before they even come into the store. They already know what is on sale, which coupons they have, and where they have those coupons filed. They don't wait until they get in line to look for coupons. They usually have them ready before they even step foot into the store.

[Raine]

61. Agree plus those extreme couponers like on that TV show are going to

make all coupons extinct so nobody else can even save a few cents. I've watched that show and it seems like to most it's just a game. Why the hell do they have to have hundreds or thousands of jars of mayo, stuffing, sodas etc ... who can ever use all that. I think they do it because it's nothing but a game, probably end up throwing out the multiples of stuff that expire.

[Ikonoklast]

79. Some donate the excess, as they can write off the full retail value.

And the dirty little secret of some extreme couponers is, they sell their goods on-line, and at flea markets, discounted from store retail prices.

[WinkyDink]

16. I think the term "private enterprise" is pertinent here. But I don't have to like it!

[TwilightGardener]

18. I wish they would. I was at Wally World on a grocery run yesterday, and

the lady in front of me had a very complex coupon-a-thon going on, wherein she had multiple separate purchases of the same items so that she could redeem multiples of the same coupon. Took forever, my ice cream was melting, I couldn't stare enough daggers at her. Fucking obnoxious.

[WinkyDink]

20. Walmarts are known to have more lines than one.

[TwilightGardener]

23. Yeah, but once you unload a cartful of groceries onto the conveyor and

there are people behind you, you are pretty much trapped. It really pays to scout out the assholes ahead of time. I need to learn that.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

25. the assholes? those people saving money are now assholes?

fuck your minor inconvenience!

sP

[TwilightGardener]

27. LOL. OK, pal.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

28. yeah...ok...you call them assholes...i'll defend them for making the best

use of their nickel...


sP

[ProdigalJunkMail]

22. yep...saving money is fucking obnoxious

fuckers...i would rather they starve than be able to use coupons.

sP

[TwilightGardener]

26. Coupon use to this degree is no longer about "saving money".

It's some kind of weird obsession--almost like a full time job to amass all these coupons and fliers and drive all over town.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

30. yep...my wife, who stays at home considers it part of her job

to save as much money as she can on groceries and sundries for our home. and she's damn good at it. she has cut our food budget by over 60% and has saved us thousands in the last couple of years. but you go ahead and get pissy over people using coupons. you go right ahead. i love to hear people like you huffing and puffing when we pull out the coupon booklet!

sP

[TwilightGardener]

31. If that's what she wants to devote the bulk of her life to, fine by me.

As someone suggested above, make a separate line for coupon nuts so that the rest of us can move on.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Joe the Revelator]

62. Bigot? Really? I know you love your wife and all...

but the rest of us think those extreme couponers are obnoxious.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

66. and you, like the others, just like to piss on the person

making the best of the system offered them...

nice...especially for a Democrat.

sP

[tblue37]

70. Speak for yourself. I don't find them obnoxious. I admire their organization and commitment to

saving money, especially in this economy!

[Forkboy]

38. That position is even more selfish than what you're complaining about.

:shrug:

[TwilightGardener]

40. What's selfish about wanting people who plan to hog a line in order

to make many separate purchases so that they can get by the usual coupon "rules" to have their own "fraught with difficulty" line? Or maybe they should ring up at customer service.

[Forkboy]

41. Because said opinion is based on how it inconvienences YOU.

Seriously, you don't have that extra two minutes in your day to wait for someone who's trying to save money to get by? If not, you're booking your day too tight. ;)

[TwilightGardener]

42. Well, it is nice to consider the effect of one's behavior and habits on others.

And I don't consider coupon clippers or bulk shoppers to be any more virtuous or more deserving of patience than anyone else.

[Forkboy]

43. Have you ever had to wait more than a few minutes?

It's not a matter of virtue, it's matter of being chill, and showing a little patience. It's not that hard to do. :shrug:

[jberryhill]

49. This is why I quit shopping and only eat dead things I find by the road

It just got to be too much.

Had a good squirrel today, though.

[Forkboy]

50. Roadkill Cafe!

:)

[TwilightGardener]

64. Not a big problem waiting. In fact, I usually let people go ahead of me if they

only have a couple items and I have a cartful. I don't care if someone pulls out a few coupons--I do it too. Or if there's a price check needed--it happens. But I seem to get repeatedly stuck behind people who are gaming whatever coupon/ad match system the store has, or who for some reason ring up all their various shit in separate batches, using different methods or accounts to pay. You pick a line thinking there's only one person ahead of you, but the effect of the transaction is as if three or four people are ahead.

[Forkboy]

65. Honestly, I do know what you're saying.

And it can even aggravate me at times as well. But life isn't a race to the end. Take your time and enjoy the view. We only get one go 'round. :)

[muffin1]

58. We all are deserving of patience.

Coupon-users, non-coupon-users, single mothers or fathers doing their best with rowdy kids...

It does no one any good to get pissy when everyone is stressed out - least of all, the one who's pissy. Who the heck wants to get home after a long day in that kind of mood?

[jmowreader]

52. I don't have an extra HOUR in my day to wait for someone like that

Check this shit out: We've got an independently-owned supermarket chain called Super1 up here. About 40 years ago Ron McIntyre built one grocery store, which became a second and a third, and now he's up to 16 of them in three states. Every day he goes to a different store to work (I have been rung up by Ron McIntyre more times than I want to think about--I'm pretty sure he sleeps about an hour a night), and every month he has a "12 Hour Sale" on some category of item. I was in there one day when he had the 12 Hour Cereal Sale--from 8am to 8pm save big bucks on breakfast cereal.

This woman, who was NOT shopping for a charity, food bank or other helping-the-needy program, bought three CARTS full of discounted cereal, and had a coupon for every package. I know she wasn't shopping for charity because you don't do it that way in Super1: you ask for the manager, show proof you're shopping for a charity (you don't have to work at the charity either; just get a shopping list on their letterhead), and the store discounts your order deeper than coupons would. Let's just say you wouldn't want to prepare that company's tax return.

No one in the fucking world is going to be able to eat that much cereal.

[jberryhill]

57. This is why WE ALL need to be IN THE STREETS right NOW!

[jmowreader]

59. I don't have an extra hour for that either

[jberryhill]

60. Damn... How about the sidewalk for a few minutes?

[jmowreader]

72. Nope. Not gonna do it.

I totally encourage everyone to stretch a buck these days, but for fuck's sake, people going in the store with a fistful of coupons they got by paying for one newspaper and stealing the other nineteen in the box to see if they can get $199 worth of groceries for $4.95 are borderline pathological.

Right now the Spokane newspaper runs their single-copy without inserts at all (very easy to do--inserters are programmable) because of the extreme couponers, and we upped the press run for our paper by 500 so the carriers can replenish the boxes after the EC people have gone away.

[demgurl]

86. I've always bought mine from coupon services...

or dumpster diving. No stealing to get 40-50 sets of coupon inserts. The coup-on community, I am familiar with, does it the same way!

[Forkboy]

63. Yes, I'm sure it took an hour, and that the only aisle available to you was the one she was in.

C'mon, dude, relax.

[jmowreader]

73. I didn't go through that line, but SOMEONE did

[Forkboy]

75. So you're mad at someone that you didn't even wait behind?

[Fastcars]

85. My Rather Simple Solution...

If I am at a store and they allow the registers to have overly long waits I leave. I do have the decency to tell the bag boys they may need to restock all the frozen and refrigerated products before they melt/spoil.

I don't have a problem with folks doing whatever it takes to save money and if the store chooses to allow it then it is on the store to open enough registers to let me make my purchase in a timely manner.

It is not anyone's place but mine to decide if my time is or isn't valuable enough for me to stand in line for 45 minutes to spend my money in an establishment. Especially if I have frozen products that will be basically thawed out before I even make it to my car for what may be another 45 minute trip to get said products in the freezer.

Edit to fix typos.

[DeschutesRiver]

84. Sounds like some of these people are watching too much reality tv, like Extreme Couponers

People using coupons to save money become extreme couponers in their minds, who are all hoarders. What a bunch of nonsense.

And all because their damned ice is melting. Well, I live 26 miles from the nearest store with ice cream and yeah, I used to buy it, gasp, IN THE SUMMER. And nope, it got home without melting, because I thought ahead about how to handle perishables on such a long trip home. It isn't rocket science. I'm guessing that these people who complain about something as insignificant as their soft ice cream don't live nearly as far from their homes as I do. And if I were as judgmental as they are, I'd assume they don't have their priorities straight if pissing on people trying to save money is something that even registers on their radar.

I wish you much luck with your continued couponing - I don't do it myself, but growing up, I knew plenty of people who did and they weren't doing it to piss off people. Take your time, do what you need to do for your family, and enjoy the savings esp. in this sucky economy.

[lildreamer316]

46. Oh yes it is! I saved 69.84 the other day! That paid a bill for me!!

WTF? Seriously? I really needed 1) the food, and 2) the bill paid. I was very proud of myself. I don't understand why you would hate on me about it. I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I have time to amass the coupons & organize,and I plan my driving very carefully so I don't have to go 'all over town'.
Sheesh.

[WinkyDink]

55. Exactly. I'd bet most of us have to use the money saved to "pay Paul."

[DeschutesRiver]

87. Couldn't you see it as a full time job, of their own choosing, where they are paid in food?

Out here in our rural ranching community, there are people who are paid with rent free homes/utilities and food to caretake and/or work on ranches. A full time "job" working sun up to sun down, and the pay is a roof over their head and enough food to sustain their families. As with couponers, the spouse usually has employment that pays cash, if they are fortunate enough to still be able to find employment in this economy.

Being paid in something other than cash is only a wierd obsession if you don't think outside of the box. I can't believe that alternate lifestyles are being dissed if they happen to inconvenience someone in some way - or at least, I'm finding that kind of wierd to see on a progressive board.

[sendero]

29. Sure they should...

... and people should be free (oops, they are) to shop elsewhere.

[RegieRocker]

36. That would be up to the manufacturer of the goods the coupon

is for.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Forkboy]

39. Don't most of them do so already in one form or another?

Never think to use them myself, so I don't know.

[LeftyMom]

48. Most stores put their coupon policy on their website. nt

[annabanana]

56. If they are "participating" vendors, they have to.

They signed onto the program. They can't just decide they don't like it.

[HappyMe]

68. Yes, they should.

Or if they don't, have a line specifically for 5 coupons or more.

[Liquorice]

71. Yes, they should limit how many of one item

you can buy with a coupon--like you can't go in there with 200 coupons for a brand of toothpaste and buy every single tube of that toothpaste in the store. Because when that happens, I go in the store with my one measly little coupon for a good deal on toothpaste, and the shelf is bare. Then of course I'm all super disappointed and mad. lol I hate those greedy extreme coupon people!!!


Oh and there should be a special line reserved just for people using more than 5 or 6 coupons.

[indurancevile]

74. i've never seen the point of coupons. offer your best price & leave it at that.

why waste paper printing up coupons & why waste energy cutting them out, collecting them, driving around to different stores to use them?

it's always seemed a ridiculous waste to me. plus the coupon stuff was generally stuff i never used anyway. i buy store brand on most things, don't use many prepared foods, don't use much in the way of beauty/hygiene products beyond shampoo, toothpaste & discount soap.

shows like "extreme couponing" remind me of "they shoot horses, don't they?"

the people that do that are getting hundreds of e.g. bars of soap. they have to store them, sell them or donate them. it's nutty.

[Shandris]

76. They shouldn't 'restrict' them, but I think a little common sense is in order.

I've heard of people using 2 BOGO (Buy One Get One) coupons to get two items for free and buy...none. That's pretty damn silly in my opinion. Now, if they bought ONE and got another free, then did that 5 more times, hey that's the coupon. If your store didn't put up a 'one coupon per person per purchase', or something similar...then yah, if they use 4 of those coupons then they're getting four items free.

But as long as it's within the STATED policy of the store (because that is the right of business), then customers should have EVERY right to use as many coupons as they see fit. How is this a question?

[u4ic]

78. I WISH the items I buy had coupons

99% of the time nothing for produce, meat, eggs...foodstuff on the edges of the store. Sales, for sure, but not coupons.

[saras]

80. If they can't be forced to take psychiatric drugs for it, they're not "nuts".

It's just behavior that you personally disapprove of. Possibly because it indicates morality or competence you don't possess yourself, as nothing infuriates most Americans like self-discipline.

And it's namecalling.