Let's talk couponing 'etiquette'

**shoiji** · 04-13-2011, 11:34 AM

If there are only four items on a shelf and I have coupons and can get the items for free, well, I will be buying all four items.

**Rhayne** · 04-13-2011, 01:21 PM

I was a little miffed last night in a store where I heard an employee stocking tell another employee (and i quote) "Have you tried these yet? They're so good. You better get one because I'm buying ALL of them later".

Now with that said, i wasn't in the aisle, I overheard it from one aisle over so i have no idea what the product was or anything. But if it was something i might have wanted and i would have gotten there after she got them, i'd miss out.

**madhen** · 04-13-2011, 02:13 PM

I buy meat for my dogs when I can find it on super sale. If I am first to find a pile of 50% off meat because it is at its age date, then it's every dog owner for herself. I'll buy as much as I can afford.

**Judi Dial** · 04-13-2011, 02:39 PM

FYI, rainchecks exist because it's a federal law that requires them to be available!

My gripe isn't any of the above, it's the people who have a problem, if it's just one, that's okay by me. You think it's $2, the cashier rings in $20, then that's fine. But if you do it with EVERY single item or coupon you've got...the coupon was good for this much, you bought that much, but the pkgs were smaller, or...whatever...you get my drift.

I have been behind those people. I have also BEEN one of those people. But after more than 1 or 2 problems I usually just take it to the service counter. The manager will have to be called anyway most likely, so you might as well just take your problem to the service desk. I don't mind being behind people who use coupons, but if there's a problem with more than 1-2 items ringing up as you think it should, again, please go to the service desk.

All of us have done things like get to the cashier and realize the milk carton is leaking, so they send someone for another. That happens, it's annoying, but it happens. If that happens, your coupons also don't quite match what the computer expects and at the last minute you decide you want cash back...yeah, then I get annoyed.

More than any of this, I get annoyed when one of these people who really holds up the line isn't courteous enough to apologize to the folk behind them. THAT, without fail, gets me steamed!!!

Judi

**khaski** · 04-14-2011, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by nuisance26

64 jars of Mayo is extreme(what is that, 5 years worth or more?)but I'm still baffled how anyone can think this is rude.

I guess we'll just have to disagree on this on...to each our own (someone mentioned they find it is rude to take tear coupons if you're not buying the product that day -GUILTY!) as long as there's more left for the next person. Someone said it's not like a party, and at first I agreed, but the I got to thinking.....to me, emptying the shelves buying an 'abnormally' large amount of an item is rude because it leaves none for the next person, just like taking the last piece of food if you've already had some. I know ,it's a private transaction, but to me, it's common decency to leave some behind if the stock was pretty full when you got there (again, I'm not talking about buying the last 4 or 5 or whatever, I'm talking about the DOZENS a person might buy, clearing the shelves). Fortunately (or unfortunately?) this seems to be becoming less of an issue as more and more stores impose 'limits' on sale purchases, it'll eventually get to a point you CANT buy more than a low amount at once.

As I did mention before, I'm probably -extra- testy about it as shopping tends to be a trip for me, so nothing irritates me more than an empty shelf, if my coupons expire soon and a raincheck won't cover it. We've all got our own peeves, I guess!

**Spirit Deer** · 04-14-2011, 10:49 PM

One of our local stores was offering frozen raspberry pies for $1 each this week, no limit, no coupons, no rainchecks. Yes, full sized pies. My husband bought a couple earlier this week. We had planned to buy more tonight when we did our weekly shopping. They were sold out. We didn't think it was 'rude' that others had bought up all the pies and we didn't get any. That's the breaks.

I found bite size shredded wheat on a close-out for fifty cents a box recently. I bought all they had, about twenty boxes. That's why I have a freezer, so I can take advantage of sales. Buying the same food at a far higher price later would have been, IMO, stupid. I don't see why I should have to give up my money so someone who isn't even there can save their money. I feel no obligation whatsoever to leave some for someone else. They missed the deal, so sad. Next time I might be the one who misses out, and that's okay. If that makes me rude, I guess I'll just have to live with that.

It's just the two of us now, but at one time we were feeding eight kids including several teenagers. Groceries ran over $1,000 a month in 1980's dollars. If we found a sale, you better believe we were all over it and buying in huge quantities. We never took all the kids to the store at one time, so all other shoppers saw was us with our two huge shopping carts stacked to the rafters and one or two kids, so people wondered what we were doing buying all that food. We often got asked that question, in fact. In light of this discussion, I wonder how many people thought we were 'rude' or hoarders or something as we bought large quantities of sale items. It's impossible to know what someone else's situation is just by looking at them in the grocery store, and IMO it's rude to judge them by that without knowing the facts.

**bumplett** · 04-15-2011, 12:23 AM

hmmmm..... I've been thinking - but I think honestly, my peeves are more with the non-couponers in the grocery store! LOLOL.

I'm annoyed when the cashier gives me an attitude, OR my specific peeve is with one particular cashier at one particular store. She wants all the coupons FIRST, lays them all out, scans each item, looks for the matching coupon, takes FOREVER! so what does that do? It annoys the people behind me - ugg.

next peeve - ohhhh, I can' stand this one - it's those people that GET IN MY PERSONAL SPACE before I've paid for my purchase! do NOT get close enough to breathe on me if I haven't even paid yet - geez!! aggghhhhhhh, that one drives me nuts!

Oh, and IF I get to the register to realize that my milk is leaking or a bag is broken - that's NOT my responsibility IMO - it's the store's, therefore, I don't feel bad sending the bagkid to fetch my clean, non-leaking/non-ripped item. Why would I buy a broken item? Why was it on the shelf?

OHHHHH, so while we're on that topic, that's another peeve - happened to me last week - I picked up a yogurt, had to tip it a bit to see the exp date, and the dang thing LEAKED all over my hand!

ok, I feel soooo much better now, thanks so much!