[scooby8themall]

I work part time in retail and deal with coupons every shift we have been trained on coupons and policies and fraud we are not to make the customer feel bad about using coupons or accuse any one of fraud and if in doubt call a manger.
Lately like the past month just about every time I grocery shop the cashiers are so nasty about taking coupons ( I do not grocery shop where I work it is in another town ) one cashier was so mad because I had 2 bogo coupons she threw the box down rolled her eyes and accused me of coupon fraud and told me that bogo's have to be a separate purchase because if I used 2 at the same time that is fraud although the coupon said one per purchase of item stated.
I went to the manager and he told me she was wrong.

When the Gain dish detergent q's came out Rite Aid had the small bottles for .89 so it would be adjusted to .89 not 1.00 she told me I could not use the coupon with my Rite Aid rewards and that I was looking for her to give me money and she was not going to do that, because that is coupon fraud so again I went to see the manager and she told her yes she can use the rewards and the price would be adjusted to .89 no change back.

So tonight at Walmart I had 40.00 in coupons 4 of those were the Birds Eyes BOGO's it say's limit one per purchase I had the right size right kind and she get's to the coupons for the Birds Eye and yells at me you can only use 1 coupon so I tried to tell her what 1 per purchases meant and she said it is company policy on any coupon 1 per purchase no matter the coupon by this time the line is long so I told her to take the bogo's off and I took the one she allowed me to have . And again made my way to the manager who looked at the coupon and said yes she could use all 4 coupons .

I know what coupon fraud is I know how to use coupons right why all of a sudden it is it getting harder to use them with out a hassle

Is any one else finding it harder to use coupons I pay close attention to my coupons I read lot on sites on what is right and what is wrong .It can be discouraging at times .

 

[HappyMama]

I am a Mod of a coupon board....sigh....lol and yes many people deal with what you are dealing with.

For Walmart, keep a copy of their coupon policy in your coupon binder or envelope and politely talk to the manager, if you don't have time call the manager and explain . They will educate the cashier , which is beneficial to them and you. Most of the time they will have you come back and sometimes open a lane for you if you have too many, so it won't hold you or others up.

Sorry you are going through this but the good thing is you are making yourself educated on the policies of each store, coupon use and fraud and you will be an educated consumer who saves a lot of money. You are doing a good job! Keep up the good work.

I was a mega couponer and use to deal with the same. I grow so much now and cook from scratch , make all my own organic cleaners, beauty and makeup that I tend to save much more that way. But when the good deals come along for things I can use I buy plenty and stock up for the year.

 

[druthb00]

The most interesting thing is that the companies actually make more money off of couponers. They receive .08 per coupon (maybe a bit less if they send all of the coupons through an agency that sorts and mails them in exchange for a percentage of the 8 cents) plus the value of the coupon itself. AND, if you are using a debit or credit card *especially credit cards,* the lower your total goes, the less they pay to the merchant (i.e. American Express, Discover, Visa) for merchant/processing fees. Most transactions incur a 3-5% fee, so obviously if you have a $100 total, the store pays 3-$5. However, if your coupons bring the total to, say...$20, they only pay .60-$1. It's beneficial to THEM to take your coupons, so don't feel guilty about it. Just keep doing what your doing. Good managers will realize that couponers are an asset to their store.

 

[HappyMama]

The most interesting thing is that the companies actually make more money off of couponers. They receive .08 per coupon (maybe a bit less if they send all of the coupons through an agency that sorts and mails them in exchange for a percentage of the 8 cents) plus the value of the coupon itself. AND, if you are using a debit or credit card *especially credit cards,* the lower your total goes, the less they pay to the merchant (i.e. American Express, Discover, Visa) for merchant/processing fees. Most transactions incur a 3-5% fee, so obviously if you have a $100 total, the store pays 3-$5. However, if your coupons bring the total to, say...$20, they only pay .60-$1. It's beneficial to THEM to take your coupons, so don't feel guilty about it. Just keep doing what your doing. Good managers will realize that couponers are an asset to their store.

Totally agree!

 

[frugalfranny]

I'm no where neat a mega couponer but I have had some 'snotty attitudes' over them............

I always warn the person behind me if I have a lot of coupons......which seldom happens any more........in case they want to go to another line.

It is getting to be that time of year.........when you have to REALLY WATCH the checking out...........lots of errors made as the stores get more crowded...........or they haven't 'coded' the things correctly.

 

[Marie78]

I agree that using coupons is becoming a bigger hassle than ever before. I save on average $10 a week using coupons. I had a cashier in "training" ring up my weekly groceries and she got stuck on a coupon and called a manager over (she couldn't find the product on her screen and she never bothered to mention to me which coupon she was uncertain of). The manager looks through and doesn't see it, he hands me the coupon back and says you have to buy 2 of these cereals to use this coupon. I politely said, "I did and showed him the bag in my cart that had both boxes." Then he defends himself and the cashier by saying, "well it must not have rung up." I look at the screen and can clearly see that both items are next to each other on the screen. I pointed this out to him and he didn't even apologize. I did get my $1 off, but I was treated like I was in the wrong. I thought to myself, 5 minutes of wasted time for $1 off! This sort of thing seems to happen a few times a month. I only shop once a week, I can't figure out if it's because the store gets a lot of coupon scammers or if they just don't see as many coupons in on transaction and get confused by all of them.

 

[lisa0069]

Plus do you actually think they are going to write on the coupon 89 cents or are they going to claim the $1.00 face value of the coupon. I don't see how they are allowed to give you less for the coupon. I shop on base at the commissarry and they always give us the value of the coupon, I would fight them on this is I were you, they are getting the value and not you.

 

[Darlene]

When I first saw the title of this thread I thought it said un- restrained cashiers & coupons and thought Wow, cashiers gone wild, thrilled with a customer using coupons. As if, lol. :laugh:
I too wish it wasn't such a hassle using coupons and I do sometimes feel that they look at me with that eye and assume I'm trying to get one over on them with my coupons. Just trying to save a few cents as I shop your store to feed my family.

 

[mamamia]

This is why I do everything I can to shop exclusively at Publix. They all know me as the "coupon lady", and even though I've made a mistake or two, they have learned to trust me completely. Most of them look forward to my finished totals, and will even cheer me on.
But scooby, I think it stinks that you have to deal with that nonsense. :ack: Afterall, you didn't print the coupon, and you're using it the way it says. I gotta say that I give you alot of credit for handling it the way you did. Not sure I could have done the same. So kudos to you!! :tay:

But I stopped going to WalM for the same reason you posted. And now even more-so, because with all the BOGO deals combined with coupons, it's way more cheaper to shop the supermkts. Also, nice customer service goes a long way with me. Try to find that at WM, kwim?

Hope you find that "perfect" cashier! And remember to just hold your ground. Those cashiers think they can make the rules. NOT!!!!!

Theresa

 

[Judi Dial]

5 minutes of wasted time for $1 off!

But that 5 minutes of "wasted" time is the equivalent to making $12 an hour and don't you forget it!!!

Judi

 

[Libby]

When I first saw the title of this thread I thought it said un- restrained cashiers & coupons and thought Wow, cashiers gone wild, thrilled with a customer using coupons. As if, lol. :laugh:

ROFL

Not sure if this applies to where you couponers live - I usually try to pick the lane with an older cashier - as in someone who would appreciate someone trying to save money. They tend to be less intimidated by coupon usage vs the teen cashier. NOT saying teen cashiers are scared but I find they have more 'tude b/c you're interrupting their scan and bag routine - regardless of price or savings. There are rare occasions for both examples as well. Its just luck of the draw and knowing your cashiers. I've purposely waited in a huge line up at WM for one cashier to ring me through with my 4 things b/c I have serious coupons going on. She knows me well now :lol: (btw I don't coupon often b/c its not as big of a deal here in Canada as it is down in the US)

 

[frugalwarrior2]

Actually the younger cashier are better here. They just don't care. The older ones take it personally. I have argued 4x w/ one whether or not I can coupon clearance. Very frustrating.

 

[Rhayne]

I've altered where i shop because of coupon problems. I also tried the "older cashier" idea because their usually more understanding but that blew up in my face once. I had 4 - 1.00 off printed battery coupons and the batteries were on sale for .99 cents. She should have altered the amount in the register to be .99 but she didn't. So after she scanned the first one, the second coupon wouldn't take. She called a manager and right in front of my whispered loudly that they were all counterfeit and she wouldnt alter the price because "they're not real, they're not real". Then the manager put them in himself and it came up as them owning me money because he put the 1.00's in. She tried to tell me i owed her even though the screen had a negative sign in front of the price. She called someone else over to fix it, this other guy fixed them all to .99 and we got our batteries and left. 25 minutes in the store for 4 packs of batteries! I got upset outside and asked my boyfriend if i looked like such a low life trashy person that I would be assumed to be using fake coupons that i made at home.

 

[druthb00]

I've altered where i shop because of coupon problems. I also tried the "older cashier" idea because their usually more understanding but that blew up in my face once. I had 4 - 1.00 off printed battery coupons and the batteries were on sale for .99 cents. She should have altered the amount in the register to be .99 but she didn't. So after she scanned the first one, the second coupon wouldn't take. She called a manager and right in front of my whispered loudly that they were all counterfeit and she wouldnt alter the price because "they're not real, they're not real". Then the manager put them in himself and it came up as them owning me money because he put the 1.00's in. She tried to tell me i owed her even though the screen had a negative sign in front of the price. She called someone else over to fix it, this other guy fixed them all to .99 and we got our batteries and left. 25 minutes in the store for 4 packs of batteries! I got upset outside and asked my boyfriend if i looked like such a low life trashy person that I would be assumed to be using fake coupons that i made at home.

You didn't mention where you got your coupons, but I know the coupons from SmartSource.com and possibly RedPlum/Bricks coupons have unique number codes on them. I've had to point out to cashiers before that the coupons can't be copies because the codes don't match. There were some serious issues with people photocopying coupons not long ago, and this is what some of the internet coupon sites have done to combat it. Hope this helps for next time (because we all know there WILL be a next time...*sigh*)

I've had to explain to a cashier that using 2 like coupons on 2 like products isn't what "doubling" means. She thought I couldn't use 1 coupon per item because I was "doubling" the coupons. In her defense, she lives in Florida, where we don't get doubles...but still.

 

[Rhayne]

You didn't mention where you got your coupons, but I know the coupons from SmartSource.com and possibly RedPlum/Bricks coupons have unique number codes on them. I've had to point out to cashiers before that the coupons can't be copies because the codes don't match. There were some serious issues with people photocopying coupons not long ago, and this is what some of the internet coupon sites have done to combat it. Hope this helps for next time (because we all know there WILL be a next time...*sigh*)

Oh sorry i forgot to mention that. My coupons were actually printed from Rayovac.com.

 

[mamachop]

I'll take the occasional hassles, the savings are worth it! I haven't had too many problems with cashiers, but when I do, I stand firm!

 

[Trishagirl]

Yeah walmart gives me problems when I use coupons too. They wouldn't take my coupons printed off the puter. Said they were fraud. They were'nt cause they had the scanned stuff.

 

[littleplum]

I had a coupon from Jewel (it was emailed to me) for $2 off a $10 purchase of chicken, and the cashier refused to accept it because it didn't say "manufacturer coupon" on it.:bang:

 

[littleplum]

But that 5 minutes of "wasted" time is the equivalent to making $12 an hour and don't you forget it!!!

Judi

$12/hour TAX FREE.

 

[NewLeaf]

I've saved well over $50 just this week with coupons. I think it's well worth it.