One of the things I am majorly obsessed with is coupon etiquette. Most people have common sense about such things, but sometimes people don't really think about the other couponers in the area who may have put a LOT of time and effort into their own coupon shopping trip planning, only to find that someone has cleaned off the shelves, or abused the policies at the local stores to the point where they are extremely unfriendly to the honest people who only want to save where they can.
No-No Number 1: Shelf Clearing
I have been "extreme couponing" for almost 4 years. In that time, I've learned that you have to get to the stores as quickly as you can (think Black Friday) if you want to get the deals, or they are sometimes GONE. This can often be attributed to those in the area who don't use basic coupon etiquette. Shelf clearers, as they are called, are people who will wipe a stores ENTIRE STOCK of one item out in a single shopping trip, leaving nothing for other customers or couponers to buy. I've seen this happen with Rite Aid, and I've been shopping with a friend who has done this to me (and other friends too!), knowing that we were shopping together, and had both planned to buy the same items. I even printed coupons on my printer once, and drove the 50 miles to the store we were shopping, and paid for gas! Only to get there and find out that she meant business. And it's not like there was an awkward moment where we realized there was only one item left on the shelf and we had to rock-paper-scissors to find out who got it. It was like, the WHOLE shelf.
When I shop, I stock up. I make a trip to Bangor, which is a 50 mile drive, and I want it to be worth the gas money to drive down. I usually share a vehicle with someone else to cut the cost, but I want to make sure I'm bringing home a haul. However, if I get to the store and the shelf is looking bare, I don't take it all. I know someone else is going to come in and take some. The only time I clear the shelf is if there are only a few items left and I can't help it. I will also clear a shelf if it is the last day a REALLY good coupon is valid and I know that no one else will be in to get that deal before the coupon expires.
I have a stockpile, and many items exceed 20, but I do this by grabbing a few every time I go out. I got 108 free Nabisco Go-Paks in the last few weeks, but I bought them at Shaw's, Hannaford, Target, and two different Wal-Mart stores. The most I bought at once was 48, but that's because they had just restocked, I was approaching the expiration date on the coupon, and there were PLENTY on the shelf for other people.
No-No Number 2: Coupon Fraud
Ya, people do this. ALL the time. And unfortunately, some registers don't pick it up automatically, but even more unfortunately for us honest couponers, cashiers DO. Trying to use a coupon for an item it is not specifically intended is fraud. Read the tiny little words on the bottom of your coupons. It is also a serious criminal offense. You can commit coupon fraud by buying the wrong size, the wrong variety, the wrong quantity, or the wrong product altogether. There are ways to save BIG by using coupons the right way. If you can't do it without scamming, then you shouldn't be couponing at all.
Sometimes a coupon is unclear, and it doesn't hurt to try if you honestly think a coupon is intended to be used a certain way. The registers will often beep to let a cashier know that correct item hasn't been purchased, and believe me, this is my LEAST favorite part of checkout. It makes me feel like a criminal, even though I know I haven't done anything wrong. I just know that there are those people out there who try to pull one over, and over, and over, and the cashiers tire of being hauled into the cash office to explain why they took coupons for certain items when that item wasn't even purchased. Believe me, I know... I've been on the other side of the register.
Another way of committing coupon fraud, though probably not something you'd really be prosecuted for, is lying to companies to get free stuff. Most companies will send you free stuff for telling them how great their products are. Telling them you got food poisoning or found poisonous spiders in their product is not the way to get their attention. I have emailed complaints and gotten free products in the past, but I have also sent praises and gotten coupons for free products, or huge discounts on future purchases. If you have a complaint, by all means call or send an email! I do this every other month at least with Glad Forceflex trash bags! They are amazing, until you get a box with defective drawstrings and end up having to tie knots with the actual bag!!! And Glad knows this, and never hesitates to send me my replacement coupon. Sometimes they will even send extras to use on my next purchase to ensure I will continue to use their products (which is kinda why I still do!)
Last but not least...
Know your coupon policies. Each store is different. And this is part of etiquette because I have seen the ugly fights between couponer and store personnel when coupon policies are violated. When people start violating the coupon policy, they crack down. They even change it so it's even harder to get around. This makes it even harder for the people who have already memorized it (and are already afraid of the scary managers) to keep coupon shopping. We will have to learn it all over, and trust me, every time I go through the checkout it feels like final exams... That last test to see if my knowledge of the sales, coupons, matchups, and policies will all pay off. It's even worse when the cashier already got in the ring with a customer over their coupon clashing .
Stores post their policies online at their websites, the customer service desk can usually get you a copy, and most stores have them right at the registers in case of a dispute. Arguing that your coupon is acceptable when they are showing you hard proof that it isn't will get you nowhere but removed from the store (in extreme cases only, of course). If you know how to use them, they can't tell you no. And if they do tell you no, you can point out the policy that says yes. They will gladly continue your checkout and you will win. And save. But most importantly win. The cashier is your friend. They are the ones getting all of your items from one side of the checkout to the other. You can't leave the store without them... Sure, you'd get it all free if you could sneak past unnoticed, but chances are, there won't be room for your stockpile in jail. So be nice to the cashiers. Make their day as easy as you hope they will make yours. Know what you're up against and things will go smoothly... for you, and for the rest of us.
So, couponing 101, lesson 1... be nice with your coupons. It allows the rest of us to continue using ours in peace. No angry cashiers, no accusing stares, no disappointing (and sometimes expensive) trips to the store to find the shelves cleaned out, and most importantly, no modified coupon policies restricting EVERYTHING and preventing us from getting our free on!
