Just Ranting

Posted on | May 19, 2009 | 4 Comments

WARNING – the following is another rant on being treated like a criminal for using a coupon. If you are tired of hearing about it (Lord knows I am) don’t read any further.

I haven’t been writing much lately, just posting the coupons and deals that I find. Did you notice? Did you miss me? I have to confess that I have been a little burnt out and tired. Not just the regular tired, but tired of the whole sale finding, deal shopping, coupon cutting world.

I am sure many of you are in the same boat as I am, too much to do and not enough time. My kids are all in different activities and while they keep us busy all year long, there seems to be an exorbitant amount of end of year activities. With all that has been going on I just don’t have the energy to coupon fight.

Coupon fight? That is what I have been calling it lately as more and more people I talk to are telling stories about how they have to fight for the right to use a coupon. When I say fight I don’t mean knock down, drag out. I mean that the cashier doesn’t want take a coupon for any number of reasons, usually not valid ones. I know it’s not just happening to me, it’s happening to a lot of you and it wears you down after a while. I feel like I am forever posting about this and it’s depressing. I am a glass half full kinda gal and like to promote the positive and be happy as much as possible. So I’ve been skipping the stores and only buying what we need to get by lately in hopes of getting out of my rut.

So today I went shopping with renewed vigor. I had my shopping trips mapped out, coupons clipped and a swing in my step. Granted, I had Extra Bucks and Register Rewards (RRs) that were expiring that I had to spend, but still I was out for a good time. My first stop was Walgreen’s. I didn’t need much, I had two transactions mapped out and went to the register to pay. I try to use the cosmetic counter register whenever possible as it doesn’t have as many people and the lady there is really nice and helpful. Except for today.

The biggest lesson I have learned when using coupons is that the outcome of your shopping experience is solely based on the cashier you get. They have the power to make it a great trip or ruin your day. The nice lady that I usually go to was about to check me out when a different lady stepped in, told her to go on her break and proceeded to check me out.

I haven’t been doing Walgreen’s for that long, but I ask a lot of questions and have started to get the hang of it. Unfortunately each cashier tells me something different. This one was particularly nasty and didn’t want me to take advantage of any good deals. The first transaction I wanted to do, she told me I couldn’t. She said I wouldn’t get the RRs as I was already using coupons. I didn’t listen to her and made her do it anyway and to her dismay they all printed out correctly.

I did the second transaction and again she said that I was doing it wrong and I wouldn’t get the RR’s back. I told her to do it anyway and at this point she was pissed off annoyed. The transaction went through and I was listening to the RR’s print and counting them. One printed, then two, and she grabbed them and handed them to me. I listened as the third one printed and she did a few things at the register and started to walk away. I asked her about the third one (for Skintimate) that I just heard print and she pretended to look around then told me nothing printed.

I was as nice as pie, I swear. I apologized and said that I was sorry, and explained that everyone tells me something different and I was just not understanding how the rewards work. I asked to return the item since I didn’t get the RR. Now she is in a tizzy, mad about “people like you who think they should get everything for free”. She then accused me of coupon fraud because I used a coupon on the Skintimate and expected to get another coupon back.

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut at this one and did confront her. I said – so you are telling me that if I use a coupon to purchase an item that gives me a RR back I am committing coupon fraud? Her answer was yes (at this point the other nice cashier came over) and when I said “really?” she just started mumbling about the millions of dollars in coupon fraud.

Now that the other nice cashier was there, her tune started to change a bit and she calmed down. Next thing I know, instead of returning my Skintimate she hands me a Skintimate RR. What? Are you kidding me? I bit my tongue, thanked her very much and walked out of the store as she proceeded to complain to another customer about the greed of people who use coupons.

This is what I am tired of. I don’t want to start trouble or make scenes. I just want to make my purchases and legally use the coupons that I have. Is that too much to ask for? It must be since encounters like this keep happening.

Thankfully my trip to CVS and Publix were easy and pleasant. The cashier at CVS was thrilled that I was able to do such a good transaction and the cashier and manager that were at my register in Publix were also happy that I was able to use coupons to get such good deals. It is only because of the good transactions that I can go back and try again. Once my schedule gets a little better I will be able to go to the stores I am familiar with and be sure to get the cashiers that make it fun to get the deals. Thanks for listening to my rant, I need to get it out every now and then!

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Category: My thoughts, Personal
Tags: Personal

Comments

4 Responses to “Just Ranting”

Grace
May 21st, 2009 @ 6:26 pm

Rant away. I get very upset when you or me or anyone is treated with contempt for a coupon system the retailers themselves created and promote.

And shame on the person who uses their authority to make us feel bad for trying to save money.
Anne
May 23rd, 2009 @ 10:44 pm

In the words of my daughter, “they’re just jealous”. Seriously, she probably does not take the time to figure the deals, does not understand how to do the deals, or is just an unpleasant person. Don’t let them get you down and that is exactly what your blog is for, ranting to the people who understand and are supportive.
Liz @ Sweetwater Savings
May 28th, 2009 @ 10:10 pm

Thank you so much for your support, I really need it on days like this so I don’t get discouraged.
Kim
June 4th, 2009 @ 2:09 pm

I can so feel your discouragement, but we all seem to get over it, don’t we? I keep going back for more. I seem now, though, and it’s a good thing, to overly check my deals and coupons to make sure I’m not doing anything against the rules. I may have fudged in my early days of couponing with a flavor, but not now. I want to have as clear of a conscience as possible. I also don’t chase every single one out there anymore. It’s exhausting, isn’t it?!

Thanks for your blog, Liz. You’re a real life, real person with real feelings. We appreciate your posts so much!

Hugs,
Kim