More thoughts about coupons!

Bargains, deal, sales... coupons... my mind is cluttered as of late by thoughts of this craze called Extreme Couponing. In yesterday's blog I talked briefly about the new TLC show Extreme Couponing. I have been thinking about it a lot since that post. Here is what I believe we can take away from the show. If you take what the people featured on each episode do and apply it on a more realistic healthy scale it can totally work. It does take time and energy, but the level of involvement will totally be up to each individually. For me spending countless hours dumpster diving for coupons and planning my assault like I was gearing up for a major battle is not worth it. I will however try my best to apply some of what I have been learning about the smart use of coupons to my shopping excursions.

I was reading about Wal-Mart's coupon policy on Pocket Your Dollars today. I read something that I still can't quite figure out. A follower on the site posted the following:

Would there be anything on Walmarts website in regards to returning an item that you used a coupon for? I had to return an item a couple of weeks ago and used a coupon, which appears at the bottom of the receipt with coding similar to the item purchased. The clerk said she had to give me the amount less than the coupon and I said I need to get my entire amount back as you were reimbursed for the coupon. Manager called and she also agreed with that statement and said that Walmart doesn’t turn in coupons so they weren’t getting reimbursed! Seriously? I argued that point and they finally agreed to give me the coupon price back, too, just to get rid of me, I’m sure. I’d loved to have had a policy on that to show them because it was just a silly argument.

I rarely add my thoughts on message boards, but I couldn't pass this one up. In response I wrote:

I am confused as to why you would expect a store to refund you the coupon amount? That is not your money. If an item is $1.00 and you have a 25 cents off coupon, you only spent .75 cents of your money. Whether they were reimbursed the .25 or not , it was never yours to begin with. I am surprised that the manager backed down. I would never even try to get them to reimburse the coupon price.

This is quite a scam she is working. The coupon amount never came out of her pocket and she should not think she is entitled to it. Even if the store was reimbursed for the amount of the coupon by the manufacturer, the money is not the consumers.

This post did bring up one great reminder for anyone looking to utilized and maximize their coupon usage. Know the coupon policies of the store you frequent. On the Pocket Your Dollars site as well as other sites, it is recommended that you print out the store's policies and have them with you when you head out on your shopping trip. This can (maybe not always) save you from frustration at the check-out. Ultimately it will be up to the management on a coupon dispute. To get the store's policies visit their website or Pocket Your Dollars.

Happy couponing!