This post will mostly be for those of you who coupon and I would love to know your opinion so please leave a comment!
Our friends, Dave and Holly, were visiting Saturday night and Holly and I were talking about Targets, coupons, grocery shopping and all that good stuff. She asked me at one point if I was allowed to use more than one Target coupon for a specific item and buy multiple in one transaction. I just realized that sounds kind of confusing so let me give an example:
Last week I had 5 coupons for $1 off Hershey Bliss.
Target has Bliss candy bars for $.99.
I got 5 Bliss candy bars for free in one transaction.
She told me her cashier wouldn't let her do something like this. Later that night after they had left, out of curiosity, I looked at my Target coupons and realize that they say "Limit one offer per transaction." Immediately I felt guilty because (a) I really should have looked at the fine print awhile ago - I just tend to do what the website posts tell me to do to get the most from my money and (b) I'm cheating!
Is it inconvenient to have 5 or 6 separate transactions in a busy store with frustrated non-couponers behind you? Heck, yes! But if we are supposed to be glorifying God in everything we do, is it wrong of us to sneak around the rules as long as the cashiers don't care? I would say, yes, it is.
I know we want to save money. Times are tough! Coupons are great - especially when paired with sales and good deals. We have been able to cut our grocery bill quite a bit due to these strategies. However, when websites are telling me to print a copy out of a store's coupon policies so that, on any given trip, if a cashier gives me a hard time about stacking a manufacturer and store coupon I can whip it out and prove her wrong...shouldn't I be following the same rules? I mean, it might be fine print, but it is written on the coupon and it's my responsibility to pay attention to that. If I want to be a living example to my kids in all things...then it means the small things, too.
I'm going to be more careful about the way I'm using my coupons from now on but I was wondering...have you guys been doing separate transactions? Have you noticed the fine print? What are your thoughts?
11 comments:
Hey Annie,
I have thought the same things time and again. Basically its just 99 cents, and thats totally marked up, its not like they're losing THAT much. BUT, yes I've come to realize that it is indeed wrong. So, instead of doing the "5 transaction dealio" I have come to find when we honor God through the small things, he rewards us with SO SO SO much more! I forgot coupons last night when we went to the store, but by the grace of GOD, we still were within budget (even got 'extras'). I dont know how he does it, but he does every time! Sorry this was so long, but i've been here, love it!
Hey Andrea - Excellent point. I think it is ok to have them do several transactions or have Tim do 1 and you do 1. But yeah, I think you should honor the fine print. Especially when you may need to argue for your side. i.e. - I get cashiers sometimes who just hate the coupons and will argue with me whether I got 2 of any item on a save $1 when you buy 2 coupon.
On the whole being honest and teaching your kids something - I have a story. I went grocery shopping last week and I usually add up my groceries as I go so I knew about how much it should be. During the transaction her bagging area was full and my cart wasn't empty yet, so she went to get a second cart. She came back and completed my order. The total came to about 1/2 of what I thought. I thought " Cool - I did way better than I thought." After I left, I got to looking at the receipt and I was missing bunches of stuff. (which I DID bring home - just not on the receipt) So I called. They were amazed and said no one has ever called for being undercharged. They would look into it and call me back. They called back, what happened was when the cashier went to get the second cart, she suspended my order. When she came back, she never recalled the suspended items. The suspended items equaled about $67. I went back to the store and they gave me $15 off that total for being honest. My daughter thought I was STUPID for calling. They would never have known. But I asked her if she wanted a thief for a mother, cuz that's what I would have been - I DID take the groceries home.
So....all that to teach my daughter true honesty. I think she'll remember.
(sorry - you probably weren't asking for such a long post!!)
andrea..
honestly i really struggle with coupons in general. i am probably going to step on some toes here...but it seems that coupons often times are for things that i really don't normally eat or even need. granted there are all kinds of coupons for shaving cream or razors, shampoo or conditioner but i feel like for me personally it would cause hording. buying multiples of things just cause they are free or really really cheap would only increase my desire for too much stuff. i mean does a person really need 5 candy bars even if they are free??? i know i am getting alot of raised angry eyebrows...but this is something that i would struggle with personally. if there is a way to coupon and get things that i really need or use then i must be missing something. help me if you can. i just can't see spending that much time looking for free things when i really believe time is money too. who knows...maybe i am being unfaithful with my money. more to think about.
I see both sides of it... yeah, the fine print is there - but that's for company policy - which is really of the devil anyways - hehe!!!
I dont get why you cant use more then one coupon in a transaction - you'd think it would cost more to have to ring each up individually...
Darn fine lines...
Hey Annie, I don't coupon, and for the same reasons as Pepper Blossom... that doesn't mean I never coupon, I just don't spend a lot of time on it. I do spend a lot of time going through the weeklies and by-weekly sales inserts that are dumped in my mailbox and I plan my meals around those (or I buy toiletries when the brands I get go on sale).
But that isn't the real question- the question is really about honesty. I am of the opinion that if you know the rules and try to break them, that is dishonest. If you accidentally break a silly rule, like the transaction rule, then it is fine. But now that you know the rule you can amend your ways. This is a sliding scale of course- the rule is relatively meaningless, only in place to annoy people who are couponers by forcing 5 separate transactions. If the rule were something like, I don't know, drinking alcohol on the premises is illegal and you do it anyways, well, that is a different story. That law is generally the case everywhere.
Anyways, I don't think you should beat yourself up over this. You know the rules now and the rules are pretty stupid (my humble opinion of course). If the cashier is also ignorant, as was your case, then what was the harm? But in the future, because I know how honest you are in our dealings with people, and I also know that this will linger in your thoughts for days, you will know how you will do things like this in the future :)
Good luck Annie, and if I could stand couponing, or could use 90% of what goes on sale (allergies suck.) then I would follow in your footsteps :)
I don't really coupon either but when I can I would. I also think that following the fine print is what we are supposed to do. Sometimes, yes it does stink to have to do more than one transaction but I think that my guilt would be more if I didn't follow the directions. I too agree that couponing for me isn't the best since I have a kid that has sensitivities to food. Although I do look at the items on sale. Have fun couponing!
Thanks everyone for the comments!
Lydia - You're right in that with couponing it can be easy to get things you don't actually use just because they're a good deal! I try to stay away from that when possible. I also realize that I made myself sound like a total pig with the 5 Hershey Bliss example. I don't even like them! But this is why I got them as well as some other things that may seem like "hoarding":
When Target's Easter stuff was marked down 90% off, Tim and I decided to buy all the stuffed animals that didn't look too Easter-y (with eggs and whatnot.) We did this with the intent of having them to use for baby gifts, Toys for Tots, and other charities. Just a couple weeks later, I got an email for something that I'm involved in called Spirit Jump. It's a group started by a cancer survivor and cancer patients contact her when they, or someone they know, are in need of some encouragement as they're fighting this battle. Anyways, I got an email looking for someone to Spirit Jump a 1-year old girl who was diagnosed with cancer when she was just three weeks old. She is finishing up the last of her treatments and coming home. They wanted someone who would be able to send books, toys, etc. The kids and I put together a big box of goodies for her, and because of some of those animals I had stockpiled, they were on hand to use.
Another example: my dad was laid off a couple weeks ago and they don't know when, or if, he'll be back to work (he works/worked for Chrysler and is supposed to be heading back.) Because it's weird to be in a reverse position where you suddenly feel the need to provide for your parents, it helps to have ways to do it creatively. My parents would never accept just money from us, so my sister and I are trying to think of ways to help without making it seem like that is what we're doing. My mom knows we both coupon and so it won't be abnormal to her if we put together some cereal and snack foods (especially when they're ones my dad loves) and just say "Oh, we had a lot of this on hand and I thought I would unload some on to you guys if that's ok." That's also why I did the Swiffer deal twice last week - once for me because we needed them and once for my mom because I'm sure she could use a $10 rebate on top of Swiffers.
And for my final explanation and reason for the Bliss bars - I want to have them on hand because if I know a girlfriend is having a rough day, be it one full of "mean mom moments" or just in need of a pick-me-up, I can jot out a note or card and put it with the candy bar and leave it in her mailbox or car or some other way.
And that is my really long explanation for one of the reasons why I coupon. It frees up more for me to be able to give to other's in a way that I can right now. I might not be able to always hand out $50 to a friend who needs it, but I can put together a food or care package for them.
I can relate to your dilemma. I've had the "how many separate transactions is too much" thought before. I usually have a set amount in mind before I go and just stick to the plan. I've had little to no incident, and I do think it is fine to do this.
I do agree that you have to be above reproach in all things, so, it's not OK to break the coupon rules...even when no one else catches it. I've had several tests of integrity this year- a few times, I forgot to put larger items on the check-out belt because they were under the cart. I got all of the way to my car before I realized that I hadn't paid for it. This is tempting on a snowy/rainy day when you have 2 kids you have to get back OUT of the car to go in and pay for the items.
I've also found a few things stuck in the bottom of our stroller that Wyndham-sticky-fingers-Ross had been playing with in the store and didn't put back. Once I got home from the mall and discovered that I had a pair of socks stuck in the stroller that I hadn't paid for. Well, I don't get to the mall all that much, so it was like, over a month later, and since I wanted the socks, I actually had to take the socks back to the store and pay for them. The cashier thought I was a freak! Sadly, I was pretty proud of myself the rest of that day until I realized, I did the RIGHT thing, not anything above and beyond. Should I really pat myself on the back for paying a store I owed money for products I had...even if it was an accident??
As far as your concerns Lydia, I think it can be a problem for any of us. When I first discovered some of these strategies last fall, I admit I spent WAY to much time looking online for Qs and info. You're very right as with anything, we need to balance our time....too much of anything usually causes problems...even coupon clipping!
I've tried to discipline myself to Sunday evening searching/planning while Randy is at church and the girls are in bed, and only checking the deal blogs I like during nap times on weekdays. Once I have my grocery list ready for my trip out on Monday night, I don't look at ads, etc, again for the rest of the week. But yes, I have had to condition myself to do this.
I still feel responsible to buy the cheapest healthiest stuff, but I can't loose sleep if a grocery store 15 miles away has bread on sale for a quarter cheaper, ya know? (One good thing about living in a small space is that you don't have ROOM to hoard needless things. I'll make room somewhere for things we use often or like Andrea said, for items with specific purposes)
As I've said before, the best deals I find are usually on household and health and beauty items, though I usually have a good 10-15 great food Qs a week too. Even if cereal is on for like 10cents a box, if I'm stocked already, I walk away!!!!. You have to!
I say, get a system in place that you feel is reasonable that you can live with, and just stick with it. So what if someone got 3,000 bags of charcoal for free? It may be exciting to them, but it doesn't make you less of a person! Life will go on!!!
I've been thankful for the ways in which we've been able to get deals- everything from vegetables, meats, dairy, meals out, movies, clothing, car maintenance costs....it's about keeping the hunting and buying in a place that doesn't cause you to sin through idolatry....which is why, our prayer and study life needs a pice of our time pie as well! Good post!
Very good point!
I won some coupons in a blogging contest, I don't usually use them so I hadn't thought of that angle.
I do wonder whether or not coupons are really such a great deal. It seems like when I have them I end up buying things that I normally wouldn't, which actually increases my spending. Plus it seems like the only thing they make coupons for are pre-packaged convenience foods, which isn't as healthy or economical as cooking from scratch. So although I did use the coupons I won, I don't think I'm going to become a clipper. But instead just stick to my list and menu plan and only buy things I actually need.
Yes, I did notice the fine print on the bottom of the coupon and thought it was legit. I guess I do not understand why you would need ot break it up in so many different transactions. The cost to the store for running your card through the machine is about .25 to .50 cents per time. So, it makes me wonder if the true reason there is only one per transaction is so people do not hoard. I have had so many times when I have gone to cash in on that diaper deal that Walgreens had a while back and by 10:00 am every store was cleaned out! I could not beieve it. I never got the deal. When I asked the woman who was stocking other diapers not on sale she told me that a ton of old ladies were buying them for a women's rescue in the area which made me feel better that I did not get them and lots of women who really needed them get the diapers (I will think that :-) ). So, hoarding can become an issue. However, like you I like to stock up on things so we can give away! Interestingly, we have lots of friends who have had some tough times and we have put together packages of things that we had on hand because I got a couple of a great deal. That has been a big blessing to them and to us really! I love to give - but like many others I do not have $50 to give them - but I gave them $50 in food if they were to purchase it full price. So, there are definitely two sides to it and it is great to keep yourself in check. Honoring God in everything is so important. I too have some great stories of accidentally stealing something and taking it back or bringing an extra ketchup to the counter to have them ring up (and put back) because we were never charged for it!
Balance is a great thing to keep in mind. It seems that human nature is to dive too deeply into things - unhealthy habits, money, etc! Funny thing is many habits that become unhealthy are fine in moderation!
Good post!
Holly
Hey, I think that is a good question. I am convicted very easily and would feel it is wrong but since you didn't know until now I don't think you did anything wrong. Does that make sense? I think if you try to use a coupon that is obviously expired or a few coupons and you know that they shouldn't take them then I definitely think that is deceiving and is not the way God would want things done. I think it is much better to teach children honestly. I realized Target hadn't charged me for my bathing suit bottoms and went back and paid :) The guy who I told thought I was crazy but he let me pay, haha.
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