Excuse this brake from my regular posts about homesteading,to take a minute to voice my opinion on a matter close to me.....COUPONS....
I frequent several money saving blogs,and today someone posted happily about how a coupon was taking $3.99 off a $1.99 item.....do you think it's ethical to knowingly use a coupon that will ring up incorrectly?
In my opinion(and it may only be mine) this would be considered coupon fraud.IF you KNOWINGLY used a coupon to get more money off of an item than what the item costs,you are COMMITTING fraud,plain and simple....
This woman boasted about how her daughter told how to do it,and how she got $75.00 worth of merchandise for less than $3.00 because of the $3.99 coupons...
I know there are a lot of people who watch TLC's Extreme Couponing,and wonder how they do that,or is it legal....well part yes and part no....In reality you can not(and should not) go into a store and get $3.99 taken off a $1.99 item..period....you also can not clear a shelf of all of the sale items,taking a shopping cart full of deodorant for example....stores will not let you....they even have written policies against such activity.
There are stores where you can save a bundle by combining a store coupon with a manufacture's coupon,and some stores still double manufacturer's coupons...and it helps save you money by using your coupons wisely...
BUT here is where I pose a question....is it worth giving up your morals,your personal ethics,and worth breaking the law to save a couple of bucks?
For me,that answer is always going to be NO.....how about you?
I use VERY few coupons. I wouldn't do the fraud thing either...not worth it to me. I generally buy in bulk and repackage into convenient sizes either using my food saver or canning jars or other containers when I get home. I have found this saves me more money than couponing ever would.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I watched TLC Extreme Couponing and noticed that those people spend HOURS every single day finding coupons, clipping coupons, arranging their coupons, going through store sales inserts, etc. I HAVE A LIFE! I don't have the time to do all that couponing stuff! Right now I have a goat in labor, tomorrow I am getting potting soil to start seeds and canning some cajeta, I also have to worry about fixing meals for a family of five, etc.
So, somebody bought 103 bottles of shampoo and only spent 3 bucks on it. Big whoop. How many hours did they spend to get that "deal"? Are they ever going to use all that shampoo? And most coupons for food items are for PRE-PACKAGED foods....rarely see them grabbing bags of flour off the shelves! I cook from scratch, I don't buy frozen stuff, except for a few plain frozen veggies.
I think I am happier NOT using coupons!
I do use coupons,but for things like toothpaste,shampoo,etc,etc....but I don't need 19 sticks of deodorant...enough for a couple of months will do just fine...it's going to be on sale again in the future,the company that makes it,will make more,and the companies that print the coupons will print more coupons....I see no point in clearing a shelf.
ReplyDeleteI used to use TONS of coupons,for nearly every purchase,but since we've bought our property/house,and I can grow and harvest a lot of food right here at home,I started using less and less coupons.The more I read ingredient labels,the less I want to buy from the store anyway.
Maybe today I will do a post telling my story of converting from a coupon queen to a homesteader?
It's not fraud if you combine coupons and each takes off only how much you need AND if the company allows overage; some do, some don't! If you follow that company's coupon policy, I see no problem in it. That said, I'd see it as a good way to get items to donate to charity. I'm a poor college kid and if it'll help cover my grocery bill while allowing me to buy items to donate to charity, I see no problem in it.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, some companies allow you to recieve overage and some don't. I'd probably use it more to donate items to charity but it's not fraud if the company allows it and that's written in their policy. What IS fraud is if the coupon says it takes off $2 but when rung up, it takes of $3 and nothing is done. Or if you use that coupon on a different product.
KT,what I am talking about is a person who KNOWINGLY used a coupon for more than she should have,not just on a couple of items,but cleared a shelf to do it(which is a whole different topic). This person used a buy one get on free coupon on a $1.99 item,yet when the coupon scanned wrong,taking $3.99 off,rather than just stopping there,and saying something,she went back and cleared the shelf of every item the store had...
ReplyDeleteThat's where I would question this as being fraudulent.
I am well aware that some stores MAY allow this to happen,and that's fine,but there is also a bit of responsibility on the part of the coupon shopper to be honest.When people know something like this is happening,and go back and clear the store of all the sale items,it's that type of behavior that gives coupon shoppers a bad name.
It is perfectly legal and legitimate to combine a store coupon with a manufacturers coupon on a sale item,I've done that quite a bit.
What really angered me was the fact that this person went on to boast about it,and encouraged others to do the same...
I also work for the store she was referring to,and know the coupon policy well,and I know that it's just as much the cashier's fault for doing it,as it is the person's fault for not saying something.
This is becoming more and more common,as people watch the TLC show Extreme Couponing,and think there is nothing wrong with what the people on the show are doing,even though it's been pointed out by the CIC more than once to TLC that people on the show have broken the law...