Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Use Your Coupons, But Don't be a Jerk

I was talking to the BF at dinner tonight about couponing. I looked through his Sunday paper to snag some coupons to try to work on getting some deals this week. He works at Walgreens as an assistant manager, and I mentioned that a lot of the extreme couponers blog about deals there. His response:

"Yeah, those people are rude and annoying."

At first I thought he was annoyed because they were working the system. But he explained that the manufacturer reimburses them for the coupons, so he couldn't care less. He takes advantage of deals too, so he doesn't have a problem with that.

He explained that people who are coupon-pros come in daily, and that most of them are entitled, argue with him, and "freak out about saving $2." He even mentioned that there was actually a nice lady yesterday...and that it was rare.

I've used coupons to get some deals, and I have sometimes asked questions or tried to make sure I get a what I can...but he pointed out, "I've worked in retail for a long time, and I know how the coupons work."

I guess the point of my post is this: make sure you know the rules of your coupons so you're not arguing for something that's not in the rules. And, enjoy your deals but be polite to the employees of the store. You're not conning them out of anything, so save your smugness for your blog posts where we can all enjoy it. :)

That is all. Over and out.

5 comments:

  1. Great Entry. My brother works at Walgreens as a team lead and has said the exact same thing. It's the entitlement that sickens me with those types of people. They dont need 20 tubes of toothpaste, and instead of donating it to a homeless shelter or something, they put it in their stockpile at home, like a shrine. Sickening. Anyway, great post and it was a great reminder of how decent people should act.

    -smart sorority girl-sorry i'm too lazy to log into google since I'm going to bed right now.

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  2. I agree! I think that's what bothers me most about that Extreme Couponing show. Those people go to the checkout line with 7 carts and are watching every move the poor cashier is making ... and if the cashier makes a mistake, woe is to them! I think those couponers should be giving the cashier a cut of their savings for being so patient with them. Give your hubby a hug - retail is a tough business.

    Sarah

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  3. This can apply to any service industry, not just coupons and supermarkets.

    I work in Insurance and my company has a "customer goal", meaning if we don't reach a certain timeframe to deliver service goals the customer gets a financial penalty.

    We've had extreme storms and floods in Australia and no company is meeting goals due to the amount of damage and delays finding builders. We've had really understanding customers yet there are always the people that wreck it and take great delight in making a "show" of requesting the penalty payment. The whole time they're doing this you can't help but think "You're a Bleep".

    The "company" doesn't get your joyous reaction, the worker who's had a long day at work gets your cheek.

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  4. Well said. I do some coupon deals but I'm not very good at it and I don't spend 60 hours per week planning my shopping trips. I'm sure working at Walgreens, your BF has experienced it all with couponers. Niceness goes a long way.

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  5. Ditto to ND Chic.
    I've started using coupons but am by no means extreme couponing. Just a regular old Coupon Saver.

    However, I did recently go back in the store, when i realized instead of deducting 75 cents, she CHARGED me a 75 cent tax. it turned out to be like a $1.75 difference after taxes were calculated in. and hey...i wouldn't have used the coupon if i was going to be charged right?? :P

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