Coupon with Integrity and Stand Firm Against the Shenanigans

Even a Seasoned Couponer Who Is a Store Regular

Will Come Across "That" Cashier From Time to Time

I always try to coupon with integrity. Also, I try my hardest to be kind and patient with newer cashiers that are not as well versed in their store's coupons or coupon policy as other cashiers may be.  When you shop in a store and have a big 3-ringed binder full of coupons with you, you tend to get pretty well known. This is especially true when you are a regular of that store.  So, I work hard to develop and maintain a reputation for being straight-forward and honest in my deal seeking ways.  I also try to have a reputation for friendliness too.  Even so, sometimes I come across a cashier who is not so knowledgeable about the whole couponing thing and will still try to make you feel like a criminal of sorts for getting such good deals. They even try to bully you into getting less of a deal by making all kinds of "we don't accept x, y, z" claims.  

When this happens, as it did to me today, you have to stand firm and take comfort in the fact that you are NOT a criminal. You HAVE developed an honest and forthright reputation. And, you KNOW the store' s coupon policy forwards and backwards and even have it on you when you shop.

This is what happened today:

I went in to do my weekly shopping run at my Target. I love my Target. The managers there all know me now. When certain cashiers see me get into their line, they smile. When they are done ringing me up, they write down the total before they scan my coupons. They get almost as excited as I do to see how much money I save.  Today, I did not see any of my fave cashiers. I chose a friendly looking lady to check me out.

The main issue occurred when I went to work a deal on a sale item today.  The sale was that when you bought this item, you would get a $5 Target Gift Card FREE.  **A NOTE: Sometimes Target cashiers will tell you it takes 24 hrs for the promotional gift card to activate. This is another form of shenanigans. They tell you this so that you won't break up your transactions and roll gift card deals into each other. Shame, shame! You can turn around and use your promotional gift card on the very next transaction you make 90% of the time or even 100% of the time. ** Ok, so the sale was buy this item, get a $5 Target gift card FREE.  Then, I had a Target Coupon that stated that when you bought the item, you would get a FREE greeting card of your choice, up to $3 value. Also, I had a Manufacturer's Coupon for $4 off the item. 

Now, the Official Target Coupon Policy is that you can put a Target Coupon and a Manufacturer's Coupon on one item, "stacked" together. It does NOT matter if the item is on sale for the week or not.  Theoretically, you can put one Target and one Manufacturer's coupon on the purchase of every single item in your shopping cart, if you have those coupons.  This is THEIR POLICY. When you shop and make purchases using coupons according to their policy, you are not doing anything wrong. You are not trying to pull a fast one on them. Any cashier that makes you feel like that should be reported immediately. 

This is what happened to me: The cashier rang my items. The gift card drawer popped open, per the weekly sale, to prompt the cashier to give me my $5 gift card. She did. I handed her the coupon for $4 from the manufacturer. I handed her the Target coupon to make the greeting card free. The computer has a sort of glitch from time to time. Sometimes, for no good reason, it will beep at the cashier instead of taking the coupon. In these instances, the cashier has to confirm that you bought the right item(s) according to the coupon fine print. Then, they manually override the computer to give you the right discount.  The two coupons I handed the cashier made the computer beep. Sigh.  So, the cashier looks at the coupons and informs me this happened just yesterday when another lady tried to make the same purchases with the same coupons. Ok, great. So, she knew to override the coupons, then right? Wrong.

Ready for this? She told me to PICK ONE COUPON to use. Either the free card one or the $4 off one. I said, "No, that's ok. I will use both. Thanks though."  She insisted I had to choose one. I told her that one was a manufacturer's coupon and one was a Target coupon. That the coupons were even technically for two different items. That I was legitimate in my use of them and I was more than happy to show her the store's coupon policy.  I stayed polite and friendly.  She responded that she already knew the coupon policy. I begged to differ and offered it to her again. At this point, I am requesting the manager on duty by name. You know, just so I can make sure I understand the policy too. 

Another cashier walks up, curious. And she looks at my coupons and says the problem is that they are both manufacturer's coupons. Although I am now annoyed another inexperienced cashier is playing buttinsky, I calmly flip the coupon over and show her the bold printed words "TARGET COUPON".  Finally, my fave manager walks up. I tell her I am causing trouble. She chuckles. She hears the cashier's argument. She hears my POV. She tells the cashier I am totally right. (DUH) and tells the cashier to override the coupons. (DUH)  The cashier said NO!!! Can you believe that nonsense? She starts saying all this stuff about couponers trying to get away with stuff and how she isn't going to lose her job over a $4 coupon and that the manager can enter the coupon herself if she wants to take responsibility for letting it go through.  So, the manager entered the coupon in.

Trying to further prove that she understands how to coupon and such, as the cashier continued ringing up my items, she took a peelie coupon worth 50 cents off one of my items, said, "Here, see??!" and scanned it. I sighed. I said, "Please take that coupon off and hand it back to me. I left it on the package because the coupon I have for that item expires sooner and is for $1 instead of 50 cents. Thanks so much for looking out for me though."

What an experience today was at Target.  

The point here is that you have to learn the store you shop in's coupon policy. It is smart to even carry it with you. Always be polite, but stand firm.  This cashier was trying to block a legitimate $7 in savings I had in those coupons.  Just coupon with integrity, without being a bully about it or trying to pull fast ones. Get to know cashiers and managers by name. Things will go much more smoothly.  Every now and then, you will get challenged or bullied like I was today.  But, you know what? I held my head high as I walked out of there having saved about $60.

And yes, I did thank the girl for her patience and for helping us figure out the coupon thing.  Throwing a fit or causing a scene might have felt good for half a second, but it would not have gotten my deal worked out.  But, don't think I wont write a nicely worded email to corporate should I have more of these encounters.