My inbox is suddenly full from some of the recent discussion about coupon ethics. So I thought I would create a post where you all can discuss and feel free to post your opinions.
I will start by letting you know my stance on coupon usage and how I choose to post deals and such on this site: I don’t cheat –plain and simple. It is too easy to score a deal honestly that I don’t have the need to misuse coupons!! While I am not a fan of being scrutinized by cashiers–I will gladly allow that scrutiny as I am confident the my coupons are valid! It is an unfortunate consequence that the honest couponers must endure this scrutiny due to the fact that some choose to cheat. No, it is not fair and often times it makes me very unhappy…but I know I can hold my head high once all is said and done!!
I consider myself to be an ethical couponer. I make sure I know the guidelines established by my store and follow those guidelines. If I am ever unsure of a coupon or a policy I ask store management for their opinion. When I create my grocery list I make sure the coupons I plan on using are accurate for what I plan on purchasing. I make a list, sort my coupons and shop! It is my responsibity to make sure that the coupons I use are valid and appropriate for my purchases.
Many of you send me great deals and I post the majority of those deals so that others may benefit. Some deals I have to pass on as they may not fit the general Publix policy. Since Publix does not have a written corporate policy AND to keep things as simple as possible I stick with generally accepted policy to ensure the majority of people will have success.
I try very hard to ensure that I provide accurate information as I would never intentionally advocate improper coupon usage! I am human and will make mistakes. I appreciate the fact that there are so many of you wonderful readers who keep me on my toes and not only alert me to errors but also find additional match ups that benefit others. I love the fact that you all are willing to help each other and thus this site seems more like a community working together than just a site to make a grocery list!
So–with all of that said…I want you all to feel free to discuss. I do ask that you keep it clean and be kind to each other as everyone is entitled to an opinion 😉
65 Comments
I am totally with you on being as honest as possible. This is just toooo good of a thing to mess up! Which of course is why it ticks me off a little to see/hear people talk/post about possibly deceptive deals. Match your coupons – do it right and honest – and we all win!!
Yes. I agree with being honest. There really isn’t any reason not to be. My soul is not worth an extra dollar here or an add’l $0.55 there. Thank you Michelle for setting a standard.
I absolutely agree with you! Well said!
Amen, Honesty is the best policy!!! Thanks Michelle for all you do, you have made a huge difference in my life!
I totally agree with you. It is frustrating when cashiers act like you are stealing. But I find it annoying from a time stand point. Honesty is the best policy.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I am saving so much $$ and have noticed the extra scrutiny lately…and while I do not mind it, it is frustrating that it must stem from dishonest coupon usesrs. I would so hate for them to change their policy, so I do hope that most people are honest with their coupons. BTW, I LOVE your site and thank you so much for all your hard work.
I totally agree with being ethical. It really does irritate me to read about all the “deals” that people are getting when they are “pitching a fit” to get a store to accept a competitor’s coupon, when they’ve stated clearly that such and such a store is NOT a competitor (I.e., down here, in Florida, they’ve stated that TARGET is NOT a competitor), or when they use a coupon that clearly states, “16 oz. size” and they use it for 8 oz. and then TELL US WHAT A BARGAIN something is.
Honestly, if you can double and use wrong coupons, you’d get TIDE free all the time. We used to hear of people taking the introductory $7 SWIFFER coupons and walking about with TIDE free.. why? when I asked, ‘Well, because they let me.” Does that make it right?
I had a cashier recently that laid all my coupons out, scanned the item and read the coupon 10 times for each item finally scanned and then moved to the next item. He ended up using all my coupons. It was very time consuming, but in the end it was nice to show him I was an honest couponer.
Same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago…and I had the same outcome as you! I’m a honest couponer, too!
On my last trip to Publix, I was cooly greeted by a cashier & bagger who I have known for three years. Each of my coupons was scrutinized and management was consulted on a few as well. In the end, all the coupons were accepted but what use to be a positive experience was gone. I remembered what Michelle posted, “Just smile, be patient” but I still felt horrible inside. I don’t know what occurred to change the dynamic between myself and the cashier & bagger but I do suspect they may have been burned by inappropriate coupon usage. Honesty should be the only policy for all!
Actually, at our FL stores in my town, Target is a competitor, per management, as is CVS, Walgreens, and ANY grocery store in FL, even if it is not in our town.
After you go to the same store a few times, most cashiers know if they can “trust” you or not. I try to use the same 3-4 cashiers everytime since they know I am not cheating – they still check everything, but they don’t read every-single-word. Pays to be honest!
I was shocked to see you having to put a post up like this! You are doing ALL of us a huge favor by doing the “leg-work” by matching sales w/coupons! I am very appreciative of your time and site.
At the end of the day, I may not have my energy and I might be worn down, but I still have my integrity!!!
I couldn’t agree more!! I know all of us a couponers have had that situation where we are scrutinized more than is necessary. If you have done your homework and are following the rules let them do there job and check. I have notice a lot more hesitation lately with the cashiers, unfortunately it is because there are so many who are dishonest. Thanks Michelle for all you do for us.
Fort Lauderdale here … I know one Publix that stopped taking internet coupons for a few weeks….another has the cashier call the manager for approval of any printables over 55 cents … and yet another store couldn’t care less … odd.
I do know that the stores are getting hurt, and the number one problem is COPIES … come on folks, no copying, please. I work in an office. I have access to 3 different computers plus the one at home. I can print off 4 sets of coupons … and I do for certain things (ummm, coffee?) … but would never DREAM of making a copy … just not necessary to do that. Really. I try to point out to the cashiers and managers telltale signs of copies vs originals (dots, watermarks, etc.) … oh well.
I agree with all of you. This site is so awesome you save us so much time by doing all the match ups. I’m very honest when it comes to cuopons why mess up a good thing just to save .50 cents, I have yet to save over 50% on my grocery’s but 50% is better than none. Thanks for all your hard work, and who ever thinks about cheating remember that food you got the dishonest way (might just give you a tummy ache). lol
Rachel- Im in Florida and target is a competitor at all of my stores. Also, according the store manager at my store there was an email sent out by corporate to accept all competitors coupons EXCEPT cvs and walgreens.
I have found that if I print my coupons with color ink (yes I know it uses more ink) that the cashiers are more willing to accept them because they know that they more likely to be authentic. Perhaps while establishing rapport at a new store (or if you are new to using coupons) this might help cashiers be a little more coupon friendly. I do have a “raincheck” question – when you get a raincheck for say 5 items and you go to the store and you only get 2 – do you guys get your raincheck back with a 3 on it or is it an all or nothing deal? just curious.
I totally agree. Not only do they respond better to internet coupons printed in color, they also respond much better if they are printed on used paper so they is something on the back. I guess it makes it look more like a coupon out of the paper – go figure! When I was getting the 3rd degree on coupons, I wrote a letter to Publix and my local Publix store responded big time! I had a long discussion with the Manager and now we have a repoire. They know when I’m coming through, I have lots of coupons and I am legit – no dishonest coupon usage here. This has greatly improved my experience at Publix and it gets me through the line faster. I also tend to go to the same clerk if I can. Thanks Michelle for the great website! I love it!
Andrea, last week I used a rain check (in Atlanta) for Special K bars. The rain check was for 6 boxes and I only bought 2, so the cashier corrected the quantity on the rain check and handed it back to me. Not sure if this is corporate policy though.
I agree! I do use the same 3-4 cashiers at my Publix, b/c after being scrutinized a few times, they know that I am being honest. I did have a coupon a few weeks ago that as I was checking out, realized I had grabbed the wrong size of the can. I told the cashier, and he thanked me for being honest about it. And like some others mentioned, my DH and I each have a computer, so we both print off coupons, but I would never dream of making a copy (however, I have found it worth my effort to print them in color…more than once the cashier thought it was a copy when I printed in black and white). Thanks for all you do!
Is it wrong to be using the $4 Knox coupon for the $1.39 gelatin? I feel a little guilty about that, but since I’m stocked up on it, does anyone have any ideas on what to do with it?
April, Publix will still be reimbursed for the full value of the coupon plus a handling fee, so it’s not like they’re taking a loss in this scenario. The manufacturer must not mind if we use the $4 coupon for one of their products that costs less than $4 or they’d have put that exception in the fine print, so I don’t worry about using it!
And here’s a recipe using the gelatin: http://tinyurl.com/y8udgtx :]
I’m in Valrico, FL… and the Publix here takes Target, Albertsons AND Food Lion coupons. But, not CVS or Walgreens.
Great post, I completely agree. I starting couponing about 2 month now. A few weeks ago I was in Publix and some coupons were not scanning and the cashier said I had to many coupons. I was polite and said that I was positive I did the correct match ups between the publix adds, the competor and the manu. coupons. She called the manager over and she was very pleasant and said her friend coupons and this is not the first time this has happend. ALthough I was confident in my coupons I was still a little embarrassed by the episode.
Crissy, Don’t feel bad–that happens at my store too whenever the # of coupons is more than the # of items. The computer automatically pops it up. It doesn’t mean you’re dishonest, just gives the manager a chance to make sure there are store coupons, etc & that the cashier is not letting you scam them. I always expect it when I have a small list & lots of store coupons on top of manufacturer coupons. I just smile & be patient because I know it will pop up for a manager’s code. I also try to let people behind me go first so they don’t have to wait. So don’t feel bad, if the cashier gets enough couponers they get used to it. If not, then they’ll learn.
On rainchecks – I get a raincheck back with the new amount (or sometimes they write out a whole new raincheck).
I am blessed in that my store in Pensacola takes Target, Wags, and CVS coupons. They also take grocery store coupons for those stores in our area. I try to be ultra cautious about my coupon use so that I am not taking advantage. Publix is so good to me (and other couponers)–I want them to see that their generosity to us couponers pays off! (BTW, I often get 75% or more off my bill due to the generous policies of my store).
Great job, Michelle, keep it up.
Rain check question: I have always done all or nothing, but it never hurts to ask CService.
Knox question: If the coupon is valid, IMO, it is completely ethical to use it on ANY Knox product.
There is a great beef soup recipe from America’s Test Kitchen where you add the getatin at the end…yummy. 🙂
BTW, April, don’t feel guilty about the Knox coupon. Publix will be paid all $4 by the manufacturer, and the manufacturer has profited because you have now been introduced to the wonderful world of their product. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Thanks Michelle for all your hard work! I have saved hundreds so far!! This website has changed my life, and the way I shop. THANKS!!
I couldn’t agree more! Love this post!
Crissy – did you make sure that you didn’t have more coupons than items purchased? The register will stop accepting your coupons if the number exceeds the amount of items you’re buying. That’s why the spreadsheet is so handy, you can add up the amount of coupons your using versus how many items you’re buying.
Michelle, this site has totally changed the way I shop. The amount of money I have saved using coupons honestly has been amazing and a lifesaver during times of economic hardship. I have great disdain for anyone who cheats with coupons! There’s no need and people who need the extra help are the ones who are really going to be punished if Publix were to stop being so generous.
You can use more than that (& I often do when I have a small list) but the manager will just come to make sure you have store coupons or competitor coupons. The manager just puts in her code & the cashier finishes. (Or at least that’s how it is at all the Publix stores I’ve been to.) I used to work at a bank & we had the same thing for certain transactions over a certain amount–just needed the manager to check it–but it was ok.
I love coupons and couponing, BUT I can’t stand to see that peelies have been removed from packages. This drives me nuts…it’s stealing. Plain and simple. I wish more people would learn this lesson. Stepping down from my soap box, I’ve saved so much money because of this site. I love it! Thanks so much for your hard work.
Its Publix policy that you can use a mfr. coupon and a publix coupon on 1 item so I dont worry about the registers beeping they just override it this am the CSM overrode coupons for about 5 minutes and was smiling the whole time.
I do have a question what about FLIPS? the FLIP said ‘one print per coustomer’ but when I asked both my stores said I could use as many as I wanted. What do you do in that situation? The deal in question was the hunts FLIP for $1/3 to be paid with the $1/4 blinkie coupon, meaning you had to buy in multiples of 12 to get maximum savings.
I used to make coupon mistakes, such as purchasing the wrong size item and getting a better “deal” than I should have. I also used to be the person blocking a section of products in the aisles, while fumbling through my coupons. This website (and Iheartsavingmoney) has changed the way I shop for the better. I am less likely to make coupon mistakes now, because I don’t have to do it all inside the store. I can prepare for sales ahead of time, make my list, match up my coupons, and have it all ready *before* I get to the store, which is something I never did before! Also, I don’t have a printer, so all my coupons are from traditional sources like the newspaper inserts and home mailers.
I went to my Publix (Riverview, Florida) today. They are great! Sometimes they allow overage of coupons, sometimes not. I’ve noticed that usually, more so now, no overage. Which is okay with me, I’m still getting the item free. I’m not out to make money, just get a good deal. I used the $4 Knox coupon for the $1.39 gelatin. The cashier told me she had to price it down…no problem. Then, we continued to price down some of my other coupons. I actually helped her. She joked about me testing her math skills so late in the afternoon. She was great about it, as was the assistant manager that had to override the register for all my coupons. I really love shopping at my Publix. They are GREAT!! and, the call me “Coupon Mom”. LOL. They know that I always separate all my coupons and organize my products so neatly for them. Sorry about this being so long. I love this site. It has helped me so much. I tell evryone about it, even the cashiers and managers at Publix. They want to learn to save money too.
I agree with the above and peelie stealing drives me bonkers too. Especially when it’s on an item and for that item! And there is not one peelie left and you can see where they were removed. 🙁 I also disagree with copying – that is just wrong.
Our stores here are getting strict – they aren’t allowing internet printables for anything free, i.e. the free half gallon of chocolate milk when you buy 2 gallons white milk.
It’s sad that so many people are ruining couponing for the honest people.
On a side note, there is a lady on another board that was bragging about how she shops. I was in complete shock. She’d go to the store and ask for rain checks for everything that she wanted to buy (even if it was in stock!) and then go back later with coupons or after she got her paycheck. She would just say “well I didn’t have the money so I got a rain check so I could go get it after payday”. We all told her she was wrong but she didn’t care.
im glad someone mentioned taking the peelies because that drives me CRAZY. I have two Publix stores in my general area and one is usually stocked well with booklets and peelies on products, while the other store is always wiped out within hours of new booklets and peelies being placed on the shelves. I asked about it and was told that “people are coming in and taking stacks of booklets and removing all the peelies off the products”. Im guessing several people are hosting their own publix booklet and peelie shop on ebay. it is wrong, plain and simple, to make a profit off of what should be free to others. taking stacks of booklets and peelies off of products you havent purchased is hoarding and theft, to put it mildly. And to then turn around and sell these things on ebay is taking advantage of people in an already terrible economy.
I don’t think it is wrong to take peelies – and I do it when I can for items that I will use. Why? Because my store has tons of expired peelies on products that were never purchased. I would rather a coupon be used than go to waste. To each his own.
I stumbled across a blog recently – don’t remember which one it was – in which the author shared a way to “never pay full price for clothing at Target again.” She suggested finding an item you like, then finding an almost-identical item that’s out of stock AND on clearance. Then, she said, you should get a rain check for that out-of-stock item and then use it to purchase the original item you wanted – at the clearance price.
First of all, that sounds so tricky that I don’t know how you could make it work – but assuming you could make the scenario work, this struck me as really underhanded! Definitely cheating, in my opinion.
Thoughts?
I really don’t care for it too much when my coupons are scrutinized like I am trying to pull something over on the store, but I guess the poor cashiers are probably getting reamed for taking fraudulent coupons. The stores won’t get re-imbursed for the copies so I’m sure the managers aren’t happy about it.
I found myself standing in the medicine isle debating how many alive to get at 1.97 using my $5/2 publix coupons (my store alows overage!) I didn’t want to be greety. I did need the medicine for my stockpile. So, I bought 14 and used 7 coupons. obviously publix knows how much their items cost, if they didn’t want you to be able to get it free plus overage they would put stipulations on the coupons( ie valid only for 40ct and larger or 1 coupon per cutomer per day) so I really don’t feel bad about this deal. I put 6 in my stockpile, gave 4 to my mom and gave 4 to my sister. Overage on my bill was $6 and some change,so I had them round up my total and it went to haiti.
I try to go to the same two cashiers when I shop, but sometimes that is not possible. These cashiers know that I am ethical and if there is ever a question, I go to CS BEFORE I shop for clarification. I went to another cashier last week when neither of my faves were in and she called a manager over …not because she thought I was trying to cheat, but because she didn’t know how to handle when the Q/item ratio was off. She was constantly pleasant as was the mgr. I realized then that what we sometimes may see as cashier “snootiness” may simply be confusion. I am in Alabama and my Publix honors no competitors at all. We have other stores within 1/2 mile but still no. I guess each store is different!
Tiffany: I was a retail sales manager for 20 years. It is more than cheating.. it is theft. Every item has an individual bar code which specifies details down to size/color. If that item is on the books, and someone buys it as something else, under the other code (which is usually on the rain check)then the system thinks that item is still there. That means it doesn’t get reordered and the store is short whatever the difference is between the reatil and the discount. It is a terrible thing and no different than ticket switching.
When you go into a store and you see that things are out of whack as far as what is available size/color wise… theft of some type is your main culprit. Sorry… my history makes the a hot button topic for me!
Morgan, I found that blog post and it says that Target rain checks have this wording on them: “Choose a substitute and get the same % off on a similar, regular-priced item.”
Does this still make it cheating, then? Anyone have ideas?
I think ethically it is all about the intent. If you could have gotten the correct item & lied to get a raincheck or substitute than it is wrong. But if you really would have been happy with the real item, then it is ok. We know when we are trying to be dishonest–same things since we were kids.
what about this.. opinions please (and suggestions) My store will not take the Knox Q for anything other than what is in the picture, even though it says any knox product. When I asked if they would take it at 1.39 (I actually needed the gelatin) they wouldn’t do that either. They said b/c the Q said $4 off and not “up to” $4 off they couldn’t do it. Odd point though.. they accept overage. Weird, huh?
Morgan,
I would think they wouold accept that coupon, even if they adjusted it. I would go to another front end manager and ask them. specify that your not going over the other managers head but want to know why they wont take the coupon at all.
Taking peelies on products you are not purchasing is stealing. Plain and simple. What if you were the one who came along after the peelie was taken and you wanted to use it on a great deal? You’d be mad and upset. Don’t take the peelies unless you are buying the product it came on. It’s wrong.
Another point- The other day I was in Publix I was looking at the Hunts tomatoes…and this lady stood there for 20 MINS. literally pulling every blinkie out of the Rotel blinkie machine!!!! I know we like to have more than 1 coupon for rotel, but come on——what if I wanted one? That is just crazy to me!
The harder things for me is when the line is blurred of whether its right or wrong. Like its obviously wrong to copy IPs, but there are scenarios where its harder to determine what is write or wrong. Like printing the CVS $5 off/$20 from the internet source. Or if a coupons doesn’t specifically prevent something, but to use it that way seems iffy. Just sometimes the line is blurred for me, but I dont want to miss out on opportunities if I AM in fact entitled to take them.
I try never to print something that looks like it has been copied, just to be safe.
right or wrong! (i wrote write or wrong!! haha)
I agree that there is simply no need to cheat when you can get great deals by just being honest. My one issue since I started couponing are those who “stockpile for life” taking extreme amounts of one product and leaving none for others. I was in Publix a few weeks ago and saw someone take 3 entire cases of Yakisoba noodles from the shelf. Hey, I just wanted 2 boxes! Let’s use some restraint and not let our desire to save turn into a greed fest.
While I agree that taking the entire stack of Advantage ads or stealing peelies off boxes or hogging the blinkie for 20min straight without sharing are all wrong, I do not think that buying the number you want is wrong (unless a limit is stated). The store is there to buy things from & they restock. If the item is on sale then you can get a raincheck. So although it is annoying & possibly rude (especially if you are near her trying to take one), it is not unethical.
Plus maybe she will donate those boxes, or she has 7 kids who take them for lunches so that will only last a week. We never know, but should be careful about what is polite and what is unethical.
I agree with you KBM1. I think it is entirely possible that we don’t know the Yakisoba noodle persons situation. They could be struggling very much financially and that is what they eat every day (my husband said when he was in college that Ramen Noodles were just about all he could afford to eat so he would stock up on pay day and hope that lasted until the next pay day). I do have to say though that some people are going about their stockpiling in the wrong way, be it blinkies, booklets, or actual products, they take way more than they could possibly legitimately use. That is just a part of life though. I know that I bought 15 Chobani Yogurts yesterday and the cashier asked the front end CSM if that was ok. I only bought that many because they had just restocked and the shelf was packed full. If there had only been 15 I would probably have taken half of them. My 2 year old and I each eat 1 yogurt a day so 15 is only going to last me a week. All we can really do is go about our couponing business legitimately, ethically, and honestly. Then we can “stand tall and proud” when we do get the third degree at the checkstand and everything checks out ok!
I’m glad to see this discussed. These dialogues need to be brought up every so often so that new people can learn the ins and outs of coupon ethics. And while there are always people out there who will cheat, maybe a discussion like this once in a while will slowly wear off on them.
I agree–I do the same. I’ve spoken with the manager about their policies & I use my coupons within those guidelines. While it is annoying I am patient with the cashiers because I know that my coupons are “legit”….plus most know me anyway & love to see how much I’ve saved 🙂 I have a co-worker who lives in Hialeah, Florida….due to dishonest practices her Publix no longer accepts internet coupons. She spoke to them and he told her that for now, they had to stop taking them because of the fraud. So a few ruined it for all. It’s not fair.
Thanks again for all you do !!!
About the rainchecks… I was told that the store does not get the same deal when they have to write rainchecks. I have some friends that if they are going to get a large quantity of one item the go to the manager with their coupons and order the amount they want, use the coupons and pay for the purchase. When the items come in the go to the store to pick them up. This works well so that the shelves are not wiped out!! In the past I have had them write me another raincheck for the amount not used on the original raincheck without me asking. Then there was the time I asked and they said no if it was one the shelf I had to purchase it all at one time. So it may depend on the store. Hope this helps.
I would never have been able to save the money I have without the hardwork that is put into this website. As a singe woman with grown kids I stopped couponing. This website saves me so much money that there is no earthly reason to cheat. In Alabama there are few choices for stores. Publix opened here a few months back and I thought “oh they’ll be like the rest of the stores and have high prices”. I was so wrong and together with your help I’ve cut my grocery bill by 2/3 and I’m eating better. Thanks for all you do the honest way!
I am in south FL (wellington) and I never mind of they call over a manager to verify my coupons bc I know they are all legit. I have had a problem with one manager though she will not allow me to use 2 coupons for a BOGO item all the other managers have never had a problem with it…anyone else have this problem?
Michelle, you are absolutely right about being honest in using coupons. This is very important not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because there are other couponers that come after you and they may get scrutinized (as you said) by a cashier who had dishonest couponer experience.
I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work you do in keeping us, Publix shoppers, updated. Great job!
I have had a problem with a particular Publix location and since I live in an area where there’s a Publix on almost every corner, I just go to another location. The problem that I ran into was more a problem with the Cashier. She actually made a comment that the amount of coupons I had was rediculous!! Needless to say, we asked for a manager and the manager went through all of my coupons and said they were all legit and went over the store’s coupon policy with the cashier in front of us and continued to tell her that customer service is tops and comments like that were unnecessary…Oh, and that shopping trip I spent $52 and saved $136!! We’ve never had a problem when shopping at other locations…if you have a problem, say something to management and if it continues, try to go to another location.