Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Coupon Etiquette - The Unspoken Rules of Couponing

The other day on our local news (Komo 4) I saw a interesting segment - it was talking about extreme couponing and how stores are "pushing" back and not letting us extreme couponers use as many coupons. Thought this might come in handy to help us keep "our good name."

If you have been couponing for long you have experienced your fair share of long lines of cranky shoppers, the "Two Cents" shopper (the shopper that likes to give you their two cents about how you should not use coupons....yada yada yada) and my all time favorite the oh so nice, "wonderful customer service" cashier that likes to make rude comments. Oh yes, the joys of couponing - Sometimes!! There are a few "unspoken rules of couponing" that might make your shopping trip a bit easier.

Don't be a shelf clearer
Everyone likes a good bargain. There is nothing more frustrating than arriving at a store and seeing a person who emptied the shelves of a "hot" bargain item. Save some for others. Make trips to several stores if needed. Also, if you find out about a hot sale in advance, talk to the store and find out if they can place an order just for you. If you have a good relationship with store employees, they will probably be more than happy to accommodate you and you will get all of the items you are looking for and so will everyone else. (I use a rule of thumb of it is 10 or more at a drug store, I will place a special order. If it is 20 more at a grocery store, I will place an order then too.)

Make big trips during off hoursIf you are going to be making a big shopping trip and plan to use a lot of coupons, do not do it during "prime" hours. Other shoppers get frustrated and so do the cashiers. Try making big trips during the day on week days or early in the morning or late at night on weekends.

Be a coupon fairy
Have you ever been out shopping and seen a coupon for an item you plan on buying just sitting there in front of it like it was meant to be? If you have coupons that are close to their expiration date, be a "coupon fairy" and leave them for someone else to use. It will make their day and hopefully they will pay it forward for someone else in the future.

Know Your Store's Coupon Policy

Some stores allow you to combine store coupons and manufacturer coupons - some don't. Some stores double coupons up to .99 cents, some up to 1.00 and some that don't double at all. If you know your store's coupon policy it will make your shopping trip and the cashier's life a lot easier - which makes everyone happy. We have some coupon policy's here.

Be Ready At Checkout

Get yourself organized before you go to the checkout by collecting all of your coupons, gift cards, cash and whatever you need to check out ready so that you can make life easier for yourself and the people behind you.

Don't Take The Inserts

 - From the Sunday Papers, unless you ask. It's annoying to open up the paper and find the coupons missing because somebody else wanted extras. I've had it happen before, and it did not make for a good Sunday. Get more coupon inserts here!

Multiple transactions

When making multiple transactions at a store with limited registers, let others ahead beforehand or in between transactions.  This makes for a happier cashier, which in turn, makes for a smooth transaction.

Also don't throw away those unused or unneeded coupons! Come on over to our new group - Coupon Sharing with Rori and Mindee - this is a Free group! Give your coupons you will not use, get coupons you need!

Last, if you have expired coupons... PLEASE DON'T throw them away! Our men and women overseas can use expired coupons for up to 6 months after they expire. We have it all set up for you - Come check out "How to Help Our Troops". This is a easy way for you to help out our servicemen who lay their lives on the line each and every day for us.

If you are new to couponing and need a few more tips - check this out!

If you have any questions about Coupon Etiquette please email me - couponrori@hotmail.com
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