I am not one of those bloggers that have spent every waking moment following all of the drama that has unfolded since J’Amie Kerlew was featured on TLC’s “reality show” Extreme Couponing. Oh sure I followed the conversations casually that were being discussed on our forums here at HotCouponWorld and there were a few discussions that ensued within my friends on Facebook. Heck I was even invited to join a Facebook group of folks that wanted to get Mrs. Kerlew removed from the Extreme Couponing show on TLC (and I joined). Late at night when I could not sleep but did not want to work I read some of the interesting and sometimes funny blog posts and fabulous exposées full of pictures and screenshots of the products and coupons used and I and thought they were interesting and funny. But overall I tried to give J’Aamie the benefit of the doubt that maybe the couponing community was making more out of all of this than was there. After all I know that there is a lot of editing done when you do media and sometimes things get edited to make for a more sensational story. This is “Reality TV” and as such much that is depicted is not reality at all but put together to portray a sensational story.
There were a lot of people in the couponing community at large who followed every post, made YouTube videos, stalked her Facebook pages, and went on and on. And while I get the uproar the truth was, I had stuff to do, work to get done, a coupon site and coupon forum to run, the air of the show and the corresponding outlash in the coupon community happened to coinside with major behind the scene things going on at HotCouponWorld where were were moving to a new server, starting a new blog and doing all kinds of work behind the curtain so to speak (and still are). I didn’t have time to add a lot of my own thoughts on all of this outside of a few forum and Facebook comments a blog comment here and there and time to write an article on my thoughts on the difference between Extreme Couponing and Hardcore Couponing.
But now, I feel compelled to speak out. After reading a blog post today over on Smart Money: Extreme Couponing Star: I Was a Scapegoat whereby J’Amie Kerlew fully admits that she committed coupon fraud and has no remorse or intent to change her couponing ways. Instead she tells a poor “whoa is me” story about how TCL offered no support for the onslaught of negativity and publicity that would ensue. Sorry J’Amie…your poor me story does not hold well with me and your story about how you use coupons is just wrong!
Let’s talk publicity first because that is the easiest topic to address…what did you really expect was going to happen when you were featured on a television show that was aired nationwide? Seriously…your episode was not the even the first one to air so you had to have had the common sense to do a little research (you know Google) to see how to show impacted the two folks who were on the first episodes. There of course is going to be an increase in traffic to your website if you are featured in the media, and of course there is going to be comments about how you shop, how much stuff you buy, even what you wear. Did you not even think about any of this before agreeing to be on the show? One of the reasons why I and my fellow co-owner Julie refused to do the show when we were asked by TLC’s respesentives was because 1.) we are not THAT extreme of couponers, 2.) we did not what THAT kind of press and 3.) we knew that the backlash of comments would pick apart every single second of the episode. Been there, done that before!
J’Amie…you walked into that. To make matters worse you choose to show your unethical coupon methods on national TV…what the $%@#& did you expect?
Now lets talk about your blatant coupon fraud. In your interview with Quentin Fottrell from Smart Money who asks
“You matched barcodes, as long as they worked, rather than products, right?”
and you replied
“Yes”.
You just admitted to the whole entire world that you committed coupon fraud. Wow girl, you have some big Cojones for saying that in an interview that will be on the internet F-O-R-E-V-E-R.
Lets break it down a little. If you used a coupon that was good for “Buddig Deli Cut, Any 12-16 Oz. Size” what makes you think that it would be OK to use it on a Budding, 2 oz. size package? If the manufactures had intended you to decode the coupon and use it on whatever product you wanted to use it on “as long as it scans” then why on God’s green earth would they have listed a specific TYPE of Budding product (Deli Cuts) and a specific SIZE (12 to 16 oz.)? Do you think that the manufactures just like to waste their ink? Or maybe the wording on a coupon is just a “Suggestion”. I don’t know but if I showed that coupon to my 8 year old son I think even he could tell you that you bought the wrong item that is WORDED on the coupon.
But lets take this even a bit farther…you state in the interview:
“I want to stop being the Scapegoat. I used a Buddig Deli cut for a 12/16 ounce packet for a 2 ounce packet because the numbers matched. The coupons went through at the register and I did not have any problem.”
Basically you stated that the coupon scanned thus it was OK. And that even the store managers have checked you out and never had an issue. So in your mind that means everything must be A-OK and hunky-dorry right? Wrong.
Your coupon scanned because the store you shop at does not read the entire coupon barcode like many stores do now. So your method is not going to work at 99.9% of stores nationwide, and like it or not by being on national TV and starting a blog, you are a teacher on how to coupon. What are you going to do when one of your followers tries you dishonest methods and is rejected at the store or worse, banned from the store? How will that sit on your conscience? And the manager allowing your coupons to go through because they scanned, did the manager actually know that you were buying the wrong products with those coupons or did you try to sneak them in or bum-rush the manager and cashiers with so many coupons that it was just easier for them to scan your coupons and assume you used them on the right products? I am thinking that the store managers did not willingly know that you used the wrong coupons on the wrong products. I have been couponing for many years now and not a single store manager I know would knowingly allow me to use the coupons you did on the products you did.
The thing that really ticks me off about this chain of events is that this TV show has really piqued the interest in couponing and all sorts of folks are now wanting to know how they do this “Extreme Couponing” thing. And the sad thing is that they can’t, not the way it was shown on the show. Stores are changing their coupon policies left and right. You cannot just walk into any grocery store, fill up 5 carts full of stuff, hand over a stack of 400 coupons which the store doubles and walk out of the store with a ton of stuff for free or very little money. You cannot do it without:
- Finding a source of multiple coupons; be that dumpster diving, buying them from a coupon clipping service or having “God” mysteriously deliver them to your doorstep.
- Having one of those once in a blue moon stores that doubles unlimited coupons…really this is so rare to have a store that does this it is like being struck by lightening.
- Having a store that allows overage – some do some do not.
- Having the coupons AND the sales align just right like the moon and earth in an eclipse.
- Having the time (10+ hours a DAY to sit and clip coupons and organize them, make your shopping lists, go shopping, bring all your stuff back to your house, put it all away etc.)
Hate to say this but this couponing stuff does not just “happen” most new couponers are happy to walk away with 2 tubes of free toothpaste the first time out coupon shopping! It takes work, it takes time and it takes patience. Those garages full of groceries, the stockpiles, those were not built in a day or a month, no those were built up over YEARS and it is a constant ebb and flow of deals that come and go, wax and wane, to be replenishing the groceries that are used up.
In summary…I realize Mrs. Kerlew is not going to read this, nor is she going to respond to it and frankly at this point she would really smart to keep her mouth shut before she gets into some real legal trouble. But I do have this to say, your blatant misuse of coupons, which you know in your heart is wrong is causing trouble for other couponers who are just trying to put food on the table. As a site owner myself I don’t take it lightly that there are REAL people out there that rely on coupons to survive. That there are people out there that are on food stamps trying to make those few dollars stretch as far as possible, that are coming to me and my site to learn how to save money. I take it to heart that my job is to provide these people with the tools and information they need to save money on their groceries and to give them the correct information so that they are not faced with issues when they check out at the grocery store because I have presented them with bad information. It would really be easy for me to teach folks how to decode coupons and use them on the wrong item, but that is a cop out, and I don’t take the easy way out. I work 16+ hours a day working to help teach people (at no cost to them) and I did it for over two years not making one red cent from it I would do it no profit because I truly love teaching others how to save money using coupons. Don’t get me wrong, I now make money from this site, but I would do it still even if I didn’t. My job is not to get featured in the most sensational media coverage that I can, media is a bonus, my job is as a teacher. And my job as a teacher to to teach others how to coupon the right way.
I do not like this Extreme Coupon show one bit. As you mention, stores are now changing their coupon policies because a lot of people are trying to do the “Extreme” thing and are messing things up for people who use coupons wisely and responsibly. Also, there is no way you can pull the type of purchases the showon TLC at your local grocery store…. No double-up, no 60+ cans of mustard in stock, etc. This show is just creating a hype that will affect real people who rely on coupons to shop and save money rather than showing off.
Wonderfully written! Kudos to you, and thank you for everything that you do to help us part-time, nowhere-near- Extreme couponers save a few dollars!
Well done! I agree the show is misleading and it doesn’t take long to figure out the majority of coupons in circulation are for non-food items. Finding deals with overage is the key to the really big savings but once found it’s still not that easy.
Case in point: I have at least 10 of the HOT $3 Nivea body wash coupons and right now it’s on sale for $2.49 so I’d get 5 bucks in overage. I’ve been to the store twice and there is no stock on the shelves. Sure, I can get a raincheck but the coupon expires in 3 days.
I’ll probably use it at Walmart IF I can find it on their shelves so it ends up being free but driving around to various stores also costs me money in gasoline not to mention time.
We’ll probably be seeing more and more limits placed on sale items by the major chain stores to prevent extreme shoppers from clearing out the inventory.
While the show renewed my interest in clipping coupons, I think loading up the cart with 62 bottles of mustard is not good for the store nor reality TV.
This is one of the best blog posts I have EVER seen! Thank you so much for this. I am really glad to see your feelings on this topic, and while I cancelled my membership at another site because they seem to agree with promoting greed and overblown egos, I must say I am very proud to be a member of HCW!
Thank you for writing this. I have quit watching that show just because I realized on the first show that it can be a scam. I get real excited when I walk out of the store with anything BOGO or just to see the amount saved at the bottom of the receipt. I have noticed on some coupons now, after the Extreme Couponing show started, that there is a limit to how many you can use per shopping trip. It is good for us casual couponers because the extreme couponers aren’t depleting the shelves and ruining our shopping trips. Thank you Hot Coupon World for what you do.
I wish there were a like button here because I REALLY like this.
Hi there – this is Angela from The Coupon Project, author of “funny blog posts” you linked to.
I wanted to add my two cents about why I did that particular post and my thoughts on Extreme Couponing and the show. First off, I think many sites have tried to capitalize on the popularity of the show, whether or not they fully agree with the show. I see countless tags on FB to “extreme couponing” and SEO title heads with “extreme couponing” mentioned. I have even seen one site create a very similar “extreme couponing” logo and place it on their site. Personally, I don’t want someone Googling “extreme couponing” and find me. I’d rather them find me by searching for “how to use coupons” or “sensible couponing,” etc.
I really abhor this show on so many levels and have done a pretty good job avoiding discussion of it on my site. You’ll notice even in my blog post I worked to avoid the exact term “extreme couponing.”
I wrote my post and in the humorous way I did because I felt the drama was at such a fever high pitch the only way out was to laugh. I have SO SO appreciated HCW’s stance on ethics and much of what I learned came right here from HCW!! While I’ve avoided talking about the show, the fraud aspect – oh I had to address that! Nothing makes me hotter than coupon misuse. I couldn’t ignore a story so big to the couponing world it might threaten to change many things for us all.
Thanks for linking to my post, and providing the forum to have this discussion. Again, I believe in what HCW is about and frequently mention, promote, and praise you on my blog. Keep up the fabulous work.
Thanks everyone for dropping by and giving your two cents on my ranting blog post. And I am glad I was able to put a voice to what I was thinking when I read that interview.
Angela – I wanted to address your comment specifically. First your funny post with the Barbies totally was hilarious, I had a good laugh over that one when you posted it on your blog. I am a subscriber myself to your blog and think you do an outstanding job with it and I appreciate you telling your blog readers about HCW. As far as using the term “Extreme Couponing” and using SEO titles and Facebooking about the show I will fully admit that HCW has done a few of those things as well. We are not on the show so we have no full intent to try and go all hog wild with it, however we have done some topic and a page portal to try and capture SOME of the folks that are out there looking on how to do this coupon thing. But we did it not because we wanted to jump on the band wagon, get all crazy with it at any cost but our goal was more to do damage control. We thought that if we could capture even a small portion of the folk out there that were looking for Extreme Couponing tips and steer them in the right direction then maybe it was worth doing up a few things to help folks find us. We don’t rank in the search engines very high for those terms and really that is OK. We know where our values lie and that is what is important. To each their own I guess, but this interview and confession by J’Amie really ticked me off today. There is one thing to make an honest mistake when using coupons, I have done it myself. Heck a few weeks ago I went with 10 coupons for Herbal Essences to Walmart and totally forgot about the new P&G wording about “4 like coupons per transaction” and when the cashier caught that I felt like a total dope for not following the rules written on the coupon. But J’Amie has put it out there that it was not an accident, that she knowingly used the wrong coupons on the wrong items and she really did not care. I do wonder if anyone is going to hold her accountable. I do know that Karma is a …you know what. And what you put out in the world always comes back to you. Always. I don’t wish bad things to happen to her, but I do think she needs to be held accountable for her total and blatant misuse of coupons on national TV. The fact that she teaches coupon workshops where she more than likely teaches these practices makes me feel bad for her students who will at some point or another try to decode a coupon at the wrong store and soon find that it just does not work. They will be embarrassed and may feel cheated. When you go to a coupon class to be taught how to save money you are not expecting to learn fraudulent tactics.
This was so extremely well written, everything was well said. I agree with all that you wrote, and, like the first poster, really dislike the show “Extreme Couponing” because it is just NOT realistic. This comes from someone (me) who has been using coupons fantatically, religiously, since 2002, and have given numerous talks to various groups about couponing and how to save money. As someone who doesn’t just coupon to share with charities and family/friends (which I do), but also to help feed my family with a VERY tight budget, I worry that show, with how some of these shoppers are obtaining their goods, will cause some stores to eliminate their double coupon policies or make it even harder to use coupons (and believe me, it’s already pretty challenging)! As the saying goes, “a few bad apples spoil the bunch…” I hope these “extreme couponers” don’t completely ruin it for the rest of us, just trying to get by…
Perfect!!! I am new to your site, learning, and when I saw her show I thought to myself, “something just isn’t right about that woman”. I had a gut feeling about her and my gut is rarely, if ever, wrong. She is a thief. What she does is STEALING. Think I will keep reading, clipping & being happy when I get 50% savings, (more or less!) Would rather sleep well at night. Plus, it’s more fun to open my pantry and feel GOOD about what’s in it! Makes couponing much more fun when you work for it and it’s a hobby you enjoy.
Tweeted, Liked and spreading the word – great job on this!
Well said Heidi!
I agree wholly!!!
I am proud to get 50% or better on my shopping trips for the things my family NEEDS and USES.
That`s another thing that bothers me about the show…if your hubby doesn`t even like mustard, why are you clearing the store`s shelves of it?!?
Most of my stores only allow 5 coupons per product per order…so I am far from being an extremer because the most I will ever do is 2 orders (and that`s ONLY if it`s something we will definitely use 10 of!)
Doesn`t mean I won`t watch, because I like a good laugh (and sometimes it gets me annoyed enough to light a fire under my a$$).
Keep up the good work here…`cause I`m a lifetime member!!!
I totally agree with what everyone saying. I get so mad when I watch the show, theres no need to have 1,000+ tubes of toothpaste..lol I’m a stay at home mom and need to save ever penny I can so I started couponing, i’m so happy saving anything I can, and I very thankful to sites like this one to help our family save money. But where in the world do these people shop on these shows. NO stores where I live double any coupon over .50 cents and on the show the one lady said you can use “ecoupons” and paper coupons together…. and you CANT!!! And last but not least the one lady on the show say she gets her coupns “from god”..ok sure…lol (my huddy said she probley has a Paper boy at her church who steals him for her..lol)
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I have been DVRing the show and I watched hers 2X trying to figure out what she was doing that seemed so wrong. I love to get a good deal and when I do I buy the limit. I very rarely do more than 1 order due to my lack of space, but these people are all kinda nuts. I worked for a CVS for a while and we had a couple of “extremers” in the area. I always got so mad because they would clean out store @ midnight when the sale started and there was nothing we could do about it.
I also noticed Kroger’s stopped double and triple coupons right when the show started. I think they saw the writting on the wall and decided to stop while they were ahead.
It is sad that the stores have started buckling down on couponers because of this, adding limits and not accepting internet coupons, etc.
I am a proud member of HCW and will remain as long I coupon…
I could not have said it any better. I owe evrything I have learned about couponing to Heidi and my other true and legal coupon friends I have met through HCW. It is because of Heidi’s teachings that I knew from the get go to take anything I was seeing on that show with a big grain of salt.
I have been couponing since 2006 when I first found HCW and yes, I made mistakes but I was let know what I was doing wrong by Heidi’s careful teaching. I promise you,if you have ANY question concerning couponing,just ask your question on HCW and I promise you that you will be answered and guided in the right way.
Thank you Heidi for taking the time to put into words what my mind has been thinking.
I LOVE MY HOTCOUPONWORLD FAMILY…….
I just started couponing and watching the show on TLC. I knew from the get go something was fishy. My first time out, I bought about $120.00 worth of groceries but after coupons, my bill was about $87.00! Woo-hoo! I was thrilled. I have a daughter, 13 years old, I have talked to her about the unethical practices these people on the show use, example, stealing newspapers from “empty” houses. That woman knows she is stealing, she said so herself. Someone paid for those papers and it was not her, so when her other coupons did not scan, I was glad. Karma. I want to bring my grocery bill down, I will be very happy with 40% but try for a bit more. I would be terrified to try and scam my stores AND embarrassed!
i knew when i watched her there was no way she is actually doing that right the bx exchange here is starting to change their policy so now i have to get my coupons from my news paper only i heard a rummor of no more IP coupons :( i need to further investigate this i will be kinda pissy if i cant use them
Wow! I must admit that the show got me couponing because it looked like a science drapped in organization and detail. Both of which I love. But I am so happy to read this post and comments because my trips to the store have certainly not afforded me anywhere near a 98% savings!! Honestly I thought I was doing something really wrong. In fact, none of my grocery stores in the north central washington area double any coupons!! I’ve done my research and have started my arsenol of coupons, but after reading this I feel better in my small couponing efforts thus far, albeit small, at least they are honest!!
All I can say is AMEN to this article!!
All I can say to this article is AMEN!!
Thanks for the article! I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years now, off and on, depending on how much time I have. I’m excited that I managed about $4000 savings on groceries last year. Now, we spent a lot more than that, but money is money. It’s certainly not enough to buy me a new SUV. I’ve started teaching my friends how to coupon through my facebook group, and its been hard to get them to not get discouraged when they’re not walking out of the store with a $1000 worth of stuff after paying 67 cents. The show is bad that way.
AMEN !!! You are totally right.
AMEN!!!!
I love the integrity of hotcouponworld.com.
Queenofthehive, I gotcha totally, and hope you don’t feel I was specifically referring to HCW in my comment. I wasn’t. I was referring to the blogs I’ve seen that feel the need to tag Extreme Couponing or use that term in every darn post, whether or not they fit. I hope you can see the difference between trying to respond to the new traffic and trying to use the term in an obnoxious, over the top way to bolster SEO. ;)
To speak up on this topic, the topic of fraud? Is very wise IMHO, particularly for a site like yours that is undoubtedly one of the biggest coupon sites on the web today. This sort of stuff needs to be shut down and discussed so others don’t make the same errors. I too will be sharing the story with my readers as I share your frustration.
Thanks so much again for writing this post and referencing my site. Keep on rocking it…the RIGHT way!!!
Great article, and I wholeheartedly agree! Like you mentioned above, I’ve accidentally grabbed the wrong item or size at the store. I just think to knowingly do it -and encourage others to do it too – is wrong! The more people do this kind of stuff, they will make it harder for those of us who are trying to make ends meet. It really gives couponing a bad name. It’s already uncomfortable enough to deal with the glares of cashiers and other shoppers to hand over my limit of 20 coupons during each weeks grocery shopping trip!
I managed to finally catch a few episodes of Extreme couponing on TV and ended up furious at some of the ridiculous ideas. NO ONE needs that much mustard (esp. if your family doesn’t eat it!!!), and I also think stockpiling diapers for *when you have a baby someday* is ridiculous! I don’t think I know of any stores around here who offer double or triple coupons, overages, and the use of unlimited coupons, but I’m not complaining. It’s the stores attempt to keep the shelves at least somewhat stocked, and control folks such as these with their 5 cartfuls, and the accompanying hundreds of coupons.
The TV reality show “Extreme Couponing” is not reality at all. I have been couponing for 30 years and am considered by some an expert but have never had a shopping trip like that shown on TV.
Thanks, Heidi, for expressing true couponing and values on this post.
I was sent to this site by a friend. I have been using coupons for the past 11 years to save money. I am thankful that there are other people in the little family of couponers that don’t have this “amazing” success. I don’t by any means claim to be and expert, on more than one occasion I’ve been tired and forgotten something on my list and still handed the coupon to the cashier…talk about feeling like a jack (___) when busted. I didn’t see the show where the girl used the coupon for the wrong lunch meat size, but doing that in good concious? I just can’t see it.
Thanks so much for that! I think I have watched that show each time it aired, each time with a more eagle eye. I knew something wasn’t right. I just knew it. And now I know for sure. I hope all the stores in her area ban her from shopping there. They certainly should!
What the store managers also do not know is that; yes the coupon does get scanned, but they won’t be reimbursed for that coupon because it was not used on the item it was intended for. In order for the coupon to be honored by the manufacture, it must be used correctly. It even states that on the coupon itself. When they get their profit and loss statements, they will realize that they just lost a lot of money by allowing it to happen. They need to educate themselves on coupons and their staff on how to read them and how to use them. They shouldn’t allow a customer to abuse the system like that.
Let me quote a few coupon, “fine prints”: Dealer: We will reimburse the face value of the coupon plus our specified handling fee provided you accept it from your customer on purchase of brand specified. Other applications constitute fraud. We in our sole discretion may refuse reimbursement where we suspect fraudulent redemption has occurred.
Coupons also limit how many you can use in a shopping trip. This one is limit one per purchase. Limit 4 in a shopping trip. Some cannot be combined with other coupons. Or they specifically state, “Offer cannot be doubled.”
Thank you for this post. I totally agree
She annoys me beyond anything. Her and her followers are one of the reasons for tighter coupon restrictions.
Just b/c it goes through doesn’t mean it is right. Heck I can take 3.99 out of my register a day at work, and not get wrote up for it b/c they have a 4.00 and under rule that you will not get in trouble for…but that doesn’t mean I should, or would just b/c I can
Knowingly using a coupon on a product other than the one that it was intended for, then saying it must be ok because the register accepted it, is sort of like writing a bad check and saying it must be ok because the cashier accepted it /sigh
AMEN!!
This was a great article. I watched the EC show with my mom and was totally disgusted! Who in the world needs that much stuff? Thank you for your site. I have learned a lot since I have been coming here.