Need advise on printing too much?

[KmmCo]

... I'm at a total loss about the extra scrutiny thing.

It's become such an issue that I'm seriously considering forgoing IP/PAH Qs at all. It's getting to the point that my anti-anxiety med expense is about to cancel out any potential savings from the IP Qs. I feel so bad for the people behind me in line, for the accusatory tone/looks from store staff and all of it that I literally shake uncontrollably and very nearly fainted at my local King Soopers after an especially traumatic experience. The very thought of attempting to use a Q at Wal-Mart gives me hives!

I don't understand why the stores take coupons at all if they insist on treating couponers like criminals just for trying to save a buck or two. I bring printed coupon policies with me and the employees act like I just created the policy (printed from their websites, so the company logo is even there!) in Photoshop!

Thankfully HCW is here and everyone is so supportive! I would have given up already if not for the encouraging positivity I've been reading on all the threads here!

Thank you all for your positive support and patience with all us noobs! Y'all are THE BEST!!!

I have had a few really bad cashiers too here in the Denver area... I think everyone here has probably had a bad time somewhere though.

My printer coupons seem to scan pretty well though. King Soopers will not take "free" IP's even when they are "when you buy something" so I do take those elsewhere. I always look for the male cashiers unless there is a female that I know well and know that they won't be hostile. I can't figure it out if the females are jealous, have PMS, or what - but I have had to walk out of both walgreens and walmart and come back later to check out with another cashier. Kinda funny how I can buy the same thing later in the day with a male and not have any hassle! I just try to keep my sense of humor about the whole deal.

I also made it a point to get know the store manager at my local King Soopers and have had a couple of nice conversations with her. Sometimes that helps a lot to have the "boss" on your side.

(I am always a nice and polite person and really don't understand why some people just start out hostile - I work with the public - seeing as many as 50,000 people a day and have had people just walk up and start cursing or even taking a swing at me for no reason at all ??? - needless to say the later gets them a free trip to jail - but I really don't know what goes through peoples minds sometimes!!! In my opinion, there is not much excuse for anyone to not act professionally at their job - and I think that making minimum wage is not a good excuse for a cashier to be so unprofessional! And believe me, the cashiers at King Soopers are making good union wages so they really don't have any excuses!!!)

As far as printer ink, we burn through a lot because my son does online school and needs to print his schoolwork alot. During school I use at least 2-3 a month. I buy some on ebay because it is generally less expensive there even with shipping. I try to get him to use grayscale and save the colored ink for stuff we really need, but a lot of times he forgets. On the paper, I try to get that cheap too - using things like register rewards or giftcards to buy it. We go through maybe 6 - 8 of the 500 counts a year. I reuse a lot of the back sides of my sons schoolwork for printing coupons and for scratch paper. Even though we have curbside recycling, I hate to waste so much paper


Keep in mind for the future - the rumor out there is that Kroger is ending double coupons soon nationwide - and when Kroger/King Soopers quits - I am willing to bet that Safeway will stop them too. I am stocked up pretty good now - but I am also keeping my eye on collecting more $1 coupons and relying less on the .50 ones.

[CouponAmy]

Thanks for the valuable feedback. It REALLY helps to know that I'm not alone in my current couponing challenges!

...I try to get him to use grayscale and save the colored ink for stuff we really need, but a lot of times he forgets....

@ KmmCo: Most printers have a way to set a 'default' for printing in grayscale. It's usually buried under 'Advanced Options' or such. Usually you select the print quality (draft, normal, photo, etc.) and then there's that 'print in grayscale/BW' check box. Once you check that, there's usually a 'Set as default' button somewhere on that screen or another tab that will save the current configuration as default. Maybe that will help when your son becomes an amnesiac about it? Just a thought. HTH

Thanks again everyone for all your positive support!

Namaste ~

Amy

[$Saving!]

@$Saving!

Thanks for the suggestions. I always go out of my way to try to bring a bit of cheer and caring for the store staff (despite my anxiety over the whole thing) as I worked in grocery in high school and DH worked for Cub Foods for the first 13 years of his working life. I know how under-appreciated and frequently abused grocery workers are.

I do my level best to be super sweet and understanding and try to make their time spent with me as painless as possible. I think that's why I feel so bad when my coupon use causes extra scrutiny / work for them...I just *know* that they're going to hear all about the extra delay from the grumpies behind me in line complaints about it when their turn comes.

Just remember, you can't change the behavior of another (customer in line behind you) And it's likely that the extra minute it takes your cashier to scan your coupons isn't really the problem with any attitude that next customer may have anyway - they are probably grumpy naturally

"My" cashiers know me so well, including other store staff and managers, that when I walk into one store in particular, they call out "Norm!" (a reference to the frequency of Norm character going into the bar on the old TV sitcom Cheers ). Other stores they call out my real name and say hello as I come through the door.

Not that I'm there daily but they've come to know me and I try to be as pleasant as I can be.

Then again too, like you, I periodically bring them something, like bake a batch of cookies or brownies and bring them in when I'm shopping or just drop them off when I'm not shopping. I truly appreciate their hard work and patience and want them to know that. And like I joked once when I brought it brownies - I had just bought the mix for 50 cents during their sale and told them "what goes around, comes around" and all I had to do was add some eggs, oil and water

I've even introduced others I have taught to coupon, to my favorite cashiers and told them (new couponers) that these cashiers know policy and are very helpful etc.

I'm strongly considering bringing along snack size candies when I shop so I can give them a tiny bit of cheer for their day. I figure even if they don't like the 'grab bag' candy flavor I give them, maybe they'll put it in their pocket and give it to a friend when they're ranting on their break about the frustrations of their day but they'll have a nice story about the customer who gave me a candy to cheer me up.

I know I loved it when IT clients I helped would give me a candy or even a flower picked from their after lunch walk as a thank you for fixing their computer problem. I never expected it from anyone, didn't give special treatment/access in return for it...it was just nice to have any gesture of recognition for the work I did. (Goddess knows most bosses only seem to know how to give negative feedback!) It just always brightened my day to know that someone cared.

You can NEVER go wrong treating people the way you would like to be treated, and the old saying of kill them with kindness really does wear down a bad attitude

Much thanks again to all the wonderfully supportive folks on HCW! And thanks too for your patience while I learn the ropes of HCW!

I love you guys!!! May the coupon fairy bring you all hugs, kisses, moonbeams AND high value coupons in abundance!

Namaste ~

We're all for one and one for all on here!

Amy[/QUOTE]

[Luv Savings]

Thank You for asking the same question I have been thinking ....
Also thank you everyone on the helpful tips ...

I have the same problem with my computer ink I'm going through a lot and can not refill them and very costly for new. (Printing them all in color)

Reading through this thread I just remember I still have my old printer with lots of black ink... I will get that back out ..
(it was going to go in a garage sale)

you all just saved me more