Giant Eagle ~ Question: Rain check redemption policy on a B1G1F sale item

[TerryTerrific]

Dateline: Parmatown Giant Eagle, Parma, OH, Wednesday, 07/07/2010 ...

B1G1F = Buy 1 Get 1 Free

Air Wick scented oil compact i-motion starter kit

$7.99 = shelf price
$3.99 = sale price when B1G1F

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At the checkout, I first gave the cashier my rain check for quantity 10.

She had major trouble ringing the up (doing an override).

Usually, on a B1G1F, they ring up one half of the quantity at the shelf price and one half at $0.00, like so:

$7.99
$7.99
$7.99
$7.99
$7.99
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00

- or –

They ring all of them up at the half price, like so:

$3.99
$3.99
$3.99
$3.99
$3.99
$3.99
$3.99
$3.99
$3.99
$3.99

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This time the cashier rung each of the ten at half price ($3.99) and then proceeded to tell me that they can only accept five of the ten $4.00 off manufacturer’s cents off coupons that I planned to use in this transaction.

The head cashier on duty was called over and said:

“That is the way we have been instructed to handle a B1G1F rain check item, since you are getting half of them for free.”

Q) Say what?

I politely pointed out that when this item was on sale, each of them rung up at half of their shelf price ($3.99).

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Long story short, I paid for five, redeemed five $4.00 coupons and kept the remaining five $4.00 coupons with my receipt, to fight (resolve) this battle another day.

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Q) Comments from the Peanut Gallery?

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Terence in Brook Park, oHIo

[mo2g2gs]

Sounds about right, that's the Parmatown (we have new rules daily) Giant Eagle!

Not right, and if you contact corporate, they will tell you we have no control over what that store does.

Return 5 and make sure you get at least $3.99+tax for each 1 you return!

[mo2g2gs]

As of 5:24pm est on 7/9/2010 the crp has not changed :

Giant Eagle® is happy to redeem coupons. The following guidelines apply:
Manufacturers' Coupons
Redeem any manufacturer's coupon clipped from newspapers, magazines or received by mail as long as:

• • Coupon is not expired
  • 1 coupon per item(s) purchased as stated on the coupon
  • Coupon value cannot exceed the price of the item(s) purchased
  • Original coupons only; no photo copies
  • Product must be purchased in sizes specified on the coupon
• eOffer coupons
  • • Must be obtained from our legitimate web site, mobile site or approved third-party web sites (approved third-party sites are listed on gianteagle.com/eoffers).
    • eOffers must be clipped and loaded onto your Giant Eagle Advantage Card® at time of redemption.
    • Are not subject to doubling.
  • Printed Internet coupons
    • Coupon must be obtained from a legitimate site — counterfeit coupons will not be accepted - photo copies will not be accepted.
    • We reserve the right to refuse any coupons that we believe to be fraudulent.
    • Each coupon must have a valid expiration date on it.
    • Any coupon with a value over $3 will not be accepted.
    • No "FREE" coupons will be accepted.
  • Check Out Coupons
    • Will be treated like manufacturers' coupons - we will accept only coupons that say ‘redeemable at Giant Eagle
  • Giant Eagle® coupons
    • Are not subject to doubling.
    • Must have a Giant Eagle®, GetGo® or Market District® logo on the coupon.

Double Coupons
From time to time we may choose to offer double value on manufacturers' coupons. The guidelines are:

• Manufacturers' coupons are doubled only with your Giant Eagle Advantage Card®.
• Redeem any manufacturer's coupon with a valid expiration date, worth up to and including the stated amount of 99¢, clipped from newspapers, magazines or received by mail and we'll double the savings. Coupons worth more than the stated amount will be redeemed at face value only.
• Items must be purchased at the time of redemption.
• Limit one manufacturer's coupon per item(s) purchased as stated on the coupon.
• Cigarettes, tobacco and milk or any other items prohibited by law are excluded from this offer.
• Not valid on free coupons or Giant Eagle® coupons.
• The value of the doubled coupon cannot exceed the price of the item(s).
• You must purchase product in sizes specified on the coupon.
• This offer applies only to manufacturer products "cents-off" coupons for items and sizes we carry.
• eOffer coupons are not subject to doubling.

[jen276here]

Terry,
Go to CS and explain what happened. Tell them when GE advertises the BOGO they actually ring up 1/2 price each so why should it be different for a RC? I would stand pretty firm that not only would I want it corrected, but I would want the balance of the RC items (I believe you said you put a few back).

I had a similar situation w/ a long time cashier and although he knew what I was saying he didn't quite get it, kwim? I asked him to check w/ a higher up who agreed that if it rings that way during a sale it should be rang that way for a RC.

The reason it won't go through when they ring it @ $7.99/$0 has nothing to do w/ one coupon per item purchased, it is because the register recognizes it as being an overage. They still the items, but they price adjust so the computer sees: $7.99 - $4 = $3.99= Fine. $0.00 - $4.00 =Overage= Not fine. Which is why it is so important they ring them as they would if it were during the sale @ 1/2 price.

Good Luck!

[mo2g2gs]

Originally Posted by jen276here Terry, Go to CS and explain what happened. Tell them when GE advertises the BOGO they actually ring up 1/2 price each so why should it be different for a RC? I would stand pretty firm that not only would I want it corrected, but I would want the balance of the RC items (I believe you said you put a few back). I had a similar situation w/ a long time cashier and although he knew what I was saying he didn't quite get it, kwim? I asked him to check w/ a higher up who agreed that if it rings that way during a sale it should be rang that way for a RC. The reason it won't go through when they ring it @ $7.99/$0 has nothing to do w/ one coupon per item purchased, it is because the register recognizes it as being an overage. They still the items, but they price adjust so the computer sees: $7.99 - $4 = $3.99= Fine. $0.00 - $4.00 =Overage= Not fine. Which is why it is so important they ring them as they would if it were during the sale @ 1/2 price. Good Luck!

Terence, stated the cashier charged $3.99each, and also had to pay $3.99 oop for 5, the coupons would NOT beep even if the cashier charged $7.99 & $0.00, until the last coupon was used. The total for the 10 should have been $39.90, and 9 coupons would go through at the -$4/1, the last 1 may beep and need to be adjusted! The only time I have seen the register automatically adjust a coupon price on an item is when the coupon doubles, ie .55/1 for an item that is $1.00, would show up -.55 & -.45, not in this case because the coupon would not double!

I DO KNOW that the GE registers know how many of a specific item you buy and how many coupons it will accept! A few times I have miscounted my coupons(they tend to stick together when you get alot of them) to items that rang up, If I buy 20 of a particular item and I accidentally give 21 coupons, the register will know!

Regardless, the cashier refused to accept 10 coupons for 10 items purchased, and didn't even try to scan them!
I would have asked the cashier to scan them, and if by some unforseen reason they beep, I would NOT buy them!

[cathy67redhead]

Terry, at Parmatown i shop early in the am and i LOVE all the morning cashiers but 1. (she's anti coupon friendly, to say the least). cs is awesome early in the day. they have 2 fabulous ladies there and as long as everything is legit, they will accommodate you. i always have issues with cats not printing, and needing rainchecks and never have had a problem.

[TerryTerrific]

Well, I made my way back to the Parmatown Giant Eagle to get my $20.00 credit card credit (five x $4.00 manufacturer’s cents off coupons).

I had my receipt, my credit card and two of the Air Wick scented oil compact i-motion starter kit (one of each flavor).

I told the Customer Service person that I purchased ten, and that the cashier would only take off five of the $4.00 coupons.

She took a look at the receipt and says to me that she counts not five $4.00- but seven, stating that the cashier must have given you seven and not five.

This Customer Service person was all set to give me only three and not five of the $4.00-.

I politely pointed out that when I shop, I have a coupon for every item.

That the first eight items scanned at the checkout were those Purina dog chews, 2 / $2.00 ($1.00 each) and that I used two 4 / $4.00 coupons that are difficult to scan (must be done with the manager's help / key.

On the receipt, it looks like this:

$4.00-
$4.00-
$4.00-
$4.00-
$4.00-
$4.00- MO
$4.00- MO

I referred to the last two as a ‘Manual Override” and it turns it is means “Manager Override,” with a key.

So, this Customer Service person has it fixated in her mind that seven, not five of the $4.00 manufacturer’s cents off coupons were redeemed.

That is when I politely asked for a store manager.

Gina showed up and listened to my explanation.

That receipt had a metric ton of VOIDS on it (my cashier could not get it right).

Both employees could not believe that the other employees treated a B1G1F rain check as ‘five full price and five zero price, allowing only five and not ten coupons.’

Long story short I did receive my $20.00 credit to my credit card.

I told the first employee (I was too busy trying to convince her about the coupons, that I did not read her nametag) to talk to the original head cashier (Tina) and ask her for her understanding on how a B1G1F rain check should be redeemed.

I told her that there is a very good chance that she has misunderstood how to redeem one.

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Afterwards, I purchased the two required eight packs of Brawny towels (using to two 50¢ coupons, doubled) and I did not receive my promised 20¢ off in FuelPerks.

Fortunately, I had more than one order so I was able to show a before and after receipt proving that I did not receive the 20¢ in FuelPerks.

A call to HQ, straightened that mess out.

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Terence in Brook Park, oHIo