Dear HT, please stop dissecting my coupons. Love, me.

[$Saving!]

Right. I meant if your wife insisted that you load up on magnum bars and you had 6 internet printables, you'd have to go to 3 different stores and use 2 printables at each one according to the policy thats ok to do. This is all hypothetical of course, any resemblance to my actual shopping needs is purely coincidental!

Why, yes, yes, that would work Hey, I've done that! When I needed to stock up on an item and had more printables, off to another store I would go, following policy all the way

[clippyclippy]

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My theory, personally, is that a lot of marketing departments don't know what the <bleep> they're doing.

Bingo.... I think. Because I certainly can't come up with any other reason!

[$Saving!]

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Interesting, thank you for sharing this. It still doesn't answer the question, though, about why they would code it as a DND-5. Why say one thing with the wording, and something else in the barcode?

My theory, personally, is that a lot of marketing departments don't know what the <bleep> they're doing.

The manufacturers of coupons are starting to change over to the GS-1 bar codes you'll notice - double line of bar codes and don't look anything like the existing one.

Those bar codes will allow the manufacturer to have more information so that when the register scans the coupon, it will automatically match up with a scanned product (or not, and then tell the cashier no such product was purchased - specific sizes/quantities etc).

So the system is being adapted to control coupon fraud use through the new bar code and that bar code will also have the do not double or whatever else they want to code into it. And it will save the cashiers from having to read each coupon, the coding will do all the checking.

It will take a while for all coupons to be coded that way and for all register systems to be set up to use the new coding but when it happens, we'll see a HUGE change in how people use coupons now.

[cpnmaniac44]

Maybe I'm misreading your intention when you say "So if you go to 3 stores you can use more than two internet coupons".

You can use two internet printables that are alike, but you can do that multiple times at one store in one transaction. Just wanted to make sure you knew it's not a 'total' of 2 internet printables per transaction, just per "like" for same products

Not all internet coupons will scan.

The Palermo are famous for that.

My store manager told me that if an internet coupon will not scan, they could not accept it. (though it was a 100% valid internet coupon).

So, you better have a backup plan, like another set of internet coupons in case some of yours do not scan.

But, it may be a store to store rule.

My Palermo coupons were very genuine, but would not scan, and were refused.

[unhinged]

Not all internet coupons will scan.

The Palermo are famous for that.

My store manager told me that if an internet coupon will not scan, they could not accept it. (though it was a 100% valid internet coupon).

So, you better have a backup plan, like another set of internet coupons in case some of yours do not scan.

But, it may be a store to store rule.

My Palermo coupons were very genuine, but would not scan, and were refused.

Same here. And Michael Angelo's keeps sending out IPs that won't scan.

[kgracem]

Every HT in this area that I've been to has taken out my DND coupons. I went to the Hope Valley store and the lady pulled out a coupon that I had accidentally clipped off the DND and exp date because she knew it said that. The small HT on 54 went through all my coupons before she even started scanning them. And the university drive one checked them all as she was scanning them. I'd be willing to drive to another one if they didn't check them.

As to the theory about cheapening the product, while I do understand that idea, I also think that if I had a coupon that said DND for one product and one coupon that didn't for a different brand, similar product, I would use the one that did not say DND because it gave me a better deal. If I liked that product, then I'd be willing to pay a little more later on (say it wasn't on sale but I still had a coupon) even if I had a coupon for something similar that was cheaper because I knew I liked this product.

FOR EXAMPLE - I got my fiance these crackers with a coupon that he hated! I got some Lance crackerful with a coupon and he loved them. I'd much rather pay a little more and get something he likes than get something for free. I tend to not use a coupon that says DND. So, I think you could also make the argument that having a coupon that says DND might deter some people whose stores do double (but don't double if it says DND) from trying a product (which is usually the goal of offering a coupon anyways) if it says DND.

Anyways, it's just a thought. I think you could make arguments either way but I guess my issue is that if the manufacture doesn't reimburse the doubled value, then why does it matter. I'm not in advertising so I'm sure there is something I don't completely understand but still, some don't put it on there and some do. I'm more likely to use a coupon and try a product if it doesn't say DND because I live in an area where those coupons are more valuable to me.