What just happened? (Strange trip to Lowes Foods) Be Warned!

[$avin'some$]

OhhhhhhhKay- so I roll up to check out and before I can even get to the register a cashier comes up to me and asks "Are you using P&G?" to which I replied, "Using what?" (I had no clue she was asking about the coupons in my hand.)

Instead of clarifying herself, she says, "Here" and just takes my coupons out of my hands and flips through every one and then turns to another employee and says, "No, they are just regular ones."

So, I'm surely looking very confused and she just says, "we changed our coupon policy" and then walks off (she wasn't the one ringing me up.) I then asked my cashier, "What did you change and was it just in the last day or two?"

She said, "I'm not sure exactly, you can ask her, but yeah- we have limits of four coupons now and they have to be for the exact product like you know how some could be used for several things?"

I'm like, "What?" and she just says, "I don't know, you can ask at the desk they have a copy of it."

Well, I didn't ask because I had two kids with me that were READY to go, but I have two hypotheses. One is that there is a couponer (or more) who frequents that store and is not being ethical causing them to be suspicious, or the whole company really has changed something in their policy recently. I'd be more likely to say it is the later. Someone else posted today that their store was filming an Extreme Couponing show today so perhaps they've decided they need to prepare for the CRAZY COUPON PEOPLE busting down their doors after it airs by ASSUMING that everyone who has a stack in their hand is ripping them off.

The girl that met me half-way to the register acted as if she was just biting at the nip to be able to tell me something in my hand was not acceptable. Hopefully, they will chill out in time because they really made me feel weird about using coupons there.

[clippyclippy]

LF has always had a limit of 4 coupons per like item, and of course, the coupons have to be used for the product specified...

Sounds like your first guess - they are just cracking down on abuse. Maybe the new "policy" is an employee policy - that they have to be diligent about those things

[$Saving!]

The girl that met me half-way to the register acted as if she was just biting at the nip to be able to tell me something in my hand was not acceptable. Hopefully, they will chill out in time because they really made me feel weird about using coupons there.

My guess is she is a shift manager and got 'told' about fraudulent coupon use.

P&G has many coupons now that specifically say only X number of their same coupons can be used (even matching equal amount of product purchased) in one transaction.

So apparently they're trying to step up. And I agree, they probably have some that push the policy beyond what it states and someone got in trouble.

~sigh~ It's a shame they don't just print out copies of their coupon policy and hand them out for a month to anyone who presents even a single coupon - in other words, BEFORE people get carried away. Pre-emptive strike!

[phthomas1]

I have no first hand knowledge but have a friend who works in a grocery store who said she has seen some very unethical things.

[NCmomof3]

Yep, I believe the taping of the Extreme couponing show is the culprit here.

Per the HCW ethics guidelines, I believe the only thing I can say about the "extreme couponers" trip is it yields $1,000.+ of groceries for about $30. It will be a very typical show.

And NOW they are cracking down and enforcing their policy??? The same policy they had Saturday when the show was taped?

[$avin'some$]

I will check to be sure that the policy hasn't changed in any way. I will also post the new LF ad for this coming week tommorrow. I have been working 10-12 hour days and I have to be up early in the morning again.

That would be great. Thanks!

ETA: Oh, and I forgot she also said something about changing the competitor coupon policy!

[MysticWench]

Reading this, and all that goes through my mind is "she took the coupons out of your hand?" I think I'd have an issue with that part of it most of all.

[jake1951]

OhhhhhhhKay- so I roll up to check out and before I can even get to the register a cashier comes up to me and asks "Are you using P&G?" to which I replied, "Using what?" (I had no clue she was asking about the coupons in my hand.)

Instead of clarifying herself, she says, "Here" and just takes my coupons out of my hands and flips through every one and then turns to another employee and says, "No, they are just regular ones."

So, I'm surely looking very confused and she just says, "we changed our coupon policy" and then walks off (she wasn't the one ringing me up.) I then asked my cashier, "What did you change and was it just in the last day or two?"

She said, "I'm not sure exactly, you can ask her, but yeah- we have limits of four coupons now and they have to be for the exact product like you know how some could be used for several things?"

I'm like, "What?" and she just says, "I don't know, you can ask at the desk they have a copy of it."

Well, I didn't ask because I had two kids with me that were READY to go, but I have two hypotheses. One is that there is a couponer (or more) who frequents that store and is not being ethical causing them to be suspicious, or the whole company really has changed something in their policy recently. I'd be more likely to say it is the later. Someone else posted today that their store was filming an Extreme Couponing show today so perhaps they've decided they need to prepare for the CRAZY COUPON PEOPLE busting down their doors after it airs by ASSUMING that everyone who has a stack in their hand is ripping them off.

The girl that met me half-way to the register acted as if she was just biting at the nip to be able to tell me something in my hand was not acceptable. Hopefully, they will chill out in time because they really made me feel weird about using coupons there.

A couple of weeks ago I had a cashier who asked for my coupons before she rang the items up and matched them to the items. Huh? That's what the register is for. Thankfully I only had a small order but no biggie but what is going on?

[clippyclippy]

A couple of weeks ago I had a cashier who asked for my coupons before she rang the items up and matched them to the items. Huh? That's what the register is for. Thankfully I only had a small order but no biggie but what is going on?

Except that a register is limited in it's ability to match a coupons to a product. If someone doesn't actually look at the coupon it is possible to use coupons for items not specified on the coupon.
I really don't have an issue with any cashier looking over my coupons - (yes, they need to ask, and not just take them out of my hand!), but if cashiers being more observant keep people from abusing the system, then they need to go right ahead.
Just my 2 cents!

[$avin'some$]

Oh absolutely, it was the taking them out of my hand with no explanation BEFORE I had even gotten to the register that really rubbed me the wrong way. It was very invasive.