Why "Do Not Double"???

[Joyfulmom4]

This question has been bugging me for ages. I can understand why some stores might want to limit the number of coupons you double when shopping there, since they will be footing the additional cost of doubling the coupon. But why do the manufacturers care if the coupon gets doubled?

How come they print "do not double" or "not subject to doubling or tripling" on their coupons. I should think it wouldn't matter to the manufacturer. They're only required to reimburse for the face value, right? So why would they not want the store to double the value of their coupon and thus sell more product?

I just don't get it. Can someone explain? Am I wrong in my assumptions or missing some key element?

Just curious. Note: this is NOT to be construed as an argument about misusing coupons. If they say "do not double" I don't try to double them. I'm not looking for a way to double them illegally. I just wondered why they make that rule for some coupons, since it didn't make sense to me.

[Lurkergirl]

I don't know either ,I hate that they say that ,makes me nervous to even use them .
I also hate when you go to print a coupon you don't know that its going to print like that either ,I wish I knew a head of time .
I wish they would stop why should they care ,Like you said its not them that gets hit .

[frugalfreak]

I've been wondering this too-surely one of the coupon gurus around here has an explanation...

[TheWoman]

This question has been asked many, many times and I haven't yet seen a really good answer.

[GreatFun]

I think I know the answer -- or at least this is my hypothesis.

Most of the coupons that say "Do Not Double" are coupons that are given out in the store (i.e. blinkies, a booklet handed out by a rep giving out samples of the product, etc.).

When coupons are given out right at the point of purchase, many people will use them -- including those who don't normally bother with coupons. i.e. the average Joe walks into a store to buy a certain item and right in front of the item is a blinkie coupon so he grabs it and goes to the register and uses the coupon. Similarly the average Jane walks into a store where a demo person is offering free samples of product X. Jane tastes product X and likes it and decides to make an impulse purchase of product X and the demo person hands her a coupon and she goes to the register and uses the coupon. Neither of these people may even be aware that the store doubles coupons -- nor do they care -- they just grabbed the coupon and used it because it was right there with the product and it was an easy way to save 50 cents or whatever. The store didn't need to offer the enticement of double coupons to get this average Joe and Jane to shop here so the doubled amount is not only a loss but an unnecessary loss because Joe and Jane were going to make those impulse purchases anyway with the extremely covenient coupon.

Now just imagine these scenarios being repeated over-and-over. If all of those coupons doubled, the store would take a big loss and so what would the store do? They would remove the blinky machines and they wouldn't allow demo people to hand out coupons. The manufacturer's of course want to continue to entice people at the point-of-sale (i.e. right in the store) to purchase their products and they do that with coupons. If they can't do that with coupons because the store has banned blinky machines and coupon hand outs, then the manufacturer will lose sales. Therefore, as a compromise, the manufacturer puts "do not double" on the coupons and now the store is happy because they won't take a hit for all of those impulse purchases with coupons and the manufacturer is happy because they still get to entice shoppers with coupons right in the store.

I'm not exactly sure why the manufacturer's put "do not double" on coupons in the Sunday inserts. Maybe because they don't want to piss off stores -- or maybe because they get a discount on the slot fees that stores charge manufacturer's to get their product placed in the store. Maybe a store that doubles coupons will agree to a lower slot fee if the manufacturer agrees to put "do not double" on coupons offered in the area.

Just my hypothesis....

[amys]

I often wonder if it is because sometimes the mfg makes a deal with the store for certain sales and double/triple week and either 1 - puts dnd to help the store on those sales or 2 - since the sale is during double/triple week they agree to offset some of the cost of the doubling.

[Lurkergirl]

But I am getting these do not double on internet printed coupons like crazy lately .

[Joyfulmom4]

Thanks for the replies. I think the idea about doubling coupons given out in the store makes sense. I do have quite a few that are that way which were from stores. Otoh, as was also pointed out, some IPs say that too. It tends to be certain brands also. Like Cheerios. General Mills seems mighty stingy w/ their coupons in general and they often say "do not double".

[girlsgalore]

I don't get it either. I also don't get that the majority of the time I use a coupon that says "Do Not Double" the store doubles it anyway, but in the same transaction, my coupon without that on it won't double.

[cdiluvio]

Here is the best answer I have seen. Hope this helps.
Coupons 101: Do not double | newsobserver.com projects