"No Expiration Date" vs "Valid Expiration Date"

[kadoatie]

Okay, I have a question about No Expiration Date (NED) coupons. At a garage sale recently, I bought a huge bag FULL of older, no expiration date coupons. Some of them look to be from inserts, some from other packaging. I'm talking from the '80s - '90s mostly. Some of them don't even have bar codes although most do. My question is, most coupon policies say something along the lines of "Must have a valid expiration date" and my question is... do stores consider NED to be a 'valid' expiration date? Is it possible to use these coupons still, or am I likely to run into problems? I'm sure it's a YMMV situation and depends on the store/cashier, but I'm curious what the general consensus is here... thank you :)

[isis]

If the coupon says No Expiration Date, then I take that to mean its a Valid expiration b/c its good for infinity!! (and beyond?!)

I have some NED q's with no bar code. My experience is older cashiers will push them through no questions, but new cashiers who are used to scanning, look at the coupon and say they can't take it b/c there's no bar code. I just politely tell them that's how coupons used to be back in the day before scanners, and if she needs to call a manger over, I'll wait. Then they do a manual grocery entry.

[tylerkarenmay]

I had some old ones from before when i use to use coupons. and my stores rejected them.

[434Teresa]

yep no store around here will take them if you cant scan them..They will take no expire date but not any coupons with out bar codes on them

[CW&M Mom]

They all are gonna get used to manually putting in coupons.....if there registers aren't reprogrammed soon!

I don't think mine..even walmart...would take a coupon without a barcode.

In fact...I swear it says in there policy..it has to have a barcode...lemme go check...

[CW&M Mom]

Yup...walmart must have a barcode:

Manufacturers' coupons

• For dollar/cents off
• For free items (except those printed off the Internet)
• Buy one, get one free (BOGO) coupons
• Must have "Manufacturer Coupon" printed on them
• Must have a valid remit address for the manufacturer
• Must have a valid expiration date
• Must have a scannable bar code
• May not be duplicated

[jennsvs]

I have had some of the ones that say no expiration, but no store would take them. They were older coupons that had a barcode too. I contacted one company to ask about them and they said that they would not reimburse the store for them either since they were so old.

[susysnshn]

I have a bunch of Naturally Fresh salad dressing coupons with a bar code and no expiration date. Both Publix and Walmart deal with them just fine. I've never tried one without a bar code, though.