kinda sorta feeling humiliated about using coupons

[KmmCo]

I kinda tend to get a little sarcastic and give them the "when was the last time you took your kids to Disneyworld?" speech. (We have gone 3 times and done a Disney cruise once.)

Even though I can afford to just walk in and buy groceries at full price, I coupon so that I can take nice vacations that I otherwise could not afford and don't feel at all bad about it - especially when sitting on a beach somewhere with a cold drink in my hand .....

Everyone make choices with their money and their lives and they need to be happy with those choices. Where I work, at most of us make close to the same money and I don't cut people down if they choose a fancy car or choose to go out partying a lot. I may do something different, but I respect their choice and expect them to do the same with me. Some do ask "how can you afford__ when I can't" and I just tell them I drive a 15 year old vehicle instead of making car payments and I coupon shop.


I don't get too may bad comments when shopping though - and at Walmart the other day I got a really nice young lady who said "Wow, you did really good". I bet she does some couponing now too!!!

[wolfangel]

THis is why they have a Customer Service Manager at the store. I know because I used to be one back in the day. Cashiers are not paid to give you their opinion on your coupon usage, they are paid to follow the policy, ring up your items and provide you with polite and friendly customer service. When they don't it is not YOUR fault, but theirs. They are not doing their job properly, and therefore you need to take it to their supervisor. If it seems to be the attitude of the store, call corporate after speaking with the location manager if you get nowhere. The stores benefit from coupon usage, and if the employees don't like the fact that they have to ring up your coupons, they are free to find another job. Because the one they have REQUIRES them to not only ring them up, but to do it with a smile and a pleasant attitude.

Think on that the next time any of you is faced with this situation and remember, it's not you....... (probably the only time this is a good thing to be told, LOL).

ETA: There is no reason for anyone to have to justify their coupon usage. We are being good stewards of what we work hard for. Why should we have to explain this? Seriously.....you all stop with the justification stuff!! You are intelligent, you are valuing your family, and you are showing wisdom when others simply throw the opportunity to do this out the window. Why would you need to justify that? You need to stop for a second and recognize what kind of smarty pants you are and give yourselves a hand!

[skimo]

My big ole mouth would probably say "when you save money the way I do with coupons you would understand. But you don't, so I suggest you adjust your attitude before I talk to your manager." I don't handle people like that well. I tend to go overboard.

LOL........... I hear ya! The older I get, the less often the 'filter' kicks in before the mouth engages.....heheh....

My response would probably be, "Uh....are you paying for these groceries, or I am?" "Oh, it's me? Well let's ring up these coupons then, okay?" <big smile>

[Queenkim98]

I had problems at Safeway again yesterday. I didn't feel humiliated, I was furious because I felt like I was treated like a criminal. I know you ladies out west love your Safeway's......and I if I moved out there, maybe I would too.....but the one in
Westmisnter MD is just plain horrible. Rather than retype the whole thing,. i am cutting and pasting the skype conversation I had with my sister. I am "themozdzenladies"

[10:04:48 AM] themozdzenladies: i had problems at safeway yesterday
[10:05:03 AM] themozdzenladies: i gave them my card and told them keep it.......I will not be returning
[10:05:16 AM] Stacey : really? What on earth happened this time!
[10:06:05 AM] themozdzenladies: I had my purchases and there was the self checkout, the express lane and one regular open open
[10:06:18 AM] themozdzenladies: i got in the regular because of the problems I had last time.
[10:07:39 AM] themozdzenladies: Safeay has this stupid rule that in order to use a safeway coupon, you need to spend $15 on groceres that do not have a safeway coupon attached to it. They had a coupon where if you spend $15 on any frozen items in the store, you get $5 off your order instantly
[10:08:32 AM] themozdzenladies: I purchased 6 tabasco sauces, 3 mustards, 3 gortons popcorn shrimp, 2 loaf of bread, 2 piounds of bacon, 6 greek yogurts and 1 package jimmy dean sausage sandwiches
[10:08:46 AM] themozdzenladies: oh i also had 2 franks red hots sauces
[10:08:59 AM] themozdzenladies: of course i have a coupon for everything.........
[10:09:11 AM] Stacey : rigrh. :)
[10:09:21 AM] themozdzenladies: i stand inl line 10 minutes and its a long line
[10:09:36 AM] themozdzenladies: i said the hell with this and decide to go to self checkout
[10:10:27 AM] themozdzenladies: then i realized i forgot their rule about only one internet coupon....I solve that by putting one thing of franks on a shelf and coupon back in box, one coupon for bread went back in box.
[10:10:53 AM] themozdzenladies: oh i forgot i had a pack of feta cheese with no coupon
[10:11:10 AM] themozdzenladies: i start scanning and save the frozen items for last
[10:11:17 AM] themozdzenladies: its well over $30
[10:11:38 AM] themozdzenladies: i start scanning coupons
[10:12:01 AM] themozdzenladies: and last week, the lady told me to scan the coupon, set it aside and put them all in the box when done
[10:12:19 AM] themozdzenladies: so i do that..........witch lady comes over and says I need to put them in the slot NOW
[10:12:30 AM] themozdzenladies: fine......i do that
[10:12:40 AM] Stacey : did she think you were re-using them?
[10:12:51 AM] themozdzenladies: who knows
[10:13:08 AM] themozdzenladies: so i keep doing that and she comes over and watches
[10:13:20 AM] Stacey : ugh
[10:13:31 AM] themozdzenladies: i give her coupon for bacon and tell her it didn't work
[10:13:43 AM] themozdzenladies: she digs through my bags........2 things of bacon were on top of bag
[10:13:53 AM] themozdzenladies: in bag but on top
[10:13:58 AM] themozdzenladies: she takes that off
[10:14:52 AM] Stacey : couldn't she have just opened another register if she was slow enough to "watch you"
[10:15:03 AM] themozdzenladies: then says something else as i scan yogurt coupon i turn my head to face her and she syas......HOW MUCH DID THAT TAKE OFF??? REALLY NASTILY AS IF IT DOUBLED IT OR SOMETHING
[10:16:03 AM] themozdzenladies: It was a blinky machine coupon and I really didn't know what the barcode started with, you normally only find the ones that start with 5 in foodlion or areas where they don't double. I tell her I don't know, I was looking at her.
[10:16:16 AM] themozdzenladies: she gets in front of the computer and starts puching things 23
[10:16:43 AM] themozdzenladies: punching things in, turns out it didn't double, only 75 came off once
[10:17:27 AM] themozdzenladies: i turn to her, hand her my coupons and tell her, you know what, since you have such a problem with my coupons........you scan the rest of them in. I'm not tryi9ng to steal anything and i don't need you acting li9k i am
[10:17:42 AM] themozdzenladies: if there is a problem..go ahead....you ring them in
[10:18:03 AM] Stacey : did you get her name? I'd shoot a letter to Corporate
[10:18:11 AM] themozdzenladies: no it gets better
[10:18:27 AM] themozdzenladies: that safeway don'tgive a **** about their customers
[10:18:33 AM] Stacey : it is this stupid "extreme couponing" show that makes couponers look like theives
[10:18:36 AM] themozdzenladies: she goes and gets assistant manager
[10:19:00 AM] themozdzenladies: i explain to her what happened and she finishes scanning the coupons
[10:19:14 AM] themozdzenladies: im fine with that but my $5 didn't come off instantly
[10:19:24 AM] themozdzenladies: u wanna know why?
[10:19:35 AM] Stacey : because you wouldn't be paying enough?
[10:20:02 AM] themozdzenladies: because the frozen gortons popcorn shrimp is seafood.....not frozen
[10:20:12 AM] Stacey : are you kidding me?????
[10:20:19 AM] themozdzenladies: then the lady from last week is yelling in the background.......ARE THEY ALL THE SAME COUPONS???
[10:20:28 AM] Stacey : then why isn't it in the seafood department?
[10:20:40 AM] Stacey : Ridiculous!
[10:20:51 AM] themozdzenladies: oh i got them from the freezer section in the seafood department
[10:21:15 AM] themozdzenladies: but i only gotthem so i could get the $5 off.........wasn't getting them cause i wanted them
[10:21:21 AM] themozdzenladies: brb gotta change channel.
[10:21:57 AM] Stacey : me too gotta change lyd
[10:23:13 AM] themozdzenladies: ok so i tell her then if they aren't frozen, and your offer says any frozen items in store, i don't want them, i want my money back
[10:23:31 AM] themozdzenladies: remember i was buying an additional $15 woth of stuff so i could get in on that offer
[10:24:02 AM] themozdzenladies: she tells me no you can't because you used coupons.......I'll have toi go through all your coupons
[10:24:43 AM] Stacey : meanwhile she made you put them in the slot
[10:25:53 AM] themozdzenladies: this was the assistant manager..........I say fine........she says move over here to another register and she goes and gets all the coupons out of the slot
[10:26:10 AM] themozdzenladies: now i had already paid for the groceries.....the items were mine
[10:26:52 AM] themozdzenladies: she takes all the coupons and starts sorting them out....tells me i didn't buy enough yoguirts? huh I bought 6, there are 3 coupons for 75/2?
[10:27:25 AM] themozdzenladies: tells me that i used too many tabasco coupons?What??? theres 6.look i show them to her......she looks on receipt...........then she says.....now get this
[10:27:40 AM] themozdzenladies: you can use that many free coupons
[10:28:20 AM] themozdzenladies: huh they weren't free..........they were $1.59 she saiid yes but the 75¢ doubled so they were amost free
[10:28:35 AM] themozdzenladies: i say no, they were 9 cents..........she rolls her eyes and says SAME THING
[10:28:55 AM] themozdzenladies: u still there
[10:30:47 AM] themozdzenladies: then she looks at coupons and tells me i used 3 gortons coupons but only got 2 items. I tell her no........and show her third
[10:33:38 AM] themozdzenladies: ok so then...........she figures out that i get $8.97 back..........the price minus the coupons, plus she gives me the coupons back...........but.......she only gives me $6.97
[10:34:05 AM] themozdzenladies: and while she was getting the money out, she asked the manager about my tabasco coupns and he told her there is no limit, as long as i have the items
[10:35:14 AM] themozdzenladies: so then when she hands me back the extra $2, she tells me that the best thing she can say is next time i use that many coupons to not use self checkout. I told her.but there was only one line open and i stood in it before getting in the self checkout
[10:35:25 AM] themozdzenladies: I then tell her, u know what and hand her my card........keep this because i will not be back
[10:36:43 AM] Stacey : sorry. I had to potty around too many tobasco coupons
[10:37:06 AM] themozdzenladies: can u scroll up
[10:37:50 AM] Stacey : yes. I did
[10:38:07 AM] Stacey : that is ridiculous!
[10:38:40 AM] Stacey : did you try sending an email? Maybe the store employess have a hard on for giving customers a hard time
[10:39:42 AM] themozdzenladies: not gonna botther.......I do not need to be treated like a criminal because im using coupons
[10:40:04 AM] themozdzenladies: i won't be back.......screw them, theire sales aren't all that good anyhow
[10:40:18 AM] Stacey : true.
[10:40:28 AM] themozdzenladies: and if a sale is that great......there are safewasys towards baltimore city
[10:40:52 AM] themozdzenladies: if the sale isso good its worht driving to, then it'll be worth driving to baltimore fo irt
[10:41:19 AM] Stacey : yeah
[10:42:17 AM] Stacey : that's crazy.

I just thought I'd share with you all what happened. I'm feeling good about it. I don't feel bad that I lost out on a store to shop at...........If I'm going to be treated like a criminial because i use coupons, then I guess they don't want my business.

[foggierbard9]

First off, I think your safeway is making up rules because the "must spend $xx for coupon to work" is including whatever you buy(on the coupon), not in addition to what you want to use that coupon on. I also think that $5/$15 excludes frozen meat/seafood...which I didn't like, so I refused to even try that deal.

I know that I will go in and buy $10($15 in your case) worth of stuff (including whatever the store super coupon is for I want to use) and then I scan those store coupons first and manu q's second. My total after super coupons and manu q's will be way under the $10 that was necessary to use the coupon and I've never had an issue with them.

I think your store just has a problem with couponers and wants to make it more difficult for you than it ever has to be. Sorry they treated you like that.

[shashabell]

Just tell them that you shopping is giving them job security.

[loulou3133]

I am one of those "out westerners" I cannot STAND SW... I avoid that place like the plaque... They don't have such great deals that I cannot ad match at WM... :)

[cmbearden]

Keep your chin up and keep couponing, the more you save money on groceries, the more money you have for other things that your family needs and wants. There are always gonna be people who snicker and huff and puff about everything, just ignore them. Good luck on your next trip.

[fufupeke]

When I use a wine tag like $1;50 off something. Since first of year. I circle no liquor purchase needed in missouri. Clerks always read where it asks for liquor purchase. So as I said I circle it and they read that first now. . It don*t take as long in line.

[CW&M Mom]

It makes me want to do all my shopping at walmart or Aldis.

Kim

Music to my ears! But no really..this is why I mostly stopped shopping at WAGS... your scenario..with the assistant managers..I just got sick of it quickly. And really the stuff is over priced anyways..the only way you can afford it is with coupons!

Walmart typically can't treat you like they are some hoity toity place..cause um it's Walmart.

And at least if you get treated like garbage I know that corp and management will actually do something about it. Aldi's doesn't do coupons..but I never got grief their either...

Last time..which was over a year ago..I had a lower management at Walmart give me grief when I was talking to upper management over the phone I asked them did I need to take my business and money elsewhere and he assured me I did not. I spend enough money there they don't want me to go to another grocery store. When I was talking to Management I doubt he has any idea how much my transaction was, he just knew the coupon scenario and the absurdity that the lower management was putting me through. Made me all warm and fuzzy to get it shoved in her face that I was right and she was wrong and I have never had an issue at that store since.