what do you do?

[benchmarkman]

What do you do in situations where a store cashier doesn't want to accept a coupon? Do you fight it and if so is the a minimum limit of the coupon before you start fighting? If the point is to save.money isn't it.counter productive to spend time.fighting a cashier when "time is money"?

[Gnorga]

tell her you don't need it and ask for your coupons back and begin to leave.

[everprincess]

If they are dead wrong in what they saying and I know the policy like the back of my hand I ask for a CS person. I've had times when a cashier wouldn't accept a mfg coupon because it had a store logo on it that wasn't that store. In that case I told her just to remove the items from my order because I'm not paying full price for something ever! HTH

[3timesoccermom]

I guess it depends on how valuable the coupon is to you, if it expires soon or whether there would be another oppotunity to try it elsewhere, and how much time you have at the moment.

Yes it can take a few minutes but at the same time it could be a learning experience. If you were to talk to management they would let the cashier know if she's handling it incorrectly or show her how to process it or they could tell you no, they can't/won't accept it. So there's a chance it could be a positive outcome.

And none of it has to be done in a "fighting" manner.

[benchmarkman]

I guess it depends on how valuable the coupon is to you, if it expires soon or whether there would be another oppotunity to try it elsewhere, and how much time you have at the moment.

Yes it can take a few minutes but at the same time it could be a learning experience. If you were to talk to management they would let the cashier know if she's handling it incorrectly or show her how to process it or they could tell you no, they can't/won't accept it. So there's a chance it could be a positive outcome.

And none of it has to be done in a "fighting" manner.

Good points.

BTW I didn't mean fighting in a negative context.

[$Saving!]

It would depend, at least to me, on store policy if I felt they were not following it.

Some store policies clearly state that if the coupon does not scan, they won't accept it. In the case if internet printables, I totally understand that policy.

However, I have built a very good rapport with all the stores I shop in, they know me well and know that I would not try to 'get over' by using a coupon that doesn't scan if I felt that it could possibly be a fraudulent coupon.

Plus, they usually have experienced a problem with the same coupon from others, from a reliable source such as coupons.com or such.

Knowing the store policy is critical at times like you're describing and talking with CS is always an option. I abide by their decisions and in stores where I know they are not coupon friendly (attitude abounds when they see you with coupons in hand), I just don't shop there I'm an honest couponer who follows the policies and law.

[clippyclippy]

It depends on what the situation is. If I feel like the cashier is misinterpreting the coupon policy, I'll hold my ground. But if I sense that the cashier's interpretation likely comes from the store manager's preference, then I'll let it go and make a mental note.
For example - CVS policy allows a BOGO coupon on a BOGO sale. But there are still managers out there who just refuse to let that happen. So even though I know it's totally legit, I also know that the managers have the right to interpret as they wish, no matter how maddening it might be.

Most of the time, the cashier is just misinformed. If I ask them to just try to scan it to see what happens, and they still don't want to, I might ask for the manager. I'm being as nice and polite as can be. If the manager says no, even if I know I'm right, I'll usually just say no problem, and ask them to remove that item from my order. It's just not worth it to me to argue over a coupon value.

I would never make a scene and never demand anything. At the most, if it's really important to me, I might call cs as I leave and hope they can correct the store on the policy.

[MizMoneyPenny]

Know their policy, and have a print out of it if you can. Yesterday, FDIL and I went to our brand new (open 1 week) BJ's club, and when we tried to combine a mfr. coupon with BJ"s coupon, the machine kicked it out (self-checkout) and CSM came over and tried to tell me that we were trying to use too many coupons. I explained to her that I knew BJ's policy very well, that I was a long time customer, and referred her to the the youtube video of BJ's.

Finally, she agreed with me - didn't take long - and we got back $6. She learned something, too. She said since it was a new club, they want to make sure everyone is on the same page. Whatever. But it was worth it.

[434Teresa]

If I know I am right I will tell them to call over the CS person or mtg. Time is money but so is a coupon. I dont worry so much about the time when I coupon shop. I know it will take a few extra minutes from the start.

[chocat]

I had this happen at a local grocery. the cashier was scanning my IPs when the floor mgr came over and told her to stop. her reason? "these are black and white, not color" "your policy is to take IP's in b&w OR color" "I know but I have to call corporate and check" "here's a copy of your policy I printed this morning" "I HAVE TO CALL!"

When she told me I'd have to wait until she had time to call, I had them void the order and I left, since almost every Q I was using was a IP. Unless it's a crazy deal I can't get elsewhere, I'm not going back to that store again.

I have no problem politely arguing policy with cashiers/managers but I'm not going to sit in a store for half an hour while I wait to find out if I can check out. if it takes longer than 5 minutes, I'm done, just void the item and move on to the next thing. :)