How Has The Show Extreme Couponing Affected Your Couponing Lately?

[pinknite1]

i want to throw this question out there and ask others for their experience, as the show "extreme couponing" has affected us in different ways. have you noticed that your shops are stricter with coupons now?

i usually shop at cvs in order to roll my EBs. lately, i have noticed that more stores, that i usually shop at, are becoming stricter with accepting coupons. i think by now, i know of 2 cvs stores that no longer accept IPs, which are from the companies promoting their products on Facebook. it also seems that i get more attention now when I use coupons when checking out, and i am wondering if it's in part due to this reality tv show and the negative attention it creates.

i actually feel a bit nervous in using coupons now, even though i know that i am using them correctly. how do you deal with the negative vibes around you with the extreme couponing show making it harder to shop? please share your tips and experiences!

[qpnkwn1]

It has taken most of the fun of getting the deal away. SImply, there are not as many deals due to the more strick rules the stores are adopting. This is the direct result of EC. I won't even watch the show, because it has made it much harder for the average couponer who is trying to feed their family on a small budget. Unfortunately, I think this is just the beginning!

[$Saving!]

It has not impacted me personally because I know that my use of coupons is following store policies and I have nothing I'm trying to do that is 'under the radar'.

I have noticed, however, that stores are changing policies to reign in abuse and for that I'm grateful. Like in the last couple months Rite Aid has started to put limits on deals with +UP rewards, that's a good thing because more people have a chance at getting some of those deals before they run out of stock.

There is another impact coming and it's yet to fully materialize in all it's implications, the new GS-1 barcode. That will impact all of us, and by the time the systems are in place in all the store computers and activated, we may find that where a store used to double coupons that stated Do Not Double, the bar code will have been programmed to make sure the coupon does not double when scanned. It's already happening with some coupons that have move solely to that new barcode.

That barcode allows for so much codification, that we might just see "regional" restrictions coded in as well and that will stop the sale around the country of coupons meant for one region being sold to someone out of that region because they won't be accepted when scanned 'out of region'.

We're in for a lot of changes, many we can tie back to the abuse and fraudulent use of coupons witnessed on that show.

We'll just have to adjust and roll with the changes as they unfold.

[jennsiss]

This is my first post, but I have been couponing for a year now. The show "Extreme Couponing" has negatively affected my shopping experiences. For example, today I went to Ralphs to buy toothpaste. I had three $0.75 off 1, and they only doubled one coupon up to a dollar.

[PraiseAdonai]

My store that doubled up to a dollar now only doubles up to 99cents....

That meant a $1.00 coupon = $2.00.

Now a $1.00 = $1.00

$2.00 off items was great :(

[CW&M Mom]

Walmarts coupon policy improved

Walgreens coupon policy improved.

About the only thing that it technically has done, is made it harder for me to actually find a product at walmart some times.

[JulieDB]

Stores have been sold out of the coupon items. I never noticed that before.

Most stores and really reading the coupons well and making sure that I have the correct items. Which, IMO, they should always have been doing but most were not.

But at Winco I had a couple of coupons that beeped. They were for the correct item but the checker called her supervisor and acted like I was trying to rip them off.

[annielaurie_us]

harder to get papers and people stealing the inserts out of papers. And of course the looks you get if you bring your binder with you.

[Nani22305]

It has actually helped me. Before the show I thought I could only use one coupons per product for the whole entire purchase. Has saved me allot of money.

[434Teresa]

1)People stealing coupons inserts from the paper onice they are dropped off in front of the Dollar Tree(at about 4am or so) has made them stop selling them(they are cheaper there, papers that is)
2)More people are checking the paper recycle bin for coupons(hard to get lucky now days because of this)
3)more shelfs have been empty
4) getting sick of being called a extreme couponer

I have blocked TLC from my tv becuase of this show. It has hurt so many families with this show. I can not beleive all those people want their 15 minutes of fame bad enough to go on there knowing that all that show is doing is hurting coupons like themself.

Now they are trying to stop ebay and others from selling coupons online, that will hurt alot of us for onice they do that they will come after online sites like HCW for coupons say that they can not be transferred in anyway and thats what we do when we trade them with each other. So all they show is doing is hurting us all....