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Anyone who has used coupons regularly has run into multiple cashiers who just don't have a clue on how coupons work. This never ceases to astonish me. The majority of coupons used are manufacturer coupons, which means the store gets the money for the coupon + a handling fee, so dealing with coupons properly should be the same as dealing with money. Improper handling of coupons or rejecting a valid coupon costs the store money.
I went into Rite Aid yesterday looking to get a few freebies, to help boost my Wellness+ points since it is triple points this month. I had other deals that I couldn't get the right items on, but here's the deal I walked up to the cashier with:
2x Starbucks Refreshers on sale $3.00/2
1x Excedrin 24 ct, on sale $3.99
I wanted to use:
$2.00/1 - Excedrin Product coupon (SS 09/21, Expires 9/28/14) [24-ct. +]
$2.00/1 - Excedrin Pain Relief Item September Rite Aid Video Values printable coupon
$4.00/2 – Starbucks Coffee Products printable coupon
The way this should have worked is the coupons would have reduced like this:
$2.00/1 - Excedrin Product coupon (SS 09/21, Expires 9/28/14) [24-ct. +]
$1.99/1 - Excedrin Pain Relief Item September Rite Aid Video Values printable coupon
$3.00/2 – Starbucks Coffee Products printable coupon
And I would end up paying the taxes.
However, the cashier scanned the first Excedrin coupon and then told me, "Wait, you can't use both of these. They are more than the subtotal amount."
I tried to explain to him multiple times that he just needed to reduce the coupons down to the value of the product. What he got hung up on was the value of the coupon, "But you see, this one says $4.00 and this one says $2.00, you don't have enough to do those, there's only $4.99 on the subtotal." and "It says $4.00, I can't enter it for $3.00." When I saw that I couldn't get through to him on this, I asked, "What if I get another item?"
"Yeah, if you get another Refreshers, we can use the whole $4.00 since you will have $4.50 in Starbucks products and since this one is a Rite Aid coupon, it won't matter that it goes slightly over."
So I go grab another Refreshers and end up with this deal:
3x Starbucks Refreshers on sale for $4.50 total
1x Excedrin 24 ct, on sale $3.99
$2.00/1 - Excedrin Product coupon (SS 09/21, Expires 9/28/14) [24-ct. +]
$2.00/1 - Excedrin Pain Relief Item September Rite Aid Video Values printable coupon
$4.00/2 – Starbucks Coffee Products printable coupon
And I get it all for $0.49 + tax.
In this scenario, it probably didn't cost the store anything and I'm not upset with the deal I ended up with. And given many couponers have had to explain to store managers how the corporate coupon policy works, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that cashiers don't have a clue.
Cashiers are scared of getting in trouble/losing their jobs over taking incorrect coupons, they will err on the side of rejecting the coupon. (Which is why we get issues with coupons that say, "Reedemable at Walmart" or cashiers that say, "You have to get what's in the picture." on valid coupons.) I've worked in jobs with multiple shifts with a workforce that is largely part-time, I know how hard training is with that kind of workforce. But if companies really want to maximize sales/profit, they need to take the time to fully educate managers and have the managers pass that onto the staff.
While there are folks like me who are persistent, how many people walk into a store, attempt to use a valid coupon, are told they can't and then don't come back rather than complain?
I'm sure there are coupon bloggers out there who would be willing to help stores with a curriculum, rather than having to explain how coupons work, over and over and over...
If you see any Freebies or Moneymakers or Great Deals I missed, please let me know.
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