Honestly, no, I really hope they do not change coupon policy. I'm not an extreme couponer, but I do use coupons religiously every time I shop. I really don't think that it's the "extreme couponers " that are wiping the shelves clean. I think it's a combination of the store not stocking the items properly (our CVS STINKS at restocking...it's annoying) and more and more people using coupons and matching them to sale items.
But I think the big thing is that because of the economy, more and more people are starting to realize that using coupons isn't some "food stamp stigma". And I think that things are getting more and more expensive, so people have to be far more careful with their money than ever before. I think that more people are reading couponing blogs to learn how to become better "home economists" and learn how to pair a coupon with a sale. So if a store happens to be out of something on sale, perhaps it's because more people are coming in to purchase items WHEN they're on sale to maximize their dollar. it doesn't make people bad or greedy.....it makes someone smarter by trying to give their family the best that they can on a smaller amount of money.
Not everyone is like the extreme couponers. Think about it, when you go food shopping, how often do you "see" someone loading up 95 jars of Tums? Probably never. But now figure if it's on sale and they're coupons for it, you might find 60 people buying 4 or 5. That will wipe a shelf off. But it's not greedy people, it's just normal people. I'm one of them (not buying 95 jars of Tums....) . The other day at Kroger, they had Wisk on sale for $3.99. I had 6 - $2.00 off coupons. I bought 6 Wisk because it saved me alot of money and it's something I'm going to use and it doesn't go bad. It doesn't make me a shelf hog or greedy. It makes me smarter when I shop.
Personally, I don't want to increase our food budget because of higher prices. I think there's alot of people out there that are seeing prices go up and disposable income go down. This is one way that the average person can make their dollar go farther. If the stores are seeing a trend that sale items are starting to "move more", then they should order accordingly and keep their shelves stocked.