Is This Shady Couponing?

[Lex33]

I caught a bit of Extreme Couponing last night and was somewhat floored by this so I am wondering if I am the only one who thinks it is shady. Maybe I am missing something so feel free to enlighten me.

The woman they were showcasing, I think it was Missy, bought lots and lots of Purex detergent because it was BOGO and she had coupons. Here's my issue:
She used a $3 coupon on EACH bottle of detergent before she gave the cashier her store savings card. Only after the savings card was scanned, did the register remove the price of the free items. Of course she ended up paying something like $9 for $1000 worth of groceries. Basically, she got $3 off something she never paid for in the first place.

I know these couponers have figured out how to beat the system, but in my opinion, this is fraudulent use of coupons.

 

[winniedapooh]

Here in Mass you cannot do that...and btw, I agree with you!

 

[tomthebarncat]

There is a very long thread about how this show highlights theft and fraud. Scroll down a few pages and you should be able to find it.

 

[tomthebarncat]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2718786

Here is the link to this very subject!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

At some of my local stores the reason you can use two coupons when you buying something and getting another free is that it isn't ACTUALLY buy one, get one free, they're really just half off. So if she were to only buy one bottle of Purex, for example, it would be half price. While what she did was excessive, it wasn't fraudulent if that was the store's policy. If the Purex was really buy one, get one free, then the store probably has a policy against it and it would be fraud.

 

[Kion10]

At Missy's store in Florida, this is absolutely allowed. They allow one coupon per item on a BOGO sale. The only reason she gave her card at the end was for the wow affect for the producers.

I am good friends with her. If you have any more questions about her shopping trip, let me know.

Kristin

 

[Marionnette]

I caught a bit of Extreme Couponing last night and was somewhat floored by this so I am wondering if I am the only one who thinks it is shady. Maybe I am missing something so feel free to enlighten me.

The woman they were showcasing, I think it was Missy, bought lots and lots of Purex detergent because it was BOGO and she had coupons. Here's my issue:
She used a $3 coupon on EACH bottle of detergent before she gave the cashier her store savings card. Only after the savings card was scanned, did the register remove the price of the free items. Of course she ended up paying something like $9 for $1000 worth of groceries. Basically, she got $3 off something she never paid for in the first place.

I know these couponers have figured out how to beat the system, but in my opinion, this is fraudulent use of coupons.

It depends on the store and how they handle BOGOs in their coupon policy. It isn't a shady practice if the store policy allows it. CVS permits you to use 2 coupons for the same item when they have BOGO sales. My local GIANT Food Market does not.

 

[maggiew]

CVS and Walgreens corporate policy both allow 2 coupons on BOGOF sales. (Not saying she shopped there, just that it is allowed at a lot of places and not shady.)

Maggie

 

[ssawka]

Even if the store didn't allow it, it is the store's responsibility to program the registers to match their policy. What if it was self-checkout? Would she be expected to know which order the discounts need to be taken off the order?

 

[DawnM]

Our self check-out no long allows you to scan your own coupons.

Dawn

Even if the store didn't allow it, it is the store's responsibility to program the registers to match their policy. What if it was self-checkout? Would she be expected to know which order the discounts need to be taken off the order?

 

[mdinecola]

correct me if I'm wrong, but the BOGO is the store's sale therefore, whether you use coupons or not, the store "eats" the price of the free one. The coupons are reimbursed by the manufacturer meaning, in the end, the store gets the payment for the item - it's just from the manuf. instead of the consumer. I don't see any wrong in that.

 

[okeydokey]

So she really got $6 off one half the bottles and the other ones for free? I don't care if the store allows it, it sounds very fraudulent and immoral.

These coupon shows should stop showcasing people with mental illnesses.

 

[Kion10]

So she really got $6 off one half the bottles and the other ones for free? I don't care if the store allows it, it sounds very fraudulent and immoral.

These coupon shows should stop showcasing people with mental illnesses.

That was incredibly rude. This lady "with a mental illness" drove 10 hours to donate an entire van full of donations to the tornado victims. If you don't agree with what she did, then whatever. It's not up to you to set the rules.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

So she really got $6 off one half the bottles and the other ones for free? I don't care if the store allows it, it sounds very fraudulent and immoral.

These coupon shows should stop showcasing people with mental illnesses.

If something is "allowed"--by definition it is not fraudulent.

I had done some couponing in the fall and used Hot Coupon World to understand the rules. Just because an item is BOGO free, doesn't disallow the use of the extra coupon by the manufacturer. The store is free to set their own rules.

Some sales--the BOGO allows just one item to be purchased at 50% off. IOW, you don't need to get 2 to get the deal. Not sure if her store is like that, but I have come across that a time or two in my sales endeavors.

Also--the shopping trips shown on these shows are extreme even for the people being featured. You cannot diagnose an illness that way.

 

[Nicolepa]

You are purchasing 2 items. 2 items are scanned. One just happens to scan for $0. Therefore you can use 2 coupons. When the manufacturer reimburses the store, they don't care how much the store charged for the item, just that the item(s) were purchased.

 

[Virgderon]

I live in Tampa, and I use 2 coupons on BOGO items at Publix all the time. I know there are a lot of questions about whether the practices shown on Extreme Couponing are fraudulent, but this time what she did is perfectly legit.

By the way, accusing her of having a mental illness? That's extreme. And not very nice .Just my opinion.

 

[cm8]

It depends on the store and how they handle BOGOs in their coupon policy. It isn't a shady practice if the store policy allows it. CVS permits you to use 2 coupons for the same item when they have BOGO sales. My local GIANT Food Market does not.

So does publix ( or used to) it depends on the wording of the coupon and the store. Here things B1g1F rings up for half of the price and that enables you to use the coupons for each items

To the Posted that stated Missy was her friend, I think it's great what she is doing to help the victims of the Tornado/flood out. It made me think of the Tide commercial Loads of hope and how much people just sometimes wanted clean laundry to help them cope with the devastation and loss they faced

 

[JB2K]

That was incredibly rude. This lady "with a mental illness" drove 10 hours to donate an entire van full of donations to the tornado victims. If you don't agree with what she did, then whatever. It's not up to you to set the rules.

I wouldn't sweat it, as I think the "hot dog casserole crowd" may be a wee bit envious of your friend's ability to do the coupon thing better (and for your friend to live in a state and shop at a chain where this sort of thing is perfectly normal).

And kudos to your friend for taking her big savings and directing them towards those who weren't quite as fortunate...

 

[puffkin]

The main chains I shop at around here (Rite Aid, CVS, Giant) all allow it. Unless the store policy prohibits it, it is perfectly legit.

 

[hipchickie]

sounds perfectly reasonable to me and is definitely allowed at all the store around here. BOGO is the store sale, the coupon is from the manufacturer