Only 10 coupons allowed at Walmart

[ajk912]

I was at Walmart yesterday and was kind of in a hurry to get home. I get in line behind someone who was just about done- sweet, I was thinking, I will be home in about 30 minutes. So I unload all my stuff and find out the lady has about 30 coupons. Ugh. I am all for saving money, but when it takes an extra 15 minutes in the checkout lane because the person is using coupons, I get REALLY annoyed. It takes forever to scan the coupons, then some beep- so then the cashier has to check to make sure certain items were actually bought, you know the drill. THEN, when she FINALLY got through all 30 coupons- the register wouldn't let her total out the screen. Cashier calls a manager (another 5 minutes), and turns out only 10 coupons are allowed per transaction. If I didn't have all my stuff unloaded I would have gone to another lane..but of course now it is after the church rush and lines were getting long. Turns out, the manager decides to take the coupon lady to another register because she has to rering all her groceries in groups so she can use her coupons. Personally, I am glad Walmart is cracking down on coupon usage- I know some people depend on them, but it does REALLY back up the lines. Back when I was heavy into couponing I would try to limit my coupons to about 10 per order anyway, and stick my coupons on my items for everyone's convienience. Giving the cashier a stack of coupons at the end doesn't help anyone. Plus, Walmart? Walmart doesn't double coupons, doesn't have sales or B1G1 free sales- so wouldn't it be cheaper (if you were a heavy couponer) to go to a grocery store and watch the ads? Never mind Walmart is accepting coupons as a courtesy..they don't have to. Thoughts?

 

[Califgirl]

Did you notice that you posted a coupon rant on the Budget Board??

Still I realize that time is money too. But most of us are here to learn new ways to save a buck. Thanks for letting us know WalMarts policy.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

My vote---

Let people use as many coupons as they want.

I would be totally pi$$ed if I was told "10 coupons only".

Also, if I was using my more than 10 coupons (and I do, every trip) and noticed the person behind me huffing and puffing and being irritated that I was pulling out coupons, I would probably be intentionally as slow as I could.

Some people use coupons for fun, but please remember, some people use coupons for necessity.

 

[cmrules]

I would have been mad if I had taken the time to coupon shop (it is a time consuming project) only then to be told I was not allowed to use them. I ususally don't bother with a ton of coupons at Walmart because they don't double. I only use the big ones 75 cents off and more.

I realize you were in a hurry, and I respect that, but the person in front of you was probably on a limited budget and trying to make the best of it and I respect that more. How do you crack down on coupon use at grocery store, that's the only place they take them. That's what they are for. This is a budget board not a time saving board.

 

[CrazedDisFan]

Personally, I think this is just another way for stores to encourage ctizens to spend more. You discourage coupon use so it makes it incovienent and they spend more. It's ridiculous. I knwo it's a pain to stand behind someone with a huge order, but honestly, if it is helping them put food on their table without having to use the welfare system, we should all be applauding the effort!

I am not saying everyone that is on welfare is horrible, by any means, so please no one turn that into this. I know many hard working families that have had to seek assistance to help them out.

I am also not saying that everyone that utilizes the great discounts from coupons ona regular basis is one step from poverty. We all should use coupons and use that savings for something bigger, like say Disney!

 

[kfeuer]

I'm sure that the person in front of you didn't enjoy having to have their order rerung because of Walmart's stupid policy any more then you enjoyed waiting. It makes zero sense to me why they'd limit the number of coupons you can use since they're getting reimbursed I think the fault here lies squarely with Walmart, not with your fellow shopper who was simply trying to save a few dollars.

 

[Green Tea]

Personally, I am glad Walmart is cracking down on coupon usage- I know some people depend on them, but it does REALLY back up the lines. Thoughts?

MO is let people use as many as they want. That is why manufacturers print them. If stores start limiting usage I would think the food industry would have a huge beef with the grocery industry.

 

[ceroarty]

I know for a fact that not every Walmart will limit coupons. I work there right now to pay for my daughters braces and have never heard of this. In fact, I had someone come in with more than 20 and it wasn't a problem. I really don't mind when people just give them to me in a stack. I actually prefer it. This way they don't get sucked up in the belt if they fall of the item. The lady yesterday saved over 30 dollars. That is a pretty big savings.

 

[missj1975]

My thoughts on your rant...You should have went to another line.

The woman in front of you was there first and she shouldn't have to worry about the impatient person behind her. It is so nice that you worry about everyone else but if you are in such a hurry, perhaps you shouldn't shop at Walmart because in my experience the lanes are never fast. The woman in front of you is smart enough to use coupons to save money and yet you are ragging on her because you were in a hurry. So apparently you are the most important person in that situation. Yeah for you.

 

[Sethsmom]

If I am in a hurry, I do not go to Walmart to shop anyway. It takes so much longer to find a place to park, get to the item and get out. It is never a quick trip in and out.

I use coupons everytime I shop whether at Walmart, CVS, Publix. Maybe they need to establish couponers only lanes like they do 20 items or less or cash/credit only for people that do not like to wait. There is nothing ruder than someone standing behind you and huffing and puffing. I feel like I have just as much right to shop there and use my coupons as someone that fills up 3 buggies and doesn't use coupons.

If Walmart does start limiting coupons, they will lose business. There will be more and more people shopping with coupons as the gas prices and other prices soar. I am like the another poster and only use the ones at Walmart that can't be doubled or can't find the item on sale.

Sometimes if I have a lot of coupons, I will tell the person behind me so that they know it will be a while.

I did have a problem once at Walmart and it was not the number of coupons but the amount that I was saving according to the manager.

 

[kimsuenew]

I was at Walmart yesterday and was kind of in a hurry to get home. I get in line behind someone who was just about done- sweet, I was thinking, I will be home in about 30 minutes. So I unload all my stuff and find out the lady has about 30 coupons. Ugh. I am all for saving money, but when it takes an extra 15 minutes in the checkout lane because the person is using coupons, I get REALLY annoyed. It takes forever to scan the coupons, then some beep- so then the cashier has to check to make sure certain items were actually bought, you know the drill. THEN, when she FINALLY got through all 30 coupons- the register wouldn't let her total out the screen. Cashier calls a manager (another 5 minutes), and turns out only 10 coupons are allowed per transaction. If I didn't have all my stuff unloaded I would have gone to another lane..but of course now it is after the church rush and lines were getting long. Turns out, the manager decides to take the coupon lady to another register because she has to rering all her groceries in groups so she can use her coupons. Personally, I am glad Walmart is cracking down on coupon usage- I know some people depend on them, but it does REALLY back up the lines. Back when I was heavy into couponing I would try to limit my coupons to about 10 per order anyway, and stick my coupons on my items for everyone's convienience. Giving the cashier a stack of coupons at the end doesn't help anyone. Plus, Walmart? Walmart doesn't double coupons, doesn't have sales or B1G1 free sales- so wouldn't it be cheaper (if you were a heavy couponer) to go to a grocery store and watch the ads? Never mind Walmart is accepting coupons as a courtesy..they don't have to. Thoughts?

I just have to weigh in here... if I were going to use above 10 coupons (and I have previously many of times) and Walmart limited the transaction to 10 coupons per... I would just seperate my items and ring up 2 or 3 different orders (depending on the # of coupons I had)! This would take MUCH longer for the cashier and other customers... but I absolutely would do it!

I have found that shopping at coupons, given at face value only, still beats the inflated local grocery store prices, even when doubling!

Coupons are a way of life... for many the only way they can or will, purchase something! Walmart takes them because they would lose business if they did not! I only subscribe to our newspaper for the Sunday coupons!

There are places that don't accept coupons, such as local small groceries, Big Lots, Sam's Club, ect... so people that have an adversion to someone in front of them using coupons has the choice to shop elsewhere... at a place that doesn't accept them!

 

[allison443]

Shouldn't the cashier have known that only 10 coupons are allowed per transaction? Obviously she didn't know, since she scanned all 30 coupons. How is that the couponer's fault, assuming she didn't know either about the 10 coupon limit?

 

[Goofyzgurl]

So you were mad that the lady in front of you was trying to budget and wasn't going as fast as you wanted to? And now you want to limit the amount of coupons that people can use b/c it slows your day down? That's just so petty. Wow....this just blows my mind, just when I heard of it all.

 

[ajk912]

Hey, I never said I was huffing and puffing. I was catching up on my Britney Spears gossip- I read a good third of Life & Style (or whichever one it was I was reading) while all this was going on. I definitely would have gone to another line if I knew she was using coupons- a couple is fine, a whole stack is something else. Hey, it would be great if they had a coupon only line- kind of like they had the "no checks" lines a few years ago when it was a huge time killer to write a check. Part of my thought process is why would you "waste" your coupons at Walmart- they don't double or do B1G1 free- so you would be better off taking your coupons down the road to Food Lion and Kroger. Last I checked, Kroger doubled up to 50 cents and certain times of the year they doubled up to 99 cents.

As for the "I am the most important person in the world" part, well, I think it would have been common courtesy for the person in front of me to tell me, "Hey, I might be a while- you might want to find another lane." Back at Christmastime when I was doing price matches, I would tell the people behind me that, that way I am not holding anyone else up with my budgeting.

 

[ajk912]

So you were mad that the lady in front of you was trying to budget and wasn't going as fast as you wanted to? And now you want to limit the amount of coupons that people can use b/c it slows your day down? That's just so petty. Wow....this just blows my mind, just when I heard of it all.

No, I have no problem with people saving money. I have said a few times that I price match and used to be heavy into couponing, as well. I would try to not do huge shopping trips with a ton of coupons, but if I had to- I am courteous to the people behind me in line though- give them a heads up that I might be a while, instead of blind sighting them at end when I am going to be there an extra 15 minutes.

 

[BethR]

I think it would have been common courtesy for the person in front of me to tell me, "Hey, I might be a while- you might want to find another lane." Back at Christmastime when I was doing price matches, I would tell the people behind me that, that way I am not holding anyone else up with my budgeting.

I think that it would be nice if everyone who was aware that they were going to take more than a normal amount of time on a transaction to be kind to those in back of them by letting them know that.

 

[ajk912]

Shouldn't the cashier have known that only 10 coupons are allowed per transaction? Obviously she didn't know, since she scanned all 30 coupons. How is that the couponer's fault, assuming she didn't know either about the 10 coupon limit?

The cashier told the customer but was being nice and trying to push through the coupons anyway. The customer didn't bring out her stack of coupons till the end, which was too late for the cashier to separate the orders into like piles (I have seen that done at Target, you know with some of the Target email coupons or whatever that are one per transaction) so she had to get a manager involved. The manager ended up taking her to another register (keeping the open light off) so no one would get in line behind her, because it would take a while.

 

[Sethsmom]

The whole thing could have been solved if Walmart would post changes to coupon usage on the doors or somewhere people could see them. They should'nt wait until you are checking out. They usually don't know you have coupons until you pull them out after the cashier is done.

I know when I had my problem with them trying to limit mine and having to get a CSM over, nothing was posted anywhere. Do they think everyone is a mind reader?

 

[tegansmom]

Sounds to me like all this complaining is misdirected! If the lines are long, and you are mad because the person in front of you is taking too long, the Manager should open up more lines! The store is responsible for customer service...... NOT the person in front of you. The manager did the right thing by bringing the person to another line. It also sounds like Walmart needs to train thier employees to KNOW thier policies. I admit it would be nice for the person to mention it might take a little longer, but ultimately it's the store that you should be complaining to.

 

[PoohHappens]

Several coupons do not always neccesitate more time. I find walmart to be significantly more difficult about them than other stores. The offten insist on searching for each and every item to assure that you purchased it. I use mine at Meijer and they never do this. If one beeps and does not find a match they usually override it or ask me if I am certain I purchased it. I don't think many coupon users hand a stack of coupons over having not purchased the correct items. I think the policy that Walmart stated they had was crazy. Also would you be frustrated it the person in front of you was usuing wic vouchers or food stamps. That can take more time as well. Should they be expected to turn around and announce to you that they will be using these. Walmart in general is slow. It is why I do not shop there. Any individual has the right to complete their transaction the way they see fit for their family. If that is paying half check half cash, with vouchers or coupons that is their right and I just need to be patient if I am behind them.