The truth about extreme couponing...

[fortwildernessishome]

and many people go to CVS or Wags or any other store and get the cheap/free stuff that they have no intention of using expressly to re-sell them at a yard safe. It IS abusive, IMO.

"abusive"??.......seems like it would be a lot of effort to go to stores to get a few freebies for the sole purpose of re-selling, but I can't see it being "abusive". To each their own I guess.

 

[budafam]

"abusive"??.......seems like it would be a lot of effort to go to stores to get a few freebies for the sole purpose of re-selling, but I can't see it being "abusive". To each their own I guess.

I agree. It's not abusive at all. I mean, maybe if I made a few hundred off of it but I broke even or even lost a little I'm sure (with figuring in gas & tax).

 

[heatherleigh]

The TLC show has inspired me to start couponing! I purchased a Sun. paper, and clipped whatever I could use. I used my very first one yesterday for a v-Tech toy (for my cousin who just had a baby) and it worked! Of course it worked- I was just a little nervous because it was my first time trying. I am going to purchase a few more things today.

Safeway had a few coupons I could use, but not a ton that would make it worth driving there for. If I see one today while I'm out, I'll drop in. They expire today (the SW ones). I need to keep traCK of my savings to see if it's worth the cost of the Sun. paper. I may have to subscribe.

Oh, I also salvaged some good coupons out of a free circular I found in the mail. I normally toss them out.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

 

[fakereadhed]

Maybe it is abusive to buy gobs of stuff and resell it. Maybe it isn't. I don't really know, and I'm not going to argue about it. It's getting to be like the "jelly packets" thread.

 

[allison443]

She was talking about one person who said they had 4-5 items, so that's a different story. She asked why ONE person here bought a FEW and then sold them for what they paid - she said "what is the point?" I don't think the poster was trying to "make a point" when she bought the items or sold them - she had a few items of something extra and at the last minute she sold them in her garage sale.

Maybe it is abusive to buy gobs of stuff and resell it. Maybe it isn't. I don't really know, and I'm not going to argue about it. It's getting to be like the "jelly packets" thread.

Yes, I asked that poster about her situation because I can understand stocking up on items you need/use (which I do), and I can understand why someone would sell items for a higher price to make money. I was asking what was the point of couponing, buying cheap items, if you are only going to turn around and sell them for the same price you paid. That makes no sense but that poster came back and explained her situation and I get it now.

 

[budafam]

It's getting to be like the "jelly packets" thread.

 

[Becky2005]

So, if you go to a CVS or supermarket to stock up on an item only to find the shelves cleaned out try checking the yard sale ads. If you see people selling razors, toothpaste, deodorant, tampons, vitamins, mustard, etc., you'll know where all of the stuff you couldn't buy ended up at.

Am I the only one who gets the EWWWW factor of the concept of buying any of that stuff at a garage sale? No way on this Earth am I buying grocery type food from a garage sale. Maybe it's because I'm from the original Tylenol tampering era and that is the very first thing my mind goes to and I had a hoarder relative so the other thing is I automatically picture it sitting somewhere for ages before it made it to the garage sale. It's bad enough that there could be tampering of items on an actual grocery store shelf but from a garage sale where who knows what could have been done to the food or how long it has sat or if it's hot and sitting out in the sun during the sale or just EWWW.... About the ONLY thing I could even think about buying is possibly those that sell cans of pop for .50 and it's usually the kids (so basically a version of a lemonade stand) and they are usually cold in ice, etc... Of course, I have not been to a garage sale where I have seen such items for sale yet either.

No place around here doubles or triples coupons. They used to long ago but that practice was stopped ages ago. I rarely use coupons just because they aren't for the things I buy and I'm not going to buy something just because I have a coupon.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Yes, I agree the show is highly sensationalized. Seriously, what grocery store will double every coupon you have at the register? None that I am aware of. And there is certainly not employees, customers, nor store managers applauding any coupon purchase or willing to spend 4 hours ringing up one person.

I think it should be called 'Extreme Couponing: Hoarders Edition' to be more accurate. I see nothing wrong with buying items {within reason} for a low cost or getting them free & donating to a homeless shelter or church group, but seriously, 77 bottles of mustard? That's not normal. Not to mention clearing the shelf & leaving one bottle. That is bad manners in the coupon world

I do buy coupons to get items for free or extremely cheap, but I only pay $0.08 to $0.10 per coupon plus the cost of a postage stamp, but not absurd amounts.

All 3 of my local grocery stores will double all coupons 99 cents and under...a few times a year they will triple them.

My question is what store allows you to to 18 separate transactions?

I think its kind of "greedy" "gluttonous" whatever you want to call it to be as extreme as these people..I mean come on who needs 80 bottles of mustard and 35 bottles of maalox? Unless you are donating it..I don't see a need.

This is probably the reason why MANY internet coupons say "do not double or triple" at the top b/c people like this could print out 100 and use them and get free stuff.

 

[deezeealum]

Rachael Ray just did a segment on the show and had 2 of the women on. Forgot their names but one was the family with 5 or 7 kids and the other one says she donates alot of it. Thank goodness. They did mention that they often get money back from couponing (most stores don't do this) and no one of them were fraud loving Jamie. THey pretty much said wait to use the coupons until you see things one sale, DUH!
What I can't underdstand is why is Rachael Ray hyping this show when their is known fruad going on? Someone needs to send RR this board or some of the links we have shared here.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Rachael Ray just did a segment on the show and had 2 of the women on. Forgot their names but one was the family with 5 or 7 kids and the other one says she donates alot of it. Thank goodness. They did mention that they often get money back from couponing (most stores don't do this) and no one of them were fraud loving Jamie. THey pretty much said wait to use the coupons until you see things one sale, DUH!
What I can't underdstand is why is Rachael Ray hyping this show when their is known fruad going on? Someone needs to send RR this board or some of the links we have shared here.

where's the fraud links? I'd like to read up on it. I would have been like RR too lol not knowing.
Wasn't aware of the fraud...just thought the whole concept of having 80 mustards, 35 things of maalox, 14000 rolls of TP was excessive and ridiculous lol.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Am I the only one who gets the EWWWW factor of the concept of buying any of that stuff at a garage sale? No way on this Earth am I buying grocery type food from a garage sale. Maybe it's because I'm from the original Tylenol tampering era and that is the very first thing my mind goes to and I had a hoarder relative so the other thing is I automatically picture it sitting somewhere for ages before it made it to the garage sale. It's bad enough that there could be tampering of items on an actual grocery store shelf but from a garage sale where who knows what could have been done to the food or how long it has sat or if it's hot and sitting out in the sun during the sale or just EWWW.... About the ONLY thing I could even think about buying is possibly those that sell cans of pop for .50 and it's usually the kids (so basically a version of a lemonade stand) and they are usually cold in ice, etc... Of course, I have not been to a garage sale where I have seen such items for sale yet either.

I agree with you, I wouldn't buy stuff at garage sales, because who knows where it's been, how it's been stored, or how old it is. Though I would buy like a bottle of water or something if I was thirsty enough after being outside all morning.

 

[Purseval]

Rachael Ray just did a segment on the show and had 2 of the women on. Forgot their names but one was the family with 5 or 7 kids and the other one says she donates alot of it. Thank goodness.

Did you expect them to say they resell for profit?

where's the fraud links? I'd like to read up on it. I would have been like RR too lol not knowing.

http://www.jillcataldo.com/node/16170

 

[disneychrista]

What I can't underdstand is why is Rachael Ray hyping this show when their is known fruad going on?.

Because unless you frequent coupon boards you would have no idea about the fraud. If not for the threads on the DIS boards I too would have no clue.

 

[tlbwriter]

What I can't underdstand is why is Rachael Ray hyping this show when their is known fruad going on?

Possibly the same reason ABC shows always hype Disney - I wouldn't be surprised if her show and the extreme coupon show were in the same media conglomerate.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Did you expect them to say they resell for profit?


http://www.jillcataldo.com/node/16170

thanks!
Wow! How does she even get away with it? When I go food shopping and go to the register with a stack of coupons and if when the coupon is scanned and it doesn't come off they go through the list on the receipt to find it and make sure the item is on there, no one has ever just keyed in for it to go through with out looking for it on the receipt.

she's a loser, she gets all decked out wearing her high end clothing and jewelry (which in a sense you could say she stole with all the fraudulent couponing) just to go grocery shopping? She looked like she was ready to go out on the town only to pull into Krogers or whatever.

And who would pay that cash to go to a workshop...another fee that is not associated with these shows, pouring $35 into a couponing workshop.

 

[pilferk]

well, as I see it.

I have been an avid couponer for 30 years. It is NOT possible to get free groceries every week nor is it possible to have a completely rounded diet free with coupons.

Yes, there are meat, dairy, produce coupons out there...but fewer and farther between than processed foods. You can save more on cleaning supplies, pet food and HBA than anything else.

As we see from the debacle this week regarding fraudulent couponing, it's just NOT possible to do LEGALLY.

It is, however, possible to trim your bill by 25-50% or more on good weeks while still providing a healthy diet to your family. Yes, I feed my family canned stuff sometimes and poptarts and even the occasional microwave burrito. I'm not asking your opinion...just stating a fact.

So...to all who are interested, take what you can from the couponers and save what you can. Every dollar saved is a dollar, right? The rest who don't want to...then DON'T. But stop passing judgement on everyone who is different than you. It's a big world...room for plenty of diversity.

ANd now...I'm off to eat an orange that i had to PAY for.

I agree.

Our household is "big" on couponing. But we also only clip/get what we use.

My wife is a stay at home mom (the single toughest job EVER, IMHO) and she works hard to make sure we're not eating much out of a can, or pre-packaged/prepped. Lots of produce, meat, and dairy (like....5 gallons of milk per week) goes into our cart every week..and there's not much in the way of coupons specifically for that stuff (though the "$ off your next grocery trip" coupons do help offset some of that").

We save somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% to 70% per week (between sales and coupons). We stock up on stuff that has long shelf life (H&B products, paper goods, cereal, etc) when it makes sense to do so. We do NOT have huge stockpiles of goods lining our house.

Our average grocery bill went from around $200 a week to just under $100 (this week, actually, it was just under $80).

Couponing works...but it's not a miracle. Yes, you can buy $500 worth of "stuff" and get it for $10. But you're probably not feeding your family, entirely, on that $500 worth of stuff...or, if you are, you won't be able to repeat the same "trick" next week because you'll have used all those "$ off your next shopping trip" and specialty coupons you've been saving up.

 

[pilferk]

My question is what store allows you to to 18 separate transactions?

Ours would...if it was a SYSTEM limitation (ie: we had more items and coupons than the register could scan without locking up).

They would NOT if we were doing it to get a better "deal". They'd make us run 18 separate people through the line...likely all with different courtesy cards.

We've done 2 separate transactions....My wife and I each have our own courtesy cards. If the deal was good enough, I might enlist friends to help us out...but I never have. I wouldn't expect the store to "count" me as 18 different people, though.

Quite frankly, that's how it should be.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

http://www.jillcataldo.com/node/16170

I watched those videos recently and as soon as I heard her say "$4 off any secret deodorant" I knew she was doing coupon fraud. The $4 coupon is always off the clinical strength secret. Same with the high value windex coupon.

Man I wish a cashier would just bust her and not put the coupons through when the register beeps. There was one cashier at my Target that would pull every item out of the bag and make sure the coupon was for that exact item, they need to transfer her to Jamie's local store!

 

[Jeff_G]

I suspect those involved in coupon fraud and airing it on Tv are going to get some unwelcome attention soon…
I believe the show will ultimately spawn big changes in the coupon industry, doubling is gone where I live.
The new GS1 data barcode rollout by June 30th will put an end to buying a different product then what the coupon was intended for…




What is coupon fraud?Coupon fraud occurs whenever someone intentionally uses a coupon for a product that he/she has NOT purchased or otherwise fails to satisfy the terms and conditions for redemption, when a retailer submits coupons for products they have not sold or that were not properly redeemed by a consumer in connection with a retail purchase; or when coupons are altered/counterfeited. These activities are almost always in violation of Federal, State or local laws.

Coupon fraud costs consumer product manufacturers hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

Coupon fraud also increases costs for consumers and makes it more difficult for honest consumers to legitimately use coupons.



Can I sell my extra coupons?No, there is no legitimate way to sell your unwanted coupons.

The sale or transfer of coupons is a violation of virtually all manufacturers’ coupon redemption policies. These policies are generally printed on the coupons or are available from the manufacturer upon request. Any sale or transfer voids the coupon.

Persons purchasing coupons have often been associated with organized criminal activities. They often purchase the coupons as one aspect of a scheme to defraud the coupon issuers/manufacturers, usually by seeking to redeem coupons without purchasing any products. Individuals selling coupons to such crime rings have been charged with and convicted of criminal violations.

What about selling "the service of clipping coupons" or an envelope that "just happens to contain coupons"?
Individuals selling or auctioning coupons often know that such sales and auctions are in violation of the terms and conditions of the coupons. As such, they may include an invalid disclaimer, such as, "I'm selling my time to clip the coupons, not the coupons themselves. Such disclaimers are invalid and do not provide any legal protection to either party. Such obviously invalid disclaimers merely serve to prove that the seller/auctioneer knows that their illicit coupon sales are inappropriate, wrong, and subject to civil and/or criminal penalties, depending on the situation.

Can I buy coupons?No, there are good reasons not to purchase coupons. In addition to being in violation of the manufacturers’ policies, it simply does not make sense to pay for something that is given away for free.

Coupons being sold on the Internet or by other means may be stolen property or counterfeit. Individuals attempting to use these coupons may be subject to prosecution.



What are the penalties for coupon fraud?Penalties for those convicted of coupon fraud related crimes vary by each case and the number of laws violated.


As of this date,
Longest prison sentence: 17 years
Highest financial penalty: $5 million
Prison sentences of three to five years are not uncommon. Financial penalties generally vary, but have often been in excess of $200,000.





What are the chances of conviction?Each case is unique and defendants must be considered innocent until proven guilty.
However ...
Not one defendant has been acquitted in a CIC related coupon fraud case since operations began in 1986


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