I’ve seen several posts lately by other bloggers that have really gotten me worked up. Posts that not only show examples of, but actually encourage fraudulent use of coupons! As a long time couponer, I’ve seen the effects of fraudulent and over the top coupon use. About 20 years ago it was Kroger’s policy to only double or triple one like coupon per transaction. On occasion my mother would have me push an extra cart and she would load it with the items she wanted an extra double or triple on. I would go in front of her at the register and would pay with the envelope she gave me of coupons and a few bucks in cash. That gave our family 2 double/triples – not 20 or 40 like you’ve seen people do on TV.
Then over time as the economy strengthened.and coupon use began to dwindle, Kroger relaxed on their policy, making my help at the register unnecessary. Nearly 20 years later history is repeating itself. In April, Kroger announced no more double/triple Qs in the Houston area. Then in September, the same for the entire state of Texas. Why? I believe it’s because of extreme couponers who take too much advantage of the double/triple benefit, as well as fraudulently using coupons.
Just because you see a coupon deal published on a blog or website doesn’t mean you should trust the deal. Look at your coupons yourself- they are regional and there may be differences. Do the products shown on the blog match the item/size requirements on your coupon? We’re all human and can make mistakes, but as the person doing the shopping you are responsible for your actions. If you’re using a coupon for a product it’s not intended for, the cashier isn’t likely to care what blogger said you could use it. He / she will only care that you are trying to use an invalid Q.
Please take a moment and read over a couple of posts I’ve written previously on this topic.
Just because a coupon scans doesn’t mean it’s valid, or not expired.
When you redeem a coupon, it becomes legal tender. That means there are legal ramifications if you use them illegally.
Also, stores sometimes try to fool you when it comes to the sizing of items in the ad. So be careful when price matching.
Let’s all work together to make sure that we’re not abusing a system that is currently to our advantage. None of us wants to see coupons disappear, but at this rate of fraudulent use (and encouragement of fraudulent use) it’s headed that direction. I’d hate to see the day that we can only use 1 like coupon per shopping trip, period!
Great post! Most sites I read are on the up and up, but sometimes it seems like people are trying to get away with stuff, and definitely in that Extreme Couponing show. I hate that! It ruins things for the rest of us, and has had a big impact on our grocery budget. We aren’t extreme couponers or stockpilers, just trying to survive with kids on a budget, so it stinks for people like that to mess up a good thing by taking advantage. Thanks for this post on integrity!
Thanks, Kiki! I see it sort of like gobbling up all the cookies from the cookie jar. Sure they were great while you ate them, but you had to wait a whole week for there to be more. Some people just assume that they can run while with something and it will never end. They won’t like the day the manager meets them at the door and tells them the cookie jar has been broken. LOL
Thank you for such a great write up. I have been absolutely livid the past few weeks over the blatant coupon fraud that some bloggers are writing up. It’s truly shameful. I could name several websites off the top of my head, but for now, I’ll keep my mouth shut. I’m a firm believer that what goes around, comes around and if we can spot it… so can fraud investigators. 😉