The POWER of One Voice!!
Unfortunately, many of the emails that I receive from Hip2Save readers discuss frustration, anger and disappointment over a recent shopping trip to a local grocery or drug store. Most times, the reader has taken the time to organize his/her coupons, has meticulously scoured the store for clearance items and “hidden” deals, and then arrives at the cash register filled with excitement over how much money will be saved. This is where the story frequently changes from sweet to sour 🙁 . Many readers have emailed about arriving at the cash register only to discover that the store will not accept any internet coupons, refuses to accept coupons for an item not pictured on the coupon, refuses to accept coupons for trial size items when the coupon does not exclude these items…the list goes on and on and on! So frustrating and most of us just admit defeat and leave angry and hopeless!
For this reason, I had to share with you this great story from one of my readers, Kelly…
*Here is the first email that I received from Kelly:
I got a nasty surprise when at Wal-Mart tonight. Check out the attached photo. The cashier said they are not price matching or taking any computer printed coupons at all anymore. Sigh. Have you seen this? I will be calling corporate or whatnot tomorrow to see if it is nationwide or just my store being silly.
2nd email from Kelly (4 days later):
I heard back from Wal-Mart. The assistant manager of my store called me back, giving me some sob story about how they are losing $1000/day on printed coupons, etc.
He was saying that people were making free xbox coupons and they were being redeemed, etc. Which I find odd because the registers are Wal-Mart are particularly picky about high value coupons to begin with.
He said that he misread the “we do not match online pricing” to mean they didn’t accept online printed coupons as well. He said he has since been corrected on proper policy and all the posted signs have been removed from the store. Yay I win! I just think it was sad that they were up for weeks before I visited the store and noticed them. At least they have been removed now.
WAY TO GO, KELLY!! I LOVE VICTORY STORIES!
Please share your own personal victory stories in the comment section below. I’d love to hear them and I’m sure other readers would too!
My hubby and I had a horrid experience at a local store last weekend. I called the manager today to let him know we would not shop there anymore. He was upset that his employees gave wrong information, overcharged us on one item and didn’t take some computer coupons that they should have. Long story short, he said they will address the issues at a store meeting and asked that we give them another chance. To encourage us to give them another chance he gave us a $50 gift card. The experience was BAD, but $50 is a great way to see if they correct the problems.
There was another blogger saying the same thing happened to her at Walmart this weekend. I wonder if she got anywhere with her Walmart, or got an answer back from corporate? The manager she talked to wouldn’t give her his last name because she said her was going to broadcast it on the couponing blogs–and write corporate about “their new policy”.
Usually the managers photo’s and names are posted either by customer service, the entrance/exit, or by where you pick up online orders. If a manager of a store won’t give me their name, I usually ask for the district manager’s contact info and then I call them right then. That gets their attention.
Get this, I went to Walmart this weekend to get White Cloud TP. Handed the coupons to the cashier, and she said that they were fake. I told her to look a little closer and that they state “only redeemable at Walmart”. She accussed me of printing my own coupon. I told her off for making slanderous accussations and told her she needed better training. I was too tired to wait for a manager/head clerk and was too ticked to argue any more and just left all my other groceries/clothes.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, isn’t White Cloud sold exclusively at Walmart? I thought it was kinda like their generic TP because I’ve never seen it anywhere other than Walmart.
You go girl!
Has anyone had a problem with Walmart not taking coupons that are more than the cost of the product?? The last time that I went, this happened over several things. The Scotch coupon for instance was one dollar off, and the sponge was .88 cents. It beeped and the cashier said that they couldnt take it because it was more than the actual product. Im extremely annoyed. I live in a fairly small town (Crossville, TN), and we only have one Walmart. The option to go to another would be pointless considering its thirty miles away. To me its ridiculous because our coupons are just as good as cash. Better actually considering they get a little extra. Im now worried to even try and buy trial sizes, .99 cents with a dollar off coupon will probably cause the dreaded BEEP! I am so annoyed. Ive never had a problem with my Walmart. Thank god Ive not had a hard time using printables.. yet anyway.
Honestly, I’ve had very little problems with the clerks. I’m a naturally friendly person, and so I act that way with the cashier…asking about their day and such (not because I’m trying to suck up), but to try to lift them up and be interested in them because really, I would never want their job.
My advice is never to go if you are in an irritated or bad mood; and try to go without kids. A few times if they’ve questioned a coupon I just say….ummm….why don’t you just try scanning and see if it works….if it doesn’t……9 times out of ten they’ve punched it in like $2.00 off manually. I think they have power to do it…but might not if we aren’t pleasant.
What a blessing we have to find out about these great coupons! Maybe we could all be a little more tolerable to the “uneducated” clerks…and more grateful for all the times the coupons have worked! 🙂
I used the Scotch Brite coupon the last two weeks. They are .84 for the singles at the Walmart I shop at. The first week the cashier had the CSM come over and he had her run it at .84 – they can push them through. The second week I just told the cashier that we pushed them through the prior week at .84 mfg coupon and she just went ahead and did it, did not have to wait for a CSM. Typically things go smoothly for me at Walmart only one time I had a problem and I called corporate and the manager of that store called back and apologized and said he would educate the cashiers. It was a b1g1 deal and I had another q for the one I was buying.
Program the Wal-Mart 800 number on your cells!! I went in this past month to use those Rayovac coupons, and they refused to scan them, because they were internet printed coupons. Something about not having the third bar code on the top right hand corner or something of that sorts. I asked my cashier to call a manager, which she did, but they called one of those front end people. She denied it without even trying to scan. Same story, they are getting ripped off…my coupon was a fake…blah, blah, blah.
Luckily I had the corperate number on my cell, and called right from the store. Reported my issue, let them know I had a copy of the coupon policy with me, and gave them the info off of my coupon. I received a call from their store manager this weekend, letting me know she was sorry about my experience, and to please come back with my coupons. She said if I ever have any issues using my coupons to let the cashier know she had already approved them, and they would pass them thru! Now I wouldn’t go calling for any little thing, like you dislike the lighting in the store, but when you would like a coupon friendlier Wal-Mart, it makes all the difference!
I just had a similar experience at walmart, they refused a Catilina coupon from me saying it was only good at the retailer I got it from even though it is marked manufacturer coupon and has a remit address. I showed them the coupon policy but the front end person they called over said this walmart never accepts anything but newspaper insert coupons and that is their store policy. I called corporate and they were non commital saying a store manager has the right to refuse any coupons, but they would escalate the complaint and call me back within three business days with an explaination.
Does anyone know if walmart accepts Catalina’s that are printed out at another store????
I very rarely shop at Wal-Mart because of the problems with coupons and their horrible service. I have heard so many different stories from them with their coupon policy it makes my head spin. The last time I went was over a month ago. They were advertising lower prices. So I thought what the heck I’ll give it a try. #1 everything that I buy the price went up #2 when I got to the register the lady told me that they will not take my computer printed coupons beacuse they were printed in black and white. I looked at her and told her I would be more than happy to print my coupon in color when your company pays for the color ink. I walked away and left all the items I had at the register.
I found that I get better deals at other drug stores and grocery stores. I worked for a union grocery store for 20 years and was always told not to shop at Wal-Mart. Well guess what? It took them to beat me down to listen to that union. I absolutley refuse to go to Wal-Mart anymore. I will go to Target. Maybe a few cents more but worth every penny.