YOU In Bloom ~ Clip it to the Bank Poll
Which major chain has the most room for COUPON improvement?
Please let me know by participating in this poll….
[poll id=”3″]
I am going to send the store with the most votes a copy of the poll and letter of encouragement towards polishing their coupon policy and educating their cashiers on correct coupon use. The more of you that share your opinion, the better chances we have of actually making a difference…. SO VOTE!
*If you have a specific complaint, please add it to the comment section and I’ll try and tactfully include it in the letter. 🙂
Walmart~ Unless I know the cashier I always have a problem with my coupons. they almost always seem to think I’m pulling one over on them. The people that work there who know me, know I am a very honest person and would never cheat anyone.
I second this comment. I even had one cashier ask for my Drivers License to make sure that the coupon I was using was really me because it had my last name on it (you know those coupons you print or get in the mail with your name on them). The cashiers read everything and check every item. I feel like a criminal when I shop at their store. It is not worth the savings when you are treated like this. Last week I had 15 items and it took the cashier 45 minutes to check me out because she went through everything and read every detail on the coupon. It was so frustrating!
oh, that’s horrible! what a waste of time! sorry 🙁
I have the most problems with Target, but that is because I decided at the beginning of the year to never shop at Walgreens again. The location of the store is out of my way and the workers are not friendly or helpful. They have lost my business forever.
I love how the Kmart employees don’t even know about things like double coupon week
I hear you! I called two stores to ask about it and was told no. I went anyway, and darn if they weren’t doubling. It’s like they don’t want your business.
not sure if my vote got counted 🙁 i got a message that I had already voted but i just now saw it 🙁 anyway, Walmart gets my vote. it’s a pain using coupons there – today i had to wait and wait while the cashier read my whole coupon and then wouldn’t adjust it down 3 cent – the next coupon had to be verified w/ a csm before she could take it even though it scanned….. arrggh! i already go there as little as possible….
I love Rite Aids policy. Now, if they could just get their cashiers to understand it, life would be grand!
I dont really shop kmart much with coupons or cvs. Rite aid is great with me, and Target! I shop Walgreens all the time (almost daily), and they are really a pain with the coupons! Their cashiers are very uneducated about their policy, even the managers. I always get a look like Im stealing something when ever I use coupons in there, and more then half of the time a manager has to called to the register!! I even had a cashier tell me I couldnt use a coupon because the item was already on sale?? lol
In my area (NJ): Walgreen’s by far!! The last time I went there (last year!) I gave the cashier my coupons first. She rang everything up, rang up half the coupons, then returned the rest to me and told me I had too many coupons. That’s it! I argued with her, the manager was called, I was told I couldn’t use 2 register rewards, andI ended up having them take off the items they weren’t taking the coupons for. When I got home, I double checked the receipt and found they didn’t ring in some of the coupons they had taken. I returned EVERYTHING the next day and have not gone back since. by contrast, CVS and ShopRite cashiers are so knowledgable about their policies and have actually given me further information about deals. Everything I buy is not free, there is some OOP. I’d much rather give my cash to CVS and ShopRite. I will NEVER go to Walgreen’s again. You shouldn’t walk out of any store feeling like a criminal!
Walgreens is the worst! Their RR are bogus, as you cannot use them toward an item that you already have a coupon for. And you can’t use an RR on an order where you are to get more RR. Also, they will not accept coupons for over the face value of an item ($1 coupon on a $.99 item, even if you are paying taxes on that item). I’m told they cannot override….I have minor compliants w/ other retailers but most of those are due to cashiers, not their policy.
You can use a RR to get another product where you will get a new RR… provided it’s not the same exact item.
I don’t say this is good and this bad. i had vote for walmart. The main reason is no cashier is having knowledge about the coupons and their policies, not even the managers at all stores. All cashiers must get trained at stores and the thing i don’t like is they see like we are taking money from their pockets i hate this. If they are ought to see like that i hate those people.
*All employees in all stores must be trained about coupons and how to value customers*
I think it is a toss-up with the exception of CVS. Maybe send CVS a message as well, that their customers appreciate them!! My Walgreens is awful and Rite-Aid is worse. Target is difficult. Once I went into Rite-Aid to get items in the flier listed as 2/$12, found them on the shelf with the sales tag in front, and they rang up as $19.00 after I gave 2 $1.00 IPs. I showed the clerk in the flier the deal, we went to the shelf, and she said I got the wrong items. I pointed out that their sales tag was in front of these items, she pulled it off and walked back to the counter and threw it in the trash. I said I would like to return them and she gave me back my money. She refused to give me my coupons though, and a manager said they can’t give back coupons after they’ve been scanned. So I lost $2.00 just walking in there, and they gained $2.00 because they probably sent the coupons in for reimbursement. I never went back. I can get great deals with great service at CVS!
they should have given you the cash or atleast a gift card for the coupon. Thats what a knowledgable manager would have done. I have had that happen at several stores. Or I forget to give them the coupon and they just give me the money for the coupon. Especially Kroger. I love them!!
I second the fact that we should send CVS a customer appreciation message…they are always soo nice, knowledgeable and helpful at my CVS! If there’s a beep, they see what’s going on (i.e. what product I was buying and look at the coupon to verify) then push it through! I’ve never been given a hard time at CVS, and the one time I did accidentally use a coupon on the wrong item, the cashier was sooo gracious about it! I love shopping CVS!!
I have to agree CVS employees are great.
I almost wanted to vote for Target because I read so many comments from other people about the struggles they have at that store. My Target is wonderful when it comes to coupons, however.
I personally don’t like the whole register rewards program at Wags, which is my reason for voting for them. I would love to see them change it to a gift card type program, similar to what Target does. I would actually start shopping there again if they had a better program.
FYI, our area only has Walmart, Target and Wags. So, the other stores were not even voting options for me.
I would rather be grateful that consumers are allowed the opportunity to use coupons and save money on products. I would rather have the opportunity to say more about what stores do right than what needs improving. Yes, some stores could improve their coupons policy and educate their cashiers a little more but overall in the year I have been couponing seriously I have gotten some great deals and saved a bunch of money. For that I am very grateful. It has been a very difficult year financially and with Hip to Save and stores offering great deals I have been able to finance my grocery bills and holiday/birthday events so easily and pay off debt. I may even get to go on a small vacation with “rebate” money this summer!
I don’t like “entitlement” attitudes; I try to be positive with cashiers and stores; giving them credit for allowing me to shop at their store and giving me the opportunity to make such great deals. Most of the stores are nice to me and remember that I have been nice to them.
I vote everyone (including stores) can learn from past mistakes and make things better but I also vote that I appreciate all the wonderful deals and savings I have done in the past year due to stores taking coupons and allowing me as a consumer to use them (and credit to Hip to Save for posting them!)!
I agree that kindness and patience is the best way to go, but it should work both ways. My issue with the stores is that they should be happy that you are coming to their store and giving them money. There are plenty of other stores that we can go to. I agree that we should not feel entitled but I think that cashiers should be more gracious because if it wasnt for the consumer they would not have a job. I have been a cashier and there have been many times that I wanted to be rude but kept my mouth shut. You never know what the other person is going through and their life is just as important as yours.
I understand what you are saying about the gratitude thing. But when it feels like they are deliberately trying to make your life miserable (when you know you aren’t doing anything wrong according to their policy) and they make an honest person feel like a criminal…that is when I draw the line. I am usually still polite, but it is definately strained. I usually ask for the supervisor and talk to them, but the cashier is just doing what they are told. It is management that should get the heat from us if it comes to that point. They can either fix the problem or not…but it is in their hands to do so, not the poor cashier that doesn’t know.
I really is not an “entitlement” attitude. The manufactures/stores have given coupons to be used. The stores have policies covering the use of coupons. This means they allow coupons or they would not need the policies. All anyone is asking is that the stores uphold the policies that are already in place.
I have problems almost every time I go to Wal-mart with coupons. The attitudes of the employees range from hurtful to discouraging. I often automatically hear, “We don’t take these,” about coupons from the manufacturer with another company’s logo on it. Sometimes I can get an CSM who knows the drill but often even they don’t know the company’s policies. Because of the problems I have had I now avoid Wal-Mart at all costs, which is a shame, because they often have the lowest prices on many things. But I’m willing to pay a couple cents more to not be treated like I am trying to rip someone off or take money right out of their paycheck when I try to use a coupon!
This must be a new thing that they are all doing because I heard this several times in the last month or so from Wally world employees…Whats up with that?
Target has been the worst for me. Their cashiers definitely need more training on coupon usage. I had problems getting them to take another manf coupon while using a buy one get one free coupon. I tried to explain it to them, but they refused to take it. They also don’t want to take a coupon for a trial size when the coupon says “any”. I don’t go there much because it’s just such a hassle.
I agree!!! 100%..The Target I shop at has refused to accept coupons for trial sizes when the coupon clearly states “any”. I have also had trouble with Manufacturing BOGO coupons in combination with Target issued coupons (stacking). The cashiers and supervisor had little understanding of the coupon policy.. and lacked greatly in the friendliness department..
Ugh, BOGO at Target – one of my personal top reasons for voting for Target in this poll. Honestly, it’s clearly spelled out at Rite Aid, so why can’t Target get on the bandwagon. If Target issues a BOGO coupon for, say, 20-oz bottles of Diet Coke from the fridge in the cashier area, and I also use a free mfr coupon for a 20-oz Diet Coke (from the Coke Rewards program), I should get 2 bottles of Diet Coke free – and I have with no problem at Rite Aid. But not at Target, and I tried different cashiers, different orders of handing the coupons over, etc. The store coupon says I get a free bottle for “buying” a bottle; and I’m “buying” one of the bottles with the manufacturer’s coupon – the store will still get the $1.49 for the one I’m “buying” but from Coke instead of straight from my wallet. Target ends up with the same $1.49. But no, absolutely not, and getting managers involved never does any good either. Some TRAINING might help.
Then there’s the cashiers’ refusal to adjust down in spite of the policy. They say everything from “the register won’t let me” to “you can’t get something for free – it’s not allowed.” I HATE shopping at Target with coupons, and I’m not trying to do anything incorrect.
Target is the worst! I hope we can make a difference in how they handle there coupon policy!
WALGREENS because you have to have one product for each item which defeats the purpose of combining manufacturers/store coupons. The first time this happened to me and I didn’t know about the policy, the cashier didn’t explain to me why the last coupon wouldn’t go through. She just handed it back to me saying it wouldn’t scan and she didn’t know why. If only I knew all I had to do was grab a 25 cent piece of candy for the coupon to go through…
This is why CVS is and will always be my favorite store of choice! I never have problems there and most of the time, the “pay” me to shop there!
It seems to me that the biggest problem is that cashiers/employees don’t know the coupon policy of the store and aren’t taught the ins and outs of using coupons. Things would be very different if cashiers knew!!!!! (I at least wish it was required of managers to know.) I also wish stores wouldn’t fuss over the overage so much. I called Target a while back and the person I talked to said that even though they adjust down the coupons they are still getting the money back from the manufacturer for the full value of the coupon!!!! If they’re so worried about us coming back to the store, then give us the overage and we’ll come back for sure!!!! I wish every coupon policy said something like, “If the coupon exceeds the value of the item, then as long as you buy other items from our store in the same transaction that are equal to or exceed the remaining value of the coupon the value will be applied to those other items. Otherwise the value of the coupon will be adjusted down as we don’t give cash back.” (I was trying to use good grammer. Hope I did…)
Good luck!! Hope the store that gets the most votes will take a good look. Thanks for doing this and for all the other wonderful things you do, Collin!!
“If the coupon exceeds the value of the item, then as long as you buy other items from our store in the same transaction that are equal to or exceed the remaining value of the coupon the value will be applied to those other items. Otherwise the value of the coupon will be adjusted down as we don’t give cash back.”
That would be EXCELLENT!
I do not shop at Wal-mart. My WM does not understand the ‘one coupon per purchase.’ They interpret it as one coupon per transation. It is a nightmare… They make you do multiple transactions…. I have spoke with lead cashiers, the assistant manager, the store manager. UGH. Even though they are right next to my house, I refuse to shop there after several bad trips.
I would have to say ‘WALGREENS’! I was in the other day and purchased 2 bottles of Zrytec and the cashier told me I could only use one coupon because the coupon said ‘One coupon per item’…I mean really, I tried to explain that I couldn’t use that coupon twice but I had a coupon for each Zrytec.
My CVS did the same thing- even the manager seemed to think I couldn’t use 2 of the same coupons on 2 of the same items. So silly…. I pulled out every one of my coupons to show him the difference between a “purchase” and a “transaction” to no avail. CVS is usually pretty good too……
Yesterday I had an encounter at Target with a cashier who told me “It has to be one of the items in the picture.”
I know that cashiers (especially at Target lately) are just being cautious, but it would take a load off of their minds to know that the picture doesn’t mean anything as long as the words say “ANY”
Sometimes a cashier at Target might not know the policy but CS or a sup that assists does.
Now at Walmart NO one seems to know what an internet coupon is and how to use it.
Rite Aid in my area seems to be the best with coupons.
Kmart seems to be pretty good too.
So far, my worst experience with coupons has been with Walmart. It was not that bad really, but enough to make me weary of using coupons there. I have only been couponing since the end of March, and around then I did my first “deal” with some coupons at Walmart. The cashier saw that I was going to use internet coupons, and without a word she turned and left her register and went to talk to another associate. I heard the other associate tell her, “…if they scan you can take them.” When my cashier returned, she was still acting strange, but she took my coupons. I asked her if there was an issue, and she said, “Sometimes we take internet coupons and sometimes we don’t. I just needed to make sure I could take these.”
Obviously there is a big communication error somewhere when the cashier is that confused, and corporate needs to make a bigger effort to train their managers, so that they can then better train their employees on their coupon policy.
Agree with everything that I’ve read about Wal-Mart- they need help in a big way! Cashiers are either not trained coupon policies or are trained to be rude and distrustful, I guess. It is always such a hassle to use coupons at my WalMart. I stand in line dreading the inevitable delay and/or disagreement that a simple coupon will cause.
Walgreens is by far the worst! Every coupon I use beeps and they will not allow the B1G1 and $1 off coupons together. I can NEVER do that Reach toothbrush deal without major problems. The managers are just as ignorant as the salespeople when it comes to coupons. They won’t adgust down their coupons and the RR is rediculous. I end up only getting .40 from my $1 RR because I have to find a filler. One Walgreens I went to told me they didn’t accept ANY internet coupons- BOGUS. They lack a corporate coupon policy and leave it up to the individual stores which is confusing for managers employees and customers. I hate Walgreens. Unless it’s something I HAVE to have, I don’t bother even shopping there. AND when I DO go there (like last night for Stride gum), they’re out of the items I want. BOO WALGREENS.
I have to say Target, by a landslide. I never shop at Walmart because I disagree with their business practices and I do shop at all the other stores in the poll and while I have had occasional troubles with coupons, in the end it has always worked out for me at those stores. Target, on the other hand, their cashiers don’t even want you to use coupons. They don’t know how to enter them so they just invent reasons not to take them. I recently had an incident in which I had several free item coupons for Boca burger products that I got from House Party so I could purchase the food to throw the party. The coupons would cover up to $4 and Target was the only store I could find that had the products for less than $4 so I went there. When I got to the register I explained that I had a lot of free item coupons and the cashier nodded but when it came time to enter the coupons she looked at them and asked me how I got so many coupons for free items. I told her about house party and she looked at me like I was crazy. She called the manager over and they were whispering, though not quietly, about the coupons and insinuating that I must have stolen them (they obviously couldn’t accuse me of forgery or copying them because they had the little foil seal thingy) because there was no way a company would give someone so many coupons for free items. Then they told me they would only take one coupon (I was buying 8 products and have 15 guests to serve the next day!). I said, okay, well then I will do multiple transactions. The manager said she would not allow that so I told them to cancel my transaction, which also had about $100 worth of other stuff in it, and started to walk away from my cart. The manager started complaining to the cashier that they would have to throw the frozen burgers away because it violated some health code or something because they didn’t know how long I’d had them out of the freezer. She said loudly, with the intent for me to hear, that I had cost their store a lot of money and that she should just call the police since I obviously was trying to get away with not paying for my groceries. Other people in the store were staring at me and I actually started crying. I’ve done a lot of couponing but never have I been treated like that. If Target does “win” this poll, you can tell them that this happened at the San Diego, CA store on Balboa and Genessee. I only purchase non coupon items at Target now and will never step foot in that location again.
By the way, I went straight over to the Ralph’s next door (owned by Kroger) and they took them no problem although I had to pay $.29 for each item because the coupon would only cover up to $4.
That is awful! I’m so sorry that happened to you… I hope you sent corporate an email or called them!!! That is unacceptable behavior of the cashier/manager’s part.
I voted Walgreens for sure! The cashier treated me like I was personally stealing from her when I wanted to use a coupon on a buy one get one free item. I was so upset! I drive right past it now to get to another store I shop at more often. I have recently had problems with Smith’s but loved them until only the last month. Walmart and Target have always been great to me with taking my coupons, maybe a little annoyed that I have so many but have never given me a problem. The store I think should get the most credit for customer service and acceptance of coupons is Albertsons, that is before they closed in my area. 🙁
Walmart cashiers smile and greet you so well when they scan your items. So friendly. But the minute you hand over your coupons, they give that ‘you are stealing’ look which i hate. I avoid WM totally because of this. Its such a sad store!
I chose CVS due to the fact that the morning mgr. wanted to know where I got my coupons from, thats ok I thought she wanted to do this deal. No that wasn’t the case she said that coupon.com is a fraudulent site all the coupons are illegal!! So she wouldn’t take any coupons from this site, thank goodness my coupons were from the websites for each item. Guess I won’t be shopping in the morning any longer!!
My vote was for Target, hands down the worst in my area.
Is Shopko not a national chain? They get my vote. They looked at my internet printables and informed me they don’t take them (like they were dirty). . . . . . . . but next to them, I think Walmart, although I haven’t done much with them.
It is not a complaint rather a suggestion. Rite Aid has the best coupon policy in my humble opinion and I think you should do a poll for the best as well and send that along too. Maybe even provide a copy of the coupon policy of the winning store to provide a guideline for the losing store. That is what I would very much like to see happen with Walgreens.
I agree – Rite Aid’s coupon policy is the best in terms of stacking and BOGOs and is the most clearly spelled out IMO. It would be wonderful if the other stores adopted the same policy and then educated all employees on it (and provided a copy at each register). It would be a dream using coupons then!
This isnt really fair bc EVERY store is diff. I personally have had more issues at Walmart, but
the other walmart nearby has never given me an issue. Same w/ CVS.. 1 location is awesome & doesnt blink an eye, while the other store gives me greef on every other visit depending on what im buying.
I see a lot of votes on here for Target but my Target is SO awesome when
it comes to coupons.. In fact the cashiers praise me for saving so much money & often ask
where I get my ‘steals’ from.
I think instead of writing a discouraging letter we should praise
those that allow us to get these great deals.
I always have the biggest hassle with Target. Most of their cashiers have no idea that you can stack the manny and their store coupon. Such a pain, especially since it’s one of my favorite stores.
Wal-Mart – I tried to price match cereal using a sale flyer. I was able to get the price matched but couldn’t use a coupon on the item. The manager said that the “deal” they were giving me was the price match and that they couldn’t do the match-up and accept a coupon. I did not buy the items and told him I would go to the other store, get the sale price, and use my coupons. Which I did!
Walmart gets my vote…! I have yet to be able to use a coupon for a product that is less than the amount of the coupon (i.e. BBQ sauce is $0.97 but coupon is for $1.00). This has become a pain as I typically price match other grocery store advertisements at Walmart. They will not adjust the coupon down… I have tried to email corporate, as well as the Walmart I use without any return email.
I have also ran into issues with using internet coupons where they scan at Walmart but the amount of the coupon was never adjusted off of the bill even though they did not beep in the system…so watch your receipts!
I have yet to see a formal policy from Walmart explaining overage type of scenarios, so if nothing else, that would be a huge accomplishment if they could get a policy around that!
Rite Aid: hands down, the best coupon policy compared to most of the drugstores. Although, I agree with Bethany that most cashiers and sometimes managers who are not fully aware/knowledgeable of their policy.
Target: This store is always a hit or miss for me. Sometimes cashiers won’t say anything about “one item per purchase” sometimes even the managers don’t allow it. Then I take my time to call corporate and get the situation cleared…Also, Target corporate should implement a better coupon policy regarding stacking of coupons, BOGO, and “one per purchase”.
WALMART: By far is the worst place to shop in my area if you’re a couponer. Cashiers only take one coupon per item, Managers alike don’t know the difference between “per transaction” and “per purchase” Oh, and the most popular excuse: “Someone got fired because he scanned all the coupons” or “I can’t take it if it beeps!” You can’t use $1.00 off coupon for a $0.97 item, I can’t adjust the price or I’ll get fired!” Oh and the most popular one, ” I can’t allow this, you can’t take it somewhere!”
WALGREENS & CVS: I’ve been fortunate enough to get a couple of these drugstores who are fully aware of the coupon system. Thank God! How fun would it be to save money otherwise within my area 😀 I’ve got no complaints on these two but I do know that 4 out of the 6 Walgreens within my area are more strict than my favorites.. More like “YMMV.”
Overall, All stores mentioned should educate their cashiers that “manufacturer coupons” are “manufacturer coupons” even if it has a TARGET Logo on it.
Thanks Collin 🙂
I agree with that! Even though it has a Target logo, it still says “manufacturers” coupons and I always have to explain to the cashier at Meijer, etc that it’s NOT just a Target coupon. Show them the words “manufacturers” and the small print w/the address as to where to mail the coupon for reimbursement.
I have a love hate relationship with Walgreens. I love that you can keep going back and getting things but I hate that you cant use a reg reward with a coupon. I would much rather them have a card system like CVS. I cant stop shopping at Walgreens though because I get too many freebies.
Definitely Target for me. Most of it is the cashiers’ attitudes! One time I had a cashier go, “TSK. TSK.” when I went to use a coupon for a trial size. I think it was for the NexCare bandages. I told her that it didn’t specify anything about not using it on a trial size. That’s when she “tsked” and looked at me like I was the most deplorable human being she had ever seen. Other times, cashiers just don’t put the coupon through and don’t say anything about it. Crazy.
Walgreens! So much stress with having to hand them the coupons in a certain order so that they go thru w/o the register beeping, having to be mindful of what you use the RR’s on. It’s just such a hassle that I have stopped shopping there.
Me too.
Walmart gets my vote: I’ve had a manager at the local walmart tell me that my coupon was fraudulent because manufacturer’s coupons can’t be printed online..and yes the coupon was printed in color and was for the correct item. But the most frustrating thing about Wal-mart is that you never really know what you’re going to get…very inconsistent training on Wal-mart’s coupon policy..or no training at all.
Walmart: On MULTIPLE occasions, I have noticed price jumps in items at the same time coupons are released. For example, travel (16 ct) cases of Huggies wipes were $0.97. I had and used a $1 off any Huggies product coupon and initially I was told I could not use it and they could not adjust the coupon amount down. The cashier told me “no”, I stayed and stood my ground so she called over another cashier who told me “no”, I demanded a manager. The CSM showed up and said, “Uhhhh, I don’t think so there Hun! You would be getting the item for free!” She then lectured me about how ‘people like me’ cause so many problems and so much more work for her. They made me feel like a criminal. I went home and called the Assistant Manager who told me they were all completely wrong and that I should come right back in. I returned the next day to discover that instead of training the employees, the price of the wipes had jumped a full 28 cents over night. I find it an astonishing coincidence that the employees were so mad about me getting something for no out of pocket cost and then the item price jumps almost 33% overnight! I didn’t get the item at that point and pasted the CSM from the previous day grinning from ear to ear making eye contact with me on my way out. She clearly felt she had ‘won’. It shouldn’t be a battle. I have had other cashiers say things like “it is ridiculous that people like you think you can come in here and get something for nothing!” The jealousy is astounding. I have had them refuse to take pdf format coupons almost every time I have tried to use them. A cashier dug out one used by a previous customer and showed me the numbers were the same. She then accused me of fraud and told me I should be arrested. I tried to explain that pdf format coupons ALL have the same upc type numbers, but she told me to leave and that I “should be banned because what you are doing is no better than stealing!” I must say, I have used coupons at other Walmart locations with no problems. I can walk into my local store, however, with 10 coupons cut out of the Sunday paper…..not even printed, and I know with out a doubt I will be given a hard time. I had 10 manufacturer coupons cut out of the paper and the cashier told me, “Where did you get ten of these?” I told her that shouldn’t matter. She said, ” I wanna know! I won’t scan these until I know where you got them.” I told her the paper and she said, “Then how did you get so many?! How could one person get so many? I can’t take these, it is too suspicious.” I had to call a manager to get the coupons scanned! (Belleville, IL Walmart Store)
Walmart is very coupon unfriendly. I actually had to ask a cashier to give me a coupon back because the computer wouldn’t accept it. There was nothing wrong with the coupon (I used it at Kroger who is very coupon friendly), but she was going to leave it in the stack of accepted ones. As others have stated they will not let you use 2 identical coupons for 2 identical products. If you have 2 coupons for something, but the numbers on the bar code are different sometimes you can, but not always. Some Wal-mart stores won’t accept BOGO coupons either.
You know, so many people have been saying something along the lines of “cashiers act like we are taking money right out of their pockets!!!” This brings up an interesting question: I realize cashiers aren’t necessarily compensated on the store’s revenue, but maybe the managers are? Maybe they are drilling all these “rules” on their cashiers because they need to keep their post-coupon revenue (or revenue per transaction) high? I know it’s not fair, and of course it does not justify their behavior, but I wonder if this is true. Any managers out there that can confirm/deny this? I work in HR Compensation for a major company (not a grocery/drugstore retailer) and often our managers are paid a bonus on these types of metrics. Just food for thought…. And maybe something you can bring up in your letter, Collin.
worked at Target for 9 years in the cash office….managers there don’t get revenue from coupons. Just FYI.
meaning they are incentivized to NOT take coupons? Or it doesnt matter either way?
I only have Walgreens, Target and WalMart locally, but my vote would have to be for Walgreens.
I used to work for a chain drug store where there was no corporate coupon policy and it was a mess. It was up to each individual manager to decide whether or not to accept a coupon. If they said no for any reason, often the customer would call or email corporate and the manager would get an angry call from the District Manager saying that they couldn’t refuse coupons. Then, at the next inventory or quarterly sales meeting, they would get slammed for accepting coupons because it meant that the stores were losing money. It’s sad to see that while competition is stiff and major chains need to do all that they can to keep their customers, they are not willing to help their own cause by 1) educating their own employees (district managers at that!); 2) creating a policy and sticking to it. It would improve their customer service (I’m much happier being able to know in advance what a store’s coupon policy is and can print it out and take it with me if there is a problem), and would allow the employees to feel confidant accepting coupons, or saying no to a customer who is voilating their policy.
All that being said, if Walgreens had some sort of a formal/corporate coupon policy, then at least half of the problems I have had (and I’ve read that others have had) wouldn’t ever happen. I would be a much happier Walgreens shopper and I’m sure my local Walgreens employees would be happier too.
Colin, I like this idea – these companies need to know that there are people out there with valid complaints and concerns. I also agree that maybe you would do a poll on which stores/chains have an awesome coupon policy and/or highly educated employees. That would go a long way to validate what I’m sure seems to many like a bunch of people whining and complaining.
I voted for Walgreens. I’ve never had a problem with the cashiers there, I think they are just so nice and friendly here, but the stupid policy that you cannot use more coupons than the number of items is ridiculous. I shop CVS far more often because of that. That really should change, or at a minimum exclude the RRs from that policy.
On a message forum im on a lady called walgreens and they told her flat out we dont have a coupon policy just some guidelines. I think thats a little bit rediculous
I voted for Target. I would love to see them allow overage with coupons. I don’t understand why they won’t…they still get all of the money from the manufactures.
I voted for Target. It seems that being coupon friendly is not something Target cashiers are encouraged to do, even though Target encourages coupon use through its website, mailers, etc. I wish Target would realize that they have many shoppers (myself included) that really WANT to shop there (I drive out of my way to do most of my grocery shopping there). However, having a negative experience every time I go through the check-out line is enough to make me choose another primary grocery store (and that’s hard to do because I really do love Target!). Thank you for taking the time to conduct this poll and improve couponing for all of us!
Walgreens is HORRIBLE! I have yet to have a good couponing experience w/ them so… CVS on the other hand is FABULOUS! I agree w/ another comment, they should get a Thank You call 🙂
Target has been a major problem lately for me. We have a love-hate relationship. I love the deals I can get at Target with coupons and without, especially clearance items. I love all the store coupons they put out and the fact that we can combine them with manufacturer coupons for a greater discount. I love the atmosphere and for the most part the employees are usually helpful and pleasant.
I have a problem with they way I am being treated by cashiers when I am using coupons. I feel they are not properly trained and as a cashier you should be familiar with all aspects of the register. I shouldn’t know more than you and be guiding you through the coupon scanning process. I feel that I am being targeted and watched closer when I come with any coupons. I had a really nice cashier who was scanning my coupons just fine and this other employee comes up and stands right by him checking every coupon he was scanning and looking up each item on the screen to make sure I was actually buying the products. Now how does that make me feel when I am being treated like I am a dishonest person in front of employees and other customers, pretty crappy and really angry. I also have a HUGE problem with the fact that Target adjusts coupons down. There is no way that when these coupons are sent in that they check the actual price that the product sold for. They just scan them and probably make sure the item is sold at the store. I don’t know for sure how the whole thing happens when I give my coupons, but I don’t feel it’s right that Target is making money off of my coupons. I know I should be glad they do that in the first place, but now with all the issues I am having at Target, I am not happy to be making money for them.
For me, Target is the best place to use coupons. They always have a large selection of their own coupons to stack with manufacturer’s coupons. I really love that they have a sign posted at each register that they will gladly accept a store coupon and a manu. coupon for each item. If a coupon doesn’t scan correctly, the cashier just pushes it through with no problem or hassle. I love Target!