Part 5 in a 9 part series about Couponing for Beginners explains about where to find and how to respect a store’s coupon policies.
This post used to be all squished up with how to avoid coupon fraud but it was just so much. Too much for one post, so I made it two! Don’t forget to check out the other posts in our Couponing for Beginners Series before you come back and dive into this one!
This bit about store policies will be quick. I promise. I’ve seen lots of blogs and couponers say they print a copy of the policy out and keep it with them whenever they shop. This is not something I have ever done and I don’t see myself doing this in the future. I have never, ever run into a problem so fierce I had to whip out a policy and prove that I’m right. And, in my opinion, those kinds of right fighters are annoying.
That’s not to say I won’t stand there for an extra 5 or 10 minutes to sort out a problem if the cashiers are agreeable and want to help me fix my issue. But I will not stand there in line and argue with someone to the point where managers are being called and policies are being waved around and I’m leaving with my stuff or else! But my face is also beet red and I’m so embarrassed I’ll probably never shop there again. Don’t be that person. I’m begging you.
That’s the end of my soap box moment. Back to coupon policies. They are commonly found on a store’s website. If you can’t find it, email the company, and more often than not they’ll send you a copy either in the mail, via email, or through a link where you can find it online. Read it, embrace it, follow it. And by all means ask lots and lots and lots of questions! I ask other couponers questions, I ask bloggers questions, I ask the customer service department at my store questions. It never hurts to ask and it’s a lot easier than hoping you’re doing it right and being embarrassed at checkout when you find out you’re not. At least I get embarrassed when my checkout goes wrong and it’s my fault. I hope I’m not alone. Right? Anybody?
Ahem. Policies are pretty self-explanatory, especially if you know all about transactions and how to read a coupon. So you guys are all set! As an example here is Target’s coupon policy. Easy peasy right? At the top it tells you how Target allows you to use coupons in their stores and then it tells you what types of things it excludes. See how the very first exclusion has the phrase “void if…sold”? Food for thought.
Target allows coupon stacking which we talk about here where we go more in depth with multiple transactions and stacking coupons.
Thank you guys so much for hanging with me today. It tickles me pink to know that I can help at least one person learn how to coupon and save money! Go forth and coupon, my friends!
Have you ever had a problem using or understanding a coupon? What do you think your biggest struggle is with couponing? Let me know in the comments below!
