Unfortunately, this Kroger is right down the road from my house. Well about 15 minutes away. Really people? Pull your crap together and stop RUINING everything for the rest of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t often freak out about something, it is a gift I have from raising 7 kids, I have pretty much seen it all. I manage to be calm in the face of extreme vomiting or exploding diapers. But, when it comes to taking money away from my family, which is what people who commit coupon fraud do, I start freaking out!
I made a few comments in red.
From the Chron. HUMBLE, Texas – Four former Kroger employees are accused of taking cash payments from customers to accept and process worthless coupons.
Cory Lester, Traveon Boyd and Latrisha Wilkerson, who were working as cashiers at the time, and Krystal Cormier, who was working as a manger, have all been charged with aggregate theft.
Investigators said the incidents occurred from July 20, 2011, through October 16, 2011, at the Kroger in the 19600 block of Highway 59.
According to court documents, the worthless coupon discounts cost Kroger nearly $70,000.
Investigators said a Kroger loss prevention officer informed them of the alleged activity.
Kroger said the employees were able to give the unsanctioned discounts by over-riding the coupons in the register, which gave the coupons a dollar value of the employees’ choosing.
- These people choose to steal from a store with coupons being the method. They might have well just walked in and robbed the place, it was the same thing.
The suspects told investigators that several women who own a local flea market shop paid them cash to over-ride the coupons.
- Ding, ding, ding, reselling it all I am sure at the flea market. Not paying taxes on any of it either and in my experience the resellers are also the biggest shelf clearers.
The women were able to buy products at a deep discount, using coupons that did not even match the items they purchased, investigators said.
- Thanks to Jamie Kirlew we all know how this is done.
Investigators said they were able to match surveillance video with register logs to confirm the suspects’ activities.
- So, what was happening was some women who wanted to resell (I am using this loosely) products at a flea market were putting items in their cart, and checking out with specific cashiers. Who they knew would let them use coupons that were not intended for the items in their cart, but the cashiers would “push” them through anyway getting the items free or cheap. These ladies would pay the cashiers to let them do this, and they would sell the items at the flea market.
Coupon Fraud hurts EVERYONE. It is stealing PERIOD. Eventually you will get caught.
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.
Avoid Coupon Fraud
- The Coupon Information Center has not lost a case since they began in May of 1986.
- 3-5 years in prison is a common sentence for committing coupon fraud (longest sentence: 17 years)
- Fines are often in the excess for $200,000 (highest fine: $5 million)
- Using a scanner, printer, or copier to make copies of coupons.
- Using expired coupons, unless the store specifically states in their coupon policy that they do accept expired coupons.
- Using coupons on products other than the product specified in the print (e.g. using a coupon for Original Cheerios on Honey Nut Cheerios).
- Using a coupon for a product or size excluded by the fine print on the coupon (e.g. using a coupon that says “excludes trial size” on a trial size product).
- Using the coupon when purchasing a different quantity than specified on the coupon (e.g. using a coupon for $0.50/2 on a single product instead of 2).
- Altering and/or modifying a coupon in any way.
- Using a coupon any way other than how it is specified on the coupon.
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WOW it is sad to read this! I wish people would just use coupons correctly so everyone could benefit from them instead of trying to cheat the system. I hope this doesn’t make all Kroger’s scrutinize coupons more because I have to say lately they have had some great deals and I really like earning the fuel points 🙂
this sucks! thanks to people like that…..i get frowned upon when i try to use one dang coupon to get something free!!!…sad…
Beautifully written! I wholeheartedly agree with every point. Thank you for standing up and representing Couponers as a whole. I believe, we are good stewards of our money and people of high integrity.
This sucks, I was just getting comfortable again using my binder in public. I hate getting stares, who knows what people are thinking.
i wrk at this store and know all 4 of these people. it aggravates me too that people ruin things like coupons for those of us who use them to be able to eat.
Oh wow, I am so sorry! I hope it does not affect you or the other cashiers in any way!
As if couponing at Kroger isn’t a pain already, it’s only gonna be worse because of these despicable crooks. So not fair for the rest of us!
Great post!
Ok this is ridiculous! I can’t believe people still do this! I freak out if I inadvertantly miss something in my couponing and I come to you if I don’t know if I’m doing something right. I just can’t imagine how the cashiers thought it was ok to let these women pay them to push through coupons! Unbelievable!
Oh they knew it was wrong, they are all just greedy!
I hope the ladies get arrested as well. When I started couponing, I didn’t even think about copying internet coupons. It never crossed my mind.
This is so sad. The manager of the CVS where I shop all the time complained about this 2 woman. And same thing at Walmart. 🙁 they using $7 crest strip to buy a trial size crest tp. 🙁
Yep that is them!
Maybe a silly question here, but who is Jaime Kirlew? (Maybe I just missed something)
Thanks
She was on an episode of “Extreme Couponing” and she used a bunch of coupons on the wrong products.
You can google her to get the full story.
I love going to the flea markets to find furniture to redo. When I see the shelves with the store items bought with coupons makes me so mad. I hope those ladys that have the flea market get what they deserve. And anyone else who follows what they have done.
Neither did I- until I just googled “J’amie” (nice way to spell your name, sweetie) and watched her TLC Extreme Couponing episode on YouTube -one word- WOW! This woman needs a reality check, and sounds like she got one by being found guilty of coupon fraud! I’d LOVE to know the details of what she was accused/found guilty of!
About 4 min. into the video J’amie primps herself in the mirror, telling the camera “I don’t know if it’s just the way I look that people assume I have money…” and “My image is very important to me” HONEY, PLEEASE!
I’d also like to add here, that I highly doubt I am the only woman who does NOT put full makeup on to go GROCERY SHOPPING! She then proceeds to get out of her minivan, Coach bag in hand; I guarantee woman like her literally get off on the “high” of the camera and attention. Sad.
I’m not one to usually wish ill on others, but I will say whatever crimes this woman committed, I hope she is fully punished! WOMAN LIKE HER RUIN IT FOR OTHERS WHO DO THIS HONESTLY! And I really feel for Tiffany, because as one of the honest ones, she is overshadowed by this J’amie, who in the end, may have her “good looks” but certainly not her dignity!
That’s my soap box for the day… man, this gets me riled up too!!
P.S. At the risk of sounding catty… Tiffany, rest assured you have 10x the natural beauty (the real kind of beauty… not the purple-eyeshadow-up-to-your-brows kind of beauty you know who supposedly has…) and you look PHENOMENAL for having SEVEN kids!
I know right!! I only had one and she puts me to shame =)
I believe she appeared on the same episode as Tiffany on TLC’s–Extreme Couponing.
I dont think Ms. Kirlew was ever even punished was she?? When I originally googled her, I didnt find anything that said she even STOPPED DOING IT!!! She still runs her blog and sells her advice!!!
NOpe she wasn’t AND they have her speaking at events… 🙁
And, I too HATE getting the bad looks and eye-rolling when people see me with my binder. I’m not”extreme” in any way, not even close. I don’t really have a stockpile except for toiletries because I don’t have room. I literally only shop for a couple weeks at a time and use coupons and sales. But still, every single time I get to the register, people are so ugly to me. Its ridiculous.
I kept running across a couple in Albertsons recently as we passed in the aisles – after a few aisles he said to me, “you’re very organized” – LOL – I just smiled, I never have any witty comebacks, and I didn’t think he was being ugly at all, just amused perhaps. 🙂 This news story is just so sad 🙁 The ol’ one bad apple expression comes to mind…
I seriously hope they arrest the women who paid the cashiers as well. I won’t even watch TLC even more at all.
I am glad that I “met” Tiffany and Paul through it though. You two are honest, genuine and kind. I wish TLC would give you two a show where you teach families how to coupon and save.
Karma will catch up to Jail’Me. It always does.
Agreed on the karma! Isn’t that the truth… the what goes around comes around!
I agree with April M. I wish TLC would create a show around Tiffany Ivanovsky and some of the other “good couponers”. I would like to see how all these people use all the stuff they buy to feed their families. How do they create their recipes? What else do they do to save money? I’d like to see that.
Tiffany, you should talk to TLC about creating your own show. I would definitely what it.
Thank you for the support! I think it would be really cool as well!
you are very welcome. tiffany
Wow, just had time to look at this article. I do hope they prosecute everyone they can to the full extent of the law. I am lucky that I rarely have problems with coupons in our Albertsons & Wal-Mart. I agree; time to have Tiffany, Jill and crazy coupon lady on a special together. The 3 of you are my go to for coupon & sale information. They also look SOOOO much better than J’amie. Peace and good thoughts to everyone for the new year.
Send these thieves over to Texas where our state motto is “come on vacation-leave on probation.” I have been couponing for YEARS and it’s not rocket science…It takes some time calculating and re-reading every little disclaimer, but done the right way, it benefits a lot of us single parents especially those on fixed incomes. They need to be made an “example” of. I just don’t understand how they did this…no conscience I guess…We all have a judgement day…I wouldn’t want to have to be the one answering for this…LOL