This is an email that I got today and it just about broke my heart. I could have written it myself. I wanted to see if you have any advice….
Tiffany,
Do you ever get mistreated as a Couponer? I get mistreated I would say 7 out of 10 times. I literally get sweaty palms as I’m heading to the register because I know I’m gonna have to stand my ground at what ever is thrown at me this time. I don’t misuse coupons & I follow the rules. I only use four like coupons if that’s the store policy or if stated on the coupon. Yet when a cashier sees my binder I can see her whole demeanor change. Why? I’ve done nothing wrong & especially nothing to her personally? Why judge me? I’m trying to help my family legitimately. What should us couponers do in these situations?
Thanks for your help,
Sara
This same thing happens to me all the time. Even the sweaty palms! I honestly think it is 100 different things… between making the cashier “work harder” by scanning the coupons, or they are annoyed you are saving money, or they think you are trying to scam the store. It is just different for each grumpy cashier. It is interesting that you say “mistreated” I have never thought about it that way, but you are absolutely correct. I get tired of it as well. I don’t know that we can change anything, I just try to be as nice as possible so they have nothing to back up why they are so grouchy to me.
Any suggestions from anyone else????
Nicole says
Hi! Sweaty palms it is for me….even when I don’t get the stare down. I have my normal stores and I try not to venture off. When I do, that is when things get ugly. I went to a Target close to home for a deal that was published for the Venus razor. There was a MQ and a target coupon. They were out and would not issue me a rain check but gave me a list of stores that had them in stock. So I decided to make a trip out to one of these stores. When I got there, they were out of the FREE razors so I decided to grab another Venus that would cost me a buck each and when I got to the cashier the Target coupon beeped. The nice lady called over the Manager and as soon as the cashier told her that it gave her an error the mgr walked off and yelled “I’m not over riding any coupons!!!” I almost flipped out but was so frustrated with the whole process that I decided to walk out. I asked my son who also works at a different Target and he said a lot of their Target coupons need to have an over ride. Now I wish I had that Mgrs name to report her poor services since Target strives on customer service but I prob will not shop there again.
Megan says
I recently moved to Houston from the Midwest. I can tell you that in less than 2 months I have experienced this many times more than ever before! I’m not exactly sure of why it is worse here? Possibly more people who are misusing coupons? Maybe it has to do with how big of a hurry so many people are in. Around here people are in such a rush every minute of the day. Couponing is not exactly a fast process at the register. maybe that frustrates cashiers? Who knows.
tonya says
You really said the truth people are in a hurry all the time. I use coupons and have ran into the same problem. There certain stores I avoid just because the attitude toward coupons.
Lora says
We have a “grumpy cashier” at our local Target. She’s infamous for fighting customers on every. single. coupon. She often won’t even try scanning the coupons, and just says I don’t have the matching item. I know of several other people who avoid her because of this.
I’ve thought of going to Customer Service and telling them the cashier’s negative attitude is very off putting, but I’m not sure it’s worth it? I can’t wait to see other people’s suggestions.
tonya says
Its her job, if she doesn’t take your coupon go to customer service ,I did
Lisa says
Yes, some stores are worse than others. I’ve never had this problem at CVS, any location I’ve been to. They actually seem to be excited about me using coupons. Walgreens seems nice too; I did go to a new one recently where the guy looked my coupon over and read every word before he scanned it. I was sans binder and just running in for two items with my husband. I think it’s worse in particular at the Kroger and Target I go to, but my mom’s Kroger is fine! I think a lot of it has to do with the store’s management, their attitude trickles down to the workers. I try to go to the cashiers I know at Target because there are a few that are super nice, and one in particular that is always super rude. She’ll even make comments like “I can’t believe they let you do that” when getting free items with coupon stacks.
I’m with Tiffany, just smile, act super nice no matter what and stand your ground. I don’t even argue with them at Kroger anymore, they have such a high cashier turnover rate so they don’t usually know the policy. I’ll just go to customer service with my receipt and coupons and let them fix what couldn’t be done at the register. At the end of the day I don’t really care how they treat me because I’m not doing anything wrong and I’m smiling all the way to the bank with my extra savings. It gives me the ability to stay home and not work and focus on my family, and it also gives us more money for family activities like traveling, movies and eating out 🙂
Brandy says
I agree with Lisa, my CVS workers get excited when I come in and even tell me about coupons I may have missed. Even my neighborhood Kroger is awesome! However, I think this does have to do with management. I’ve actually been waited on by several of the managers and when they see that you respect the coupon policy and rules, they’re very nice and so are there cashiers. I had one minor run in with a cashier and the manager came over, read the coupon, checked my items and kindly scolded the cashier, apologized to me and moved on. I have, however, ventured into another neighborhood where the manager told me that since the item was $.89 and my coupon was $1.00 she’d have to modify the amount of the coupon. After I explained 1) that was against store policy; and 2) coupon fraud, she completed my transaction without a problem.
Maddy says
I’ve been mistreated too a lot of times. In every store I go to? Specially and more often at Walmart. Cashiers mostly think that the stores are losing money. And they can’t grasp the idea, the result they treat you like you are doing something wrong. My advice to you and the way I do it is I talk to the manager calmly and tell them what’s going on. Because most of the cashiers doesn’t know the coupons fine print. If talking to the manager or costumer service doesn’t resolve the issue, what I do is call or email the corporate and remember to get the name of the cashier and the manager who give you a hard time. And some time I just walk away. It’s not worth of frustrations. I hope that helps.
Amanda McCrory says
I feel the same way. One thing that has helped me is knowing the cashiers at the stores that are nice about it and making it a point to shop when I know they will be working. It makes me feel awesome when they congratulate me on my savings and makes it easier to continue couponing. If I get grumpy pants thats when I step back take a deep breath and kill them with kindness. I don’t let them rain on my parade lol.in a perfect world everybody would coupon but unfortunately our world isn’t perfect.
Amanda says
I personally don’t really care if the cashier gets frustrated! I used too when I first start couponing. Couponing takes A LOT of effort and organization, so when I spend hours clipping and matching up the sales then I get to a cashier that is not so pleasant, I just let don’t let it bother me. If she says “your coupon won’t scan”, I kindly says will “I don’t see why not” and act like it’s not an option for her not to take it. I’ll even say “call the manager over and ask him”. I spend too much time and gas running around to have a cashier take money from my pocket. Half the time the hardest part is finding the sale item actually in stock. I do know what cashiers get under my skin and try to stay away from them.
tonya says
If I have a problem and it is not resolve, I go online and email the corporate office.
Jena S says
I try to be really friendly to cashiers, and I have even learned some names at the Kroger’s I frequent. I also don’t push it if my coupon won’t scan, I ask for them to hand it back to me and then once the transaction is over I walk over to customer service and they give me cash for the coupons. I wouldn’t try this in the long customer service lines at Wal-mart, but at Kroger it works great. The customer service desk always bends over backwards for me.
AURORA GRIFFIN says
I guess I have thick skin because although I get attitude at least 70% of the time, it doesn’t phase me. This might be callous, but no one is paying my bills or giving me hand outs – so my couponing is just my reward for MY WORK. Yes, it’s work. Sorry Tiffany, you do a great job at show us the great deals, but cutting coupons in multitude IS work. It’s work that I gladly do because for the time it takes, the rewards far out-weight the efforts. I say all this only to express my thought process, that if a cashier wants to challenge me, as one Walmart cashier did several months ago saying I was committing fraud, and then she was going to accept my 1.00 coupon for a lesser costing item and not scan it in but just give me the item for free… who is committing ‘fraud’ now?? If the manufactures didn’t want us to use coupons, they would stop printing them. For a while Kroger was pushing for digital coupons. I don’t know what happened, but that stopped. I personally had so much trouble with digital coupons I actually told a manager I might have to stop shopping at Kroger just because of their digital coupon mishaps.
My belief is to stand strong, be nice and if the store doesn’t want to cooperate, vote with your feet…and a smile. 🙂
Frank says
Hmmm… interesting. I don’t get mistreated. If anything, every cashier actually tries to help me out with my coupons. Of course, I’m always really nice and professional and expect them to act in the same fashion. If for some reason I were to feel mistreated, I would not hesitate to ask them if there is a problem. I also tell them up front, I hope my coupons work, I have a baby on the way and I could really use the saved money for my childs college fund. Regardless, no one should feel shamed or get mistreated for using a coupon.
Denise says
Just today a rude cashier told me at Kroger that my printed coupon was a copy and she wouldn’t take it, without even trying to scan it. I told her it wasn’t, with a pleasant manner. She walked to customer service booth and then she came back and scanned it. It worked and we finished our transaction. She was apologetic and said they were firing people for messing up on coupons. I get sweaty at certain stores (Target, Kroger) because every time there appears to be some level of conflict at those stores. I think some people handle conflict better than others. I try to be friendly instead of reacting to whatever issues the cashiers are dealing with. Unfortunately, there would be far less conflict if the cashiers were better trained. I go to same store 90% of the time and only venture if the deal is really awesome and worth the potential conflict. Been proudly couponing for 2 years. I love my usual cashiers who congratulate me and greet me every time I go through their line. I love couponing and gladly share tips with other couponers I see, while shopping.
MARLA says
I too have experienced this! Some cashiers seem to feel that I am trying to “get over” or something. I’ve had certain cashiers spread all of my coupons out and and examine each one. I typically just chuckle and let them go through this process because I know that I have all of the coupons for each product.
Christina says
I have the problem. I normally go to the one Meijer in springfield, ohio. Normally I don’t go to another one because of distance. However, when we had a really good deal on paper products I went to the one in Fairborn, Ohio. During the day the lady watching u-scan was all over because I was getting toilet paper and paper towels for pennies. But my friend and I went to the same one at night and the lady was having such a problem with us. I got tired of it and just paid for my items but I called corporate.
Charity says
Be confident in your knowledge of the sale and the coupons. Be polite. Know that the manufacturer WANTS you to buy their item with their coupon so that you will like it and tell your friends about it. The store is fully reimbursed for the coupon, plus a processing fee. If a cashier is not-so-friendly to you, like another poster wrote ‘kill her with kindness’. 🙂
LeeAnna says
i have certain cashiers in which i go to… i find my biggest problem at a store happens to be a Kmart.. cashiers their are rude, and very picky… had to call corporate multiple times… got a lot of gift cards to Kmart and still haven’t used them…… my biggest TIP is go to the younger men or woman… i noticed a lot of the older woman 40+ tend to have a bigger problem with coupons then the young ones…… i have 3 young men whom i go to at walmart… that’s it no one else…. saves me hassle…. and yes i use my coupons properly….
Lisa says
So true, the younger people are way nicer for some reason.
Molly says
The younger ones get excited, I noticed that, they love to see their register dwindle the price.
Connie P says
The way that I get the cashiers to behave is to tell them, “I know I have a lot of coupons, but I also have 5 kids! So I need all the money I can get!” That usually shuts them up. I’m always super nice with a big smile on my face. Kindness usually works. I also have my favorites at the stores I go to. I do cheat in one respect….I take my girls with me. My daughter is 22 with Downs Syndrome, and my SIL is also 22 and a special needs person and they can talk to anyone! They are so sweet and lovable that they win over anyone in seconds….including cashiers! It’s amazing to watch them in action!
Peggy says
I do not use a binder because I think that sends up a red flag to cashiers…now, please do not misunderstand me…If you use a binder & it works for you…..good for you…I just personally do not….
I always smile & say hi and how are you to the cashier….if the coupons doesn’t scan, they usually will try more then once to get it to go thru…..I had a cashier at Wal-Mart (yes! Wal-Mart) on Sat. put my $10 Gerber check thru five times!!! Never once did she say I couldn’t use it…..On the fifth try, it went thru……I smiled nicely and told her thank you…..I make friends with the cashiers at CVS and it pays off…they tell me when things are going on clearance……it’s hard being a cashier….BTDT….some people are nasty…they blame the cashier for the prices, the lack of cashiers, the lack of product on shelves, you name it, it’s the cashier’s fault….so, next time you get a bad cashier, maybe she just had a run in with a nasty customer……but, I will admit, some cashiers are just nasty….same as some customers…..
It’s just as easy to be a nice customer as is to be nasty….I choose to be nice…..
Lisa says
I quit bringing my binder in the store too. I get what I need and put it in envelopes, but I keep the binder in the car in case I run into a good deal. I’ll just leave my basket at customer service and tell them I need to run to the car and get something.
Marie says
Only when I go to Dollar general, Dollar tree or Walmart. They are the ABSOLUTE WORST!!! I left Walmart last week with only half my order. Coupons were beeping left and right and the cashier said at their store new policy is they cannot push ANY coupon through that beeps, period. I said fine just take the items off. I paid for what was remaining and left. The dollar stores just are not even worth my time anymore. But yes they used to make me feel bad/nervous. Now I again usually leave mad. CVS, Kroger and Meijer are much easier to deal with and I have very little trouble at those stores.
Shellie says
I’m in Houston as well. I must say that the mistreating is really bad here. When my family and I travel it is not so bad. A lot of the times cashiers try to make up new policies right at the register. Good thing I have all my store coupon policies printed and in my binder.
JC says
I am in Houston too. I also carry the store coupon policies, but I have being told at Kroger in yale st that they only take 3 coupons period and on Kroger on shepherd/11 st (I think) they told me that I can only take 5 alike items. that is there store policy and I was even strongly remained that they have the right not to take any of my coupons at anytime or any reason. I on my regular Kroger on 43rd location I normally do not have any problems but have not gone since the experience of the other 2 location, the crazy thing is that it was on the same day.
Debra says
Facebook works wonders. I have complained on FB about store experiences and within hours you will receive a response. See the managers mite say they will reprimand the associate but in reality they are on the associate’s side. Putting your complaint on FB where thousands see it is bad PR. And when it’s the manager who is doing the harassing what is your other recourse? Yes you can call corporate but as we all know that pretty much goes nowhere. If you don’t feel comfortable using your name then make a fake account also. Believe me, FB is the new customer service.
Sarah Mains says
The binder does set cashiers to hyper pickiness. My husband works grocery and tells me horror stories of agressive coupons who do shady things- a couponer who makes 5 copies of a printable and then makes a loud fit. He is sent to deal with it since I am a couponer and he can “speak their lanuage”. I have defended other couponers frequently and keep store policies on links in my phone. I have stopped another shady couponers fit after she had each one of her kids sit on a machine in self checkout so she could get the whole store to listen to her rant. I stopped her in her tracks with store policy and wordage on her coupon. she shuffled out the door, and I calmed the 19 year old cashier who was in tears. So yeah some stores are picky because this “extreme couponers” making the rest of us look bad.
christiana says
I have cashiers actually make comments like coupons are for poor people. Or they drop coupons and “forget” to pick them up. I separate my coupons and products. Free stuff and I order my coupons from smallest amount to high value. It is just coupons. I have had some great cashiers!! But the bad, rude ones make it extremely frustrating.
Tiffany says
Which is crazy.. because the average income using coupons is $60k and up
Charlotte says
Most of my local issues went away when I started using a smaller binder (it fits in my purse). My trips to any store (Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc) are planned anyway and the larger binder helped only if I found something on clearance to match a coupon. Since my larger binder is in the car, if I need it then I go grab that fabulous coupon and go right back in the store. I am not afraid to ask the cashier to set an item aside if things don’t ring up correctly.
I don’t have that many shopping options, so I’ve learned the friendly cashiers at the different stores and I do try to find the youngest cashier at Walmart.
Lll says
I have run into so many problems over the years with coupons. But I must say it got much worse after the extreme coupon series.
I am always prepared to remove items from my cart. I also point oit that they are not saving their store money, actually the opposite.
Jessie Joseph says
I shop at Wal-Mart and Kroger and most of the time the cashiers are very helpful especially at the kroger. The only problems I have with Wal-Mart is the price mathching with the meat. I also only go to those two stores I don’t venture out to other stores to often unless its for a small purchase.
Ashley says
I have had probably the best luck at cvs 🙂 Walmart is hit or miss . Either I get oh gosh coupons great or nice that was free my kids like those . About 6 months ago I had a few coupons with overage, the rude cashier called over the assistant manager and said he’ll take care of this problem . In the endi handed back my coupons and was told they no longer give overage or take free coupons . I emailed corporate and they said they were defining their policy and then I got a phne call from a manager saying that they would be more then happy to take my coupons with overage . But I do think that younger cashiers are better to go to .
Molly says
On 08-24-13, we did a big shopping trip to Wal-Mart & HEB. Now, I usually do not go to Wal-Mart because with or without a coupon the people are just rude, we live in Mission, Texas. We decided to go to Wal-Mart because they are the only ones that are carrying my husband brand of Deodorant. I must say that I got a pleasant older woman at the register. She did have a little trouble with the coupons, checking them, even telling me that I could only use 1 coupon, but then apologized because she didn’t see the “4 like coupons” phrase. She did hold up the line checking each one, but the people in line were not mad (thank goodness). When we finished shopping at HEB later that day, we got an older woman at the cash register, I always try to be nice to the cashiers and I try to go to the younger ones, they love to see people with coupons, but this woman didn’t even acknowledge my Hello, or anything. Then she got mad because I gave her the wrong Ballpark Hotdog coupon that I was matching with thier Meal Deal, I gave her the one that says Save on the Lean BallPark not the other coupon, and told me, “you cannot use this one, you didn’t buy the lean”, so I opened my binder and got out the right coupon for her, then she said “you know it’s not going to go through”, I said that it was, because it was on any Ballpark product (I still maintained a pleasant attitude), it went through, then some of the other coupons were not ringing up right and she said that I didn’t buy those products, why was I giving her coupons for, I asked her politely to go through my purchases on her register computer, which she did and everything came out ok. This had not happend before, but there is a first time for everything, I guess. My advice to you is to maintain your ground, keep a pleasant attitude and try not to let it get to you. What I do is shop with my binder, pull out the coupons after I get the product, then when I get to the register, I immediately say “Hello, you have alot of great specials today, I have alot of coupons to go with those”. After that, they usually get excited as well. I am sorry you are having a hard time. If it continues to be a problem, talk to a manager and let them know what is going on. Like the other poster mentioned “killing them with kindness” can prove to be a winner.