Extreme Couponing...what they don't tell you

I will admit I watch and like this show. I like to try and figure out which coupons they are using and what they are doing. There are some things that happen on that show though, that I consider "grey" areas of couponing, and some down right wrong, so here is my list of what they didn't show or tell you.

1. They double everything, stores in the Northwest don't do that. Back East and in the South coupons are doubled (sometimes tripled) everyday, without any extra coupons or tricks. Automatically, I know unfair, but what can you do. That is why you see them getting $6 Tide Stain lifter for free, they simply doubled the $3 coupon.
   
2. They are using promotions and tons of catalinas from previous transactions.
   
3. They have spent 60 plus hours planning this trip...
4. They used every FREE coupon they have in their stash.
5. They say they got it all for Free, which they did at the register, however, they had to "buy" those coupons somewhere. Whether it was through numerous Sunday papers or on ebay, you don't get that many of the same coupon for free. I wish they would factor that cost into their stockpiles. :)
6. They are told to do their biggest best transaction ever...so they PLAN PLAN PLAN for it, not every one of their trips goes this way.
   

So taking that into consideration, if you have 60 of the Franks Free Hot Sauce coupons (60 times $3=$180) your total gets up pretty fast.

Now on to the grey areas...this is what I have witnessed.

1. In order to get that many coupons, they probably used ebay. Selling coupons is illegal and unethical, no matter what "loopholes" you use.
   
2. I have seen them scan catalinas coupons in the middle of their order, catalinas are specifically to be used "on your next order"
   
3. They get several of the same free coupons, like the Yoplait yogurt ones. These are stated as, "one per household."
   
4. The "Try Me Free" cereal rebate, is also one per household.
   
5. They use paper and e-coupons, which a lot of stores have not allowed. Technically they will probably both come off and the cashier won't notice, but the store probably won't get reimbursed for both. Just because no one catches it ...doesn't mean it is right.
   
6. They use "family coupon coding". This happens when a bar code of a brand is similar enough that it attaches to another product of the same brand. I have actually seen this happen on my receipt before when I bought two P&G product, one with a coupon and one without and it attached to the other product. Some people purposely buy the wrong product, because it is a better deal to use with that coupon. It might scan without a hitch or the cashier might have to push it through. However, technically if the store wants to audit the transaction, the store would not be reimbursed and so this is coupon fraud. One couponer recently admitted to doing this on the show.
7. They bend the rules...like the couple that brought in extra people to stand as a proxy for the $10/$50 promo that was one per person...guaranteed if that was not on tv, it would not fly!
8. They give them overage, which depends on your store, but Albertsons and Fred Meyer do NOT and it appears that they let them on the show.
   
9. They break it up into multiple transactions to get around the so many of this coupon or that coupon rule. These limits were put there to avoid this exact thing!
   
10. The Twice the Value Coupons...these say right on the coupons...3 per transaction. Most stores only allow 3 transactions. (I am going to email Albertsons corporate and try to get a clarification). The one Albertsons shopper did 18 transactions and the other did one huge one and they doubled ALL her coupons...that doesn't seem right and I seriously doubt they would do it for any of us.
    

*One thing that I think is a good idea to try is emailing companies you like and ask for coupons. Has anyone tried this?

So once again, Reality TV is not all it seems...but I think you knew that already. Stick by my golden couponing rule, "Save more than you spend!" I would love to hear your thoughts on this one...

'Tis the Season

for coupon books! Keep your eyes peeled for these coupons. I found the Stove Top one on an end cap in Fred Meyer, the Nabisco one on the entrance display in Albertsons, and the Safeway one at customer service at Safeway. The Thanksgiving Coupon Book (at Safeway) has numerous high value coupons for several holiday baking items, including several that pair well with Albertsons this week.

• $1/2 Progresso Soups
• $1/2 Ziploc Bags
• $1/2 Wish Bone Salad Dressings
• $1/4 canned Green Giant Veggies (makes these 19 cents each!!)
• $1/2 Pillsbury Crescents
• $1/2 Pillsbury Cookies
• $1.50/1 McCormick Vanilla Extract

*As always, remember to be a courteous couponer and take only 1 or 2 (depending on availability) so everyone can have a chance for the savings!

Friday Food for Thought: Beware of the PDF

Just this week, Albertsons told me that they "no longer accept internet coupons that allow for a free item" when I tried to use the spend $100 get a free gallon of milk coupon. I believe this stemmed from people copying the $1 oatmeal coupons last week. Also Rite Aid was very scrutinising of my interent coupons. The cashier, one of my favs, showed me a list of fraudulent coupons out there that they were supposed to refuse. They were for large amounts like $9 off razors and $7.50 off diapers, but the rest of the coupon looked very similar to legit ones from reliable sources. My message in this rant, be careful. A few fraudulent coupons can ruin it for everyone! It is only a matter of time before they will just pull all internet coupons, most of which are higher value than inserts. Make sure you are getting your coupons from a reliable couponing site or the companies actual site. Please don't use random "email" or "pdf" files that are floating around in cyperspace, especially if they are manufacturer's coupons and if you know they might be fraudulent. The stores will not get paid for these and lose revenue. Enough lost revenue could alter their coupon policy. Here are a few tips for using internet coupons:

1. Print with colored ink (I had a few printed in black and white because my color was out...these are heavily scrutinized.)
2. Whenever possible use a "clipped" coupon. Sometimes identical coupons are in the insert and they are generally accepted much easier. (However, many times the internet coupons are of higher values.)
3. Only print your fair share. When you run to several other computers to print "two" off and then use them all together it draws suspicion. Plus, it take the opportunity to print that coupon from someone else.
4. If you suspect a coupon to be fraudulent, do not use it. Cashiers will trust you more, if they know you are an honest couponer.
5. Respect the cashiers/managers decision, don't make a scene over a couple of dollars. Remember they are just doing their job, they could also face reprimanding for taking bad coupons. Also if you have a bad or especially GOOD situation report it. A lot of times the employees might get special bonuses/recognition for being a GOOD employee.

Last of all remember couponing is a game. If you play the game unfairly or cheat, you lose and eventually the game is finished for everyone. Let's all keep the game fun!