I spent an hour carting around my two ridiculously patient children to pick out all the deals I wanted this week at Giant Eagle. I scoped out the checkout lines and chose the shorter line. I also saw 2 women at the register and I assumed one was helping bag groceries so I was definitely happy to choose this aisle.
I handed over my coupons after she rang all of this up:
Yes...I bought 20 boxes of pasta. I also had 10 coupons for those boxes making them only $0.38 each!
Fast forward to the end of the stack of coupons and the cashier who I hoped would help me bag groceries stopped the "trainee" (yup...I was wrong) and told her frantically "Those say do not double!"
AWWW MANNNN!! In all my trips to Giant Eagle, if the coupon doubles automatically, they just let it go. So, I planned my grocery trip around this and bought 6 boxes of Toaster Strudels, 2 Chex Mix and 4 Pillsbury Dough breads thinking they would double the coupon.
This is the moment of truth - Do I dare risk pulling all those items out of my card and voiding them from the purchase? There are 2 people in line behind me. The voices in my head are screaming "You don't even NEED those items. Now that they're not a good deal, what are you doing?!?!" This voice was screaming so loud in my head I lost all ability to be rational. Had my rational voice been given a chance to speak, it would have said, "Lisa, calmly look through your coupon binder and pull out the appropriate coupons for these items that CAN double. They are in there. You clipped them last week. Stop being such a spaz."
So, as fast as I could, I spastically pulled the items out of the bags, said I was very sorry to the cashier, but I was wrong about the item cost and needed to take them off the purchase. The cashier told me "They say 'Do not double' so we can't double them. I apologized and said, "I understand completely. They usually double so I planned my trip incorrectly and cannot purchase these items."
Without making eye contact, I slowly turned my head to the left and slowly whispered "I am sooooo sorry" to the customers stuck behind me in line. Had the spaz in me calmed down a bit, I could have cracked a joke to make them not be so frustrated...like "If you want to slash my tires, I understand..." Scratch that - no jokes.
Here comes the kicker - the cashier then told me "We have a new coupon policy and we don't like to take internet coupons."
Uhhhh...So I respond, "Well, they are completely valid coupons from the manufacturer?"
Her: "Well, our new coupon policy is that we don't like to take them."
Me: "Wait, you don't 'like' to take them? Or you don't take them. Those are two very different things and I need to know for future shopping trips."
Her: Very quietly: "We do take them."
I didn't MEAN to start a fight!! I just was under the impression that all my coupons would double because all of the cashiers allow them to double. I did not demand that she double them, I just politely asked that the items be removed. I was extremely embarrassed and she just had to rub it in by complaining about my printed coupons from the internet as if I were a thief.
Couponing is a tough business and is not for the faint of heart. In fight or flight, I am flight and I RAN outta that store and frantically loaded my car. At this rate, I'm not sure how long I'll last!! I wish Giant Eagle would be a little more consistent so I know what to expect. Do they double all coupons or not?! It is a total crapshoot and you just don't know what you're going to get. Jason was dreaming of those Toaster Strudels so I'm sending him back in this evening to try again. I have coupons that CAN be doubled this time.
Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. And then I pull out my receipt. For all the above items, I paid $33.39. I saved a whopping $48.08! That's a 60% savings!
Yes. It's worth it.
Wow...we don't LIKE to take them? WTF? If the store policy is that they don't take them that's one thing but for a cashier to say they don't like to take them, I would have probably gone a step further and mentioned it to management. Those are fighting words in the coupon world. lol I'm glad you stood your ground and had your items removed since it was going to cost more than you wanted. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the savings, despite the traumatic shopping trip. The way that was handled by the employees just seems shady. I think you handled it well.
ReplyDeleteLisa -
ReplyDeleteIF there was a new policy it would have to be in writing and IF there was a new policy it would have to be on the door and IF there was a new policy then GE would have to put wording under their claim that they double their coupons.
send me an email at ccherry.picker@gmail.com and I will send you the name of the person at corporate who will go after your store and get them to tow the line.
or attempt to
If your store is an independant store then she will be able to ask them to follow the corporate policy, I dont know if she has power to MAKE them.
That would be the DAY that I would take a cashier's opinion on my coupon. If I have a coupon issue, at the register, if there is no one behind me then I ask for a manager.
A few weeks ago I had a coupon that wouldnt scan the kid hands it back to me and says, "this one doesn't work" and fully expected me to just put it back in my wallet. I said, "yes it will - read it - I bought the item - the date is right - I want my money" He said, "It doesn't work" "It works the old fashion way". He sighed a bigh sigh and called someone over who scanned it and then huffed and puffed for the rest of my trip......while on the inside I was screaming with laughter and I told you so's.