Photo Image Bob Smith
Much of couponing is black and white. For instance, most of us will agree that it’s not OK to pass expired coupons or photocopy printables. (And in case you were unaware, no, you can’t do these things.)
But the more you get into couponing, the more you’ll discover the gray areas – those situations where it may not be so black and white. In these instances, the question isn’t “can you do this?” so much as it’s “should you do this?”
One topic I’ve been mulling over quite a bit and would love your feedback on today is this: if a company makes an error, is it OK to take advantage of it?
For instance, recently I shared a Dove Register Reward deal at Walgreens that at first glance, looked like a killer unadvertised deal. However, several of you commented to inform me that this wasn’t merely an unadvertised deal, it was an error. At that point, I didn’t feel it was OK to advocate others do the deal, and I updated the post. While it may be easy to say, “well, too bad, so sad, it was their fault,” I would like to give pause.
Here are some examples I’ve seen in the couponing world. How would you handle each of these situations:
- A company puts a .pdf coupon up on Facebook. They didn’t set proper controls, and you quickly realize that you can print as many of these coupons as you want. The coupons yield a freebie with a current store sale. So, do you print 2 or 52?
- You are expecting a $1 Register Reward to print for a product you’re buying at Walgreens. Instead, two print from the same manufacturer, turning a good deal into a moneymaker. Do you then run home and email your pals (and maybe some coupon bloggers) and tell them to hurry and do the deal before it’s pulled?
- A grocery store’s ad has a deal pictured a little too good to be true. Do you clarify with the store first, or attempt to do the deal before they realize their mistake?
- A new online daily deals site is offering a hot coupon code that yield you free items. You do the deal once for yourself, and then proceed to do the deal for your husband, your 5 year old daughter, and your elderly aunt who lives at a retirement center three states away. Hey – it’s one per person, right?
I think it’s worth considering that company errors may result in negative impacts for couponers everywhere including raised prices, lower coupon values, or cancelled incentive programs. And behind these companies, remember, are people. People who perhaps made an honest mistake and perhaps now have a job on the line.
What I’m not talking about here? Deals that are just plain…hot! It’s true, you can snag great freebies legitimately. I share them all the time! I also am not talking about the times when it’s not clear a company has made a mistake. I’m talking about those instances when you’ve got a pretty good hunch a company goofed.
In thinking about the above situations, I’ve decided that I want to make a best effort around here. If I see a deal that seems too good to be true (aka an error), I’m going to do my best to get some clarification for you before posting. At the end of the day, it’s not just about saving money in my book. It’s about feeling good about the way you got those deals in the first place.
I would love to hear from you on this topic. Do you agree with me in thinking that responsible couponing means asking “should” I do this deal versus “can?” Or, do you disagree and think that if a manufacturer or store makes a mistake that it’s their loss? Or, maybe you see it another way altogether? Weigh in!
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Depends on the store and the error. I’ve gotten deals because a store has transposed numbers in their system and something rings up for $6 dollars instead of $60. And it depends on the store. If a mom and pop shop makes that mistake, I’ll definitely say something. If it’s Walmart, I’m not saying a word.
I wholeheartedly agree. This is one of the reasons that I stick mainly to your blog for deals. I at least know that the deal is legitimate. It seems to me that a lot of the other blogs like to do filler post, so they will post deals going off of what one person experiences. I like your blog because you are definitely a blogger who focus on quality, not quantity.
It really irritated me about the recent error in Fred Meyer’s baby sale showing the big box huggies for $8.99. To me this was obviously a mistake and not for a second did I think that the big box was that sale price. However, I saw that several people ad matched that deal at Walmart after not being able to do it at Fred Meyer. Everyone makes mistakes and no one should be mad at Fred Meyer for the error. It is unfair to capitalize on the mistake of others, it’s also even more wrong to do it several times for the sake of saving yourself money.
While on the subject – this is a grey line and hopefully I don’t open a can of worms..but the recent safeway bogo deal on Scrubbing bubbles starter kit – I really think the $4.99 ones are the refills with a specially marked box that has the starter kit in it as a bonus.. yet a lot of us (including me) have been able to use the starter kit coupon… I started thinking about it later and thought .. humm is that right?
Yup…that is a question worth asking! In a situation like that, I wonder how hard it would be to call the manufacturer? I don’t know…but it’s worth thinking about.
I completely agree. Having worked a lot of years in retail myself, I found that a lot of times the “customer is always right” philosophy can be taken too far, particularly in things like printing errors in ads & on signage. Yes it is the companies responsibility to get things fixed asap, but depending on the error honoring the misprinted deal in the mean time could be so costly it could prevent future legitimate deals while they recoup the loss.
I know for some big corporations it is easy to think that it won’t make a difference in their bottom line, and a lot of times that’s probably the truth if it’s just a small error (like the cashier forgetting to scan something before putting it in your bag) but that still doesn’t make it right to not say anything. A good litmus test for myself is whether or not I would be ashamed to tell my husband or friends about my deal when I got home. For instance the other week as I was watching the register total I noticed my parsley went into my bag and I didn’t see it on the total. I mentioned it and turns out it hadn’t been rung in. It was only 99 cents, but if I had relayed the same story to someone later and said I just ignored it because who cares it’s 99 cents and they’re a million dollar corporation, I would have felt like I might as well be telling them I put a pack of gum in my pocket at the register because who cares the store owes me.
Thanks for your insight here – I agree, your litmus test is a good one!
I have had several times where something like that has happened. I ALWAYS go back into the store to pay for the item and the cashiers are ALWAYS completely shocked. They thank me profusely for my honesty & say they’re amazed that I came back in to pay for something. I think that is a really sad statement on the general attitude towards things like that
I agree with the poster above. Kind of like following the Golden Rule, treating others (including businesses) how you would like to be treated. Also I would hate for someone to have their job at risk (directly or indirectly) so I can save a buck or two. That is not right.
Last month I made a BIG shopping trip to Trader Joe’s. I had about 5 or 6 bags that I loaded into the car & then realized….the cashier hadn’t charged me the $3.99 for the flowers I had in my cart. It would have been easier to load my daughter into the car & leave, but that would have been wrong. So, we went back inside & paid for the flowers.
And if a store, big or not, charges you $6 for something that is $60 & you don’t say anything? Yeah, that’s stealing over $50 in my book. Not cool at all.
Long & the short of it: Companies make mistakes, just like we as individuals do. Show some grace & realize that they are not non-profits. They have employees to pay, overhead to consider, & stock holders to please. If they made an honest mistake, let it go. Your world will not stop spinning & there will always be another deal.
I think that if you have a feeling that something is off with a deal and you go ahead with it anyway, that is wrong. I think that this week’s Fred Meyer diaper deal… SO many people were posting about “The stores are clarifying, we think it’s a mistake”…. they know perfectly well that the price isn’t legit and so many of them were rushing to the store (“got there at 7:10 and picked up 3 boxes!”) to grab the deal before it was pulled. I think that is clearly wrong. You have a VERY good feeling that it isn’t legit & you’re trying to take advantage of it before the company corrects the error.
Now we come to those who asked the manager about it & the manager said “we’ll still honor that price”. Now…. a lot of people would think this is fine because the store did say “we’ll honor it for now” (and I’m not talking about those who speak with the manager & then go to different stores to get them to “honor it this once”, that’s obviously dishonest). Personally I wouldn’t even do this one. You still both know it’s the wrong price. While the store is doing “the right thing” by honoring the price and you are doing “the right thing” by asking, the price is still incorrect and I feel like it’s still taking advantage of a store’s mistake to ask them to honor that price.
Yes, I have been tempted to do this in the past! Especially with diapers. I’m not going to lie. But I haven’t, because I personally feel that it is wrong. Again, though, this is one that I couldn’t fault someone else for doing because it IS at least agreed upon by the store manager to honor the price.
Ok, this is nice & long-winded but basically, when you know a price is wrong (or have a very good feeling that it is), I think it is wrong to try to take advantage of it, no matter what avenue it is through.
Amber thanks for sharing your thoughts. You bring up a good point – if the manager says they’ll honor it – is it OK at that point? You both know it’s going to negatively impact the store, but suppose the policy informs him/her they must give it to you anyways? I agree with your take here.
And, I also understand how someone could see it differently – and say, “the manager said it’s OK, I got full clearance to do the deal.” I could see how a customer could walk away from that deal in good conscience, though I don’t think I personally could.
And don’t forget what happened to Ja’ime on Extreme Couponing on TLC… she checked with the store manager who said it was OK and pushed a deal through, he even rung up her purchases himself. Then the whole thing blew up and ended up in an investigation. Yikes. Just because they will do it doesnt make it right.
I must admit, if I get out of the store before realizing an error I don’t go back. There is just too much hassle involved. But stores also take advantage of the desire of customers to just get through the line and leave.
I have spent far more than I have gained because stores “accidentally” had a higher ring-up price than was posted. But sometimes I don’t catch it and sometimes my angel is too fussy for me to take the ten minutes to clear up the issue.
These are also excellent points, Heather!!! I do try to watch very carefully at checkout as everything gets rung up, but I too have missed things. It’s harder with kids sometimes!
I don’t like to be cheated, so I figures stores shouldn’t be cheated either.
I try to check my receipt before I leave. If I catch a mistake, I visit Customer Service. If it’s a legitimate error in their favor, they give me money back. If it’s in my favor, they almost always tell me to keep the overage. Sometimes I pocket the windfall; sometimes I pay it forward. At least I tried to correct the error.
A few years ago CVS often had $/$$ coupons in newspapers. These papers had online versions, and it was common to print the page with the coupon and use it. There was a statement to the effect that the coupon wasn’t to be reproduced or something like that, but the rationale was that if it was online, anyone could print and use it. I did. Often. Then I learned that the coupon was intended only for those who purchased the actual paper — not the online version. I felt guilt about misusing them all those times, but I couldn’t “unuse” all of them. I stopped printing those coupons and stopped sharing them with friends. Eventually CVS stopped issuing them.
I’ve come across a few printing errors in my time, and if I feel it may be wrong I ask the cashier to double-check it before ringing me up – more so I won’t be stuck paying more than I thought I would if it is wrong and rings up correctly than anything else. Usually the cashier or manager will honor the price for me but send someone to post a note near the item that there was an error in the ad and what the correct price was. If they don’t honor it, I then decide if I want it at the correct price, no big deal.
In January this year, I got some plastic cookie containers on clearance at Walmart. I was buying the largest size containers, normally $5.00 for one, and I got 10 for 90% off, so paid $5.00 for all of them. When I got home, I took the lids off to wash them, and found the medium and small size containers still inside – with notes that they are supposed to be removed and sold separately. I went back to the store immediately to return them – apparently the person who had stocked them didn’t know he was supposed to separate them, over 300 containers that should have been shelved to sell as over 900….. The manager was so happy I told her (it was first thing in the morning, on the first day they had everything marked down to 90% off, so hardly any had been sold yet), she let me keep the extras and gave me a $20.00 gift card – she said I saved her from getting in big trouble and having to fire that employee for a simple mistake right after the Holidays. So even at stores like Walmart, it’s not ok to cash in on a mistake, because even though it’s a big company, local people who are working in that store could loose their job over it……
I love this Blog and I LOVE that there ARE so many people out there couponing with INTEGRITY. It really does my heart good.
The Fred Meyer deal this week was a great test for many. I saw the ad leaked Friday night? and just got a sick feeling in my stomach. I knew there would be people out waiting at the store for that deal bright and early : ) I would have LOVED that deal as I am so low on diapers, but I would rather be able to raise my head high and know that I held true to my honor and integrity. There is always another deal coming up, and I remind myself constantly “a year and a half ago you were paying $30 a box for diapers…off brand…” So; thank you for posing the question and giving so many people the opportunity to stand up for good choices and honesty. We have seen too many bad examples out there of bad couponing over the past year and this is a breath of FRESH AIR.
Thanks again
Kari Palmer
Happy Valley, Or.
Thank you for the
I always think about how I would feel if it were my business that made the mistake. If I were the owner or manager of the store, how would it impact me? (or the poor employee who made the mistake?)
And as so many others have said, I also appreciate your ethics!