I, like many others, stopped couponing a while ago because I got tired of the hassle of clipping it, driving to whichever store it was for, seeing the item out of stock, waiting to ask when it might be in (before the coupon expired), asking if I could get a rain check ( which may or may not happen depending on the store of employee) and MAYBE leaving with something because more than likely, the price of getting there was more expensive than the item itself. I avoid a lot of that aggravation by shopping online more. Most of the coupons work as intended, I don’t have to worry about rude or aggravated looks from the cashiers or customers behind me, and I can do it on my time. As a manager in customer service, I get both sides. I understand the customer wants a great deal but businesses need to make money. Even in a down economy (which isn’t their fault) they need to make sure their bills are paid and their employees are paid so they can take care of their households too. Most cashiers I deal with are only mildly irritated (thankfully) and I’ve only been treated unnecessarily harshly a couple of times. I’ve had managers that have gone out of their way to be overly nice because I was nice and polite and wasn’t trying to cram the item down their throat and making a scene (which, let’s be honest, some of us have done). If you makes you stop shopping at Walgreens, Krogers, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, Publix, etc. then so be it because although it sucks, it’s better (honestly from a business standpoint) to lose one customer that would have bought $150 worth of items but only spent $6 then lose 20 customers each paying full price or almost full price for everything in their buggy. I diversify my shopping experience and don’t rely on one store to always give me the best deal or just suck it up and pay what the item is worth. Because honestly, my time is worth more than the time it would spend arguing with someone over whether or not I can use a coupon on something I don’t even really need or want but am only getting BECAUSE I have a coupon. It’s the world we live in and as more people transition to other stores and other means of acquiring items it may change (i.e. JCP no coupon policy). So, happy bargain shopping!
