Couponing 101

Alrighty everyone…I’ve received dozens of e-mails during the past week asking when the next Couponing 101 class will be, so here is the scoop and an request for you:

I am working on some class dates currently, but most of them are not until the end of summer. I know that most of you would like to get started before then, so I’m asking if you will please contact me if you are in the Denver Metro area if you would like to host a class at your church or another venue during the next month or so. 

Please e-mail me at bargainblessings (at) gmail (dot) com for more informaiton on this if you are interested.

As soon as I’m able to get something scheduled, I will post it here on the website, so if you are waiting for a class please make sure to keep an eye out for upcoming dates!

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Many of us have been there…you plan plan plan and shop shop shop only to get to the register and have none of your eCoupons deduct. There are a few reasons this can happen, but by far the most common reason is that the store’s eCoupon system was down when you checked out. Some other reasons include that you purchased the wrong product, you forgot to scan your shoppers card or you had your coupons loaded on the wrong card.

Since eCoupons are just that, electronic and not paper, it is a little more difficult to fix the issue that just saying “my coupon didn’t scan”. When I’ve had this happen to me, these are the steps that I’ve found most successful in getting my money back:

1. Go to customer service and explain that none of your eCoupons deducted. Make sure to have your coupon policy in hand in case they try to tell you they don’t accept eCoupons or something crazy like that. On rare occasion, depending on how many eCoupons you had, they will take your word for it and refund you the money for the coupons that didn’t deduct….but please keep in mind that this is very rare since the store has no record of the coupons and thus will not be paid by the manufacturer for their redemption.

The other way to do this is to print out the coupons that you have loaded on your card. P&G eSaver, Cellfire, and Shortcuts all have this option. Bring this sheet up to customer service and that way you have some proof that the coupons were actually loaded onto your card.

2. If customer service isn’t able to help you (which again, is common) you can go directly through Cellfire, Shortcuts, or P&G eSaver to get your money back. They process varies a little bit depending on which eCoupon provider you’re dealing with and where you shopped. Sometimes it can be a little bit of a hassel, so it is up to you on if you want to pursue it or not.

3. If all else fails, you can always return the product(s). I know this is a big pain in the butt, but hopefully this isn’t something that is happening to you all the time. If it is, you might want to consider getting a new shoppers card and reloading your coupons.

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A very important aspect of using coupons is making sure you are using them ethically. Manufacturers provide us with the privilege (yes, privilege) of using coupons to save money on their products. When these coupons are not used as they were intended not only do the stores suffer (because they will not be reimbursed for the coupon), but the manufacturer and the consumers suffer as well. The more fraudulent coupon use there is the less coupons we will see. There are a few important items I want to highlight that relate to ethical coupon use:

1. Only use a coupon on the product it was intended for. This not only includes just the product type, but also the size and specific type of product. If the coupon says it is good on Huggies diapers, it is not ok to use it on Pampers diapers. If the coupon says it is good for a 24oz bottle of ketchup, it is not ok to use it on a 16oz bottle of ketchup. If a coupon says it is good on Honey Nut Cheerios, it is not ok to use it on Regular Cheerios. If a coupon says it is good on 2 products it is not ok to use it on just one product. Manufacturers issue coupons for products to attract consumers to those specific products. Just because a coupon will scan for an item, that does not mean it is ok to use it on anything other than what it was intended for.

2. Expired coupons are just that, expired. Just as coupons are issued for specific products, they are also issued for specific ranges of time. When you use a coupon outside of its expiration date, it is considered fraudulent coupon use. Remember, you can always donate your expired coupons to overseas military families!

3. Follow store coupon policies. Yes, I know some of them do not make much sense, but the store has the prerogative to make their policy whatever they want. Keep in mind that items one and two above play a strong roll in stores cracking down on coupon use! I would also like to mention that I am a big advocate of communicating with your store manager. For example, some King Soopers stores have a policy against using more than three of the same coupons in one transaction. I was able to talk to my store manager and get approval to use more than the three coupon limit. Also, I am not talking about “cashier coupon policies” here. If you run in to a cashier that seems to be making up their own policy as they go, that is a much different story. Always go by the store’s printed coupon policy.

4. Know what a fraudulent coupon looks like. A few of you have recently e-mailed me the PDF coupon pictured above. It is fraudulent, so don’t use it. You can read more about this specific coupon over on Frito Lay’s website. The bottom line is that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. PDF coupons for FREE items are almost always fraudulent. If you ever have a question on a coupon’s legitimacy, feel free to e-mail me.

5. Making copies of internet printable coupons is illegal. This is one of the most frequent newbie couponer mistakes out there. You printed it out in black and white on normal printer paper, so you should be able to make a few copies…right? Nope! Most printable coupons are available in limited quantities. If a manufacturer only releases 10,000 coupons, but they get 30,000 turned in from stores, guess what…those stores are out that money for those extra 20,000 coupons. If that is not enough to stop you from copying coupons, you might like to know that printable coupons contain unique identifying information that can track that coupon right back to your computer. There have been cases of people getting arrested and prosecuted for making copies of coupons. I don’t say that to scare you, but to make you aware of the potential consequences participating in this illegal practice. It isn’t worth it. Enough said.

As couponers, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are participating in honest coupon use. I hope that this post has helped to shed some light on some areas that you may have been confused about. Also, I want to add that I was confused about some of these items when I first started to coupon, so if you’ve made one of these mistakes don’t be too hard on yourself!

Please do keep in mind that I will be deleting any comments that suggest using coupons fraudulently.

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Some internet browsers come with auto-fill capabilities built in, and others (like Internet Explorer) do not. I did some research on a universal resource that would work well with all browsers and the best option I found was the Google Toolbar. Once you’ve downloaded the Google Toolbar, you will need to complete your AutoFill profile with as much or as little information that you would like to be automatically filled in on your forms. I suggest just doing your name, address, phone number and possibly your birth date (or the birth date you use to request samples and such). After your profile is complete, all you need to do is click on the AutoFill button in your toolbar and *BAM* all your info will be filled out for you!

You can get the Google Toolbar by going HERE and can read more about the Auto-fill capabilities of the Google Toolbar by going HERE.

Keep in mind that no AutoFill program is perfect and it can get a little confused on some forms, but in my opinion it is so worth it to have to correct one or two items rather than having to fill out the entire form from scratch.

There are many other AutoFill programs and add-on’s out there. If you have found one that you like, please let us know!

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