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STOP Complaining – IT WAS FREE!

I am getting back up on my soap box here! With the recent “Oops” situations with Brita over their Rebate, The complaints on companies Facebook pages when they are offering a FREEBIE or a Coupon, and now the Kingsford Charcoal Coupon, and seeing how rude people are acting over all of this, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!

People, These companies DO NOT HAVE TO OFFER US ANYTHING! Realize that! If you get a FREE product, or if you get a coupon, be happy you did! If you did not, OH WELL, be happy for others that did! Again I will say, these companies owe us NOTHING!

If so many “Fans” keep acting like this, and filling their Facebook pages, emails, and ringing their phones of the hook with negative comments and actions, WE WILL see NOTHING being offered by these companies, So who is getting hurt in the long run?

With the Brita Rebate, the company tracks how many Rebate forms are downloaded and printed. There were blogs uploading the PDF file to their own pages, which in turn the company does not know how many were printed. From what I am seeing with the Kingsford Charcoal coupon, THERE was a legitimate coupon through coupons.com for a short period of time, but there were also illegal coupons out at the same time. The ones that were printed on coupons.com are legitimate and will be honored and the stores you use them at will be reimbursed.

In both situations (Brita & Kingsford) the company is honoring the coupons or rebates. Was there really a need for all the negative threats on their facebook pages? COME ON FOLKS, they are just coupons!

And as far as Facebook pages offering limited freebies or Coupons. With the internet, and the hundreds of thousands of people’s rushing to their  pages to get them, YOU WILL HAVE pages crashing from too much activity, it is just how it works! If YOU CHOOSE to sit for hours trying to get a coupon or freebie at a site, and then are unable to because either they run out or they have technical difficulties, that was YOUR choice to sit there and wait!

Bottom line, If you are that upset (human nature sometimes), LEAVE THAT PAGE, No need to leave a nasty comment and ruin it for the rest of us in the future. If you are  like me, leave a comment and say, “Thanks for the chance!” If you get the Freebie or Coupon, MAKE SURE YOU THANK THEM!

Alright, I am stepping back down off my Soap Box…For now that is 🙂

~  Micki
Owner of Midwest Coupon Clippers (Our Blog)
Wisconsin Coupon Clippers – Nationwide (Our Facebook Page)

Has anyone else noticed the PURE INSANITY in the coupon world lately? Since when did Being a Couponer mean Being a RUDE COUPONER? Sure there has always been the occasional RUDE couponer here and there, but lately, no matter where I go shopping, I am seeing them. Blocking the aisles, clearing the shelves, Not caring who’s way they are in or that they are leaving no product on the shelves for other customers!

          The other night at my local Wal-Mart, there was a lady with two shopping carts, and a stack of coupons (and by stack I  mean a STACK) with her list in hand. She had AT LEAST 100 razors in her cart, shaving gels, and a GOOD amount of KY Jelly, when I left she was making her way to the Trial section. She was on a  mission, and did not care who’s way she was getting in with her two carts or the fact she was cleaning the shelves! I had to wonder with that many razors if she possibly had a family of Bigfoot and had a lot of shaving to do? Now you may be thinking what I did at first also,  She may be an ethical person and donate all her couponing products… but, I have found most of the people who donate (myself included) instead of clearing shelves, pre-order their products from the store, so that they do not clear the shelves! (This is just common courtesy to other customers)

          Honestly, I just do not understand the whole “Stockpiling” concept, but that is a whole different blog post! I do understand “Normal Stockpiling” or products you use on a regular basis for different products that sale cycle on a yearly basis, but stocking hundreds of razors or boxes of cereal that will give you pantry moths before you even get to eat it all and take up A LOT of room in your house, I just do not get it! Ok…Sorry…I got side tracked, back to rude couponers…

Here are a few “Golden Rules” I wish all couponers would follow.

• DO NOT CLEAR SHELVES! This is just down right RUDE! If you are going to take over 25% of the product on the shelf, walk to the service desk and order what you want! (I am sure you will be going back to the store in the near future)

• DO NOT COPY COUPONS! It is illegal! This happens A LOT with coupons that give an overage or gives you a FREE product. Is that $.30 overage really worth having a criminal record or even worse going to jail? AND yes, THEY CAN TRACK YOU DOWN with the coupon!

• DO NOT BE RUDE TO THE CASHIER! What gives you the right? How would you feel if she came to your job and was rude to you?

• DO NOT BE RUDE TO OTHER CUSTOMERS IN LINE! Did your coupon not scan? You do not have enough items for a coupon and you got a beep? DO NOT HOLD UP the other customers waiting in line! If it is a quick fix, get it fixed, but if it is a lengthy debate, tell the cashier to either void out your order so you can fix your mistake (not the right product or not enough of the product) or tell them you no longer want that certain product and  just let your transaction go through, then go and deal with it at the service desk.

• DO NOT USE THE WRONG COUPON! Make sure you get the right product and size that is stated on the coupon! Always check the product size and number of products you have to purchase to use the coupon. When the stores get reimbursed by the company they have to show the coupon went to the correct product, if it is wrong, THEY DO NOT GET REIMBURSED!)

• DO NOT TAKE THE WHOLE STACK OF COUPONS ON PULL TABS! The store has put these there for their other customers also! Technically you are only supposed to take a coupon for the product you are buying AT THAT TIME, but if you can not help yourself, limit yourself to two coupons!

• DO NOT STEAL FROM THE COUPON FAIRY! Did a nice “Coupon Fairy” leave some coupons by a product in your store? UNLESS you plan on buying that product right then, LEAVE THE COUPON!

• DO NOT RESELL YOUR COUPONING PRODUCTS! You stockpiled products, Now you are going to turn around and sell them on Ebay or on Craig’s list? REALLY? If you have to EXTREME COUPON, what about turning around and donating those products? I can guarantee you that there are shelters in your area that could use these products!

          Bottom line, no matter if you are couponing to help your family financially (which many many of us are now of days just to put food on the table) or if you are couponing to donate to your local shelters, lets all follow the rules and put an end to the rude couponers! Being a couponer is hard enough, with the actions above, this is exactly why we are getting the comments from other shoppers in line with us, or the attitude from some cashiers. Not to mention the restrictions stores are putting on coupons and transactions now. If things do not change, in a few years, or even less there will be NO STORES allowing coupons, and where will we all be then? Those of us who do coupon ethically will be wondering again how we can put food on the table, and the “RUDE Stockpiling GREEDY Couponers” will be left with a stockpile full of pantry moths! (Oh wait…and some silky smooth legs for years to come)