Miscellaneous Monday: Coupon Courtesy

Today I wanted to share some thoughts that came to mind as I read an article from a savvy shopper about coupon lingo.  I wanted to share general coupon courtesy ideas.  I personally use some coupons but only occasionally on items that I know my family will use.  I combine the coupon with a sale price to save even more.  There have been times I've had more than one coupon that would've required more than one trip to the checkout lane, but the cashiers on hand simply let me ring up two transactions in one shot rather than having to wait in line multiple times, but this has only happened because I let them know before hand that I wanted to be able to use both coupons that day and was willing to go through twice to do so if they wanted me to, but since it wasn't too busy at the time, the cashier let me get the items and run two transactions without waiting in line twice.  It really does pay to be nice sometimes (in time anyway!).

Coupon Courtesy

Below are some ideas for those who choose to use coupons as a means to help save money. 

Alert customers behind you if you have a number of coupons so they can decide if they’d prefer to go to another checkout lane.

Know coupon lingo:  one per transaction, one per purchase, one per customer, one per day, etc. and abide by that, any size, excludes..., off two, off three, buy one get one free  (see here for the article that has the term descriptions of these terms and hints on each)

Have your coupons ready:  make sure you’ve checked any expiration dates, make sure the barcode is easily readable, make sure you’ve got the appropriate sizes/brands/amounts mentioned for each coupon, and have them out and ready once you are in the checkout lane

Know the store’s coupon policy.  Every store has their own policy and they can vary greatly from store to store.  This is the same for stores as far as price matching--some will price match sale prices from other stores while others won't; some will accept store coupons from other stores, some won't.  Some have limits to the amount of coupons that can be used per transaction, others don't.

If you will be buying a lot of an item (whether using coupons or not), it may be nicer to ask the department stocker/manager to bring some up from the back or otherwise ask for the quantity you desire to purchase so there is still some left for others and so that there don't become "holes" in the shelves where all of one type of item is completely out.  Once at Kroger the stocker who happened to be the one who ordered the cereal I wanted on sale, was more than happy to let me take off what they had in stock in back--the sale was because they were trying to get rid of some stock.  This allowed me to get the quantity I wanted while maintaining a few boxes on the shelf for others to enjoy the sale and keep a nice uniform appearance for the cereal aisle.  All it took was to ask!

Be kind.  Not all cashier's are familiar with coupons, or with their store's policy, not all customers behind you will want to wait for a load of coupons (patiently that is).  It is ok to ask for a manager who may know more, but be kind about it.  Also be kind by choosing shopping hours that may not be quite as busy or during times you know a cashier and manager on the job that do know the couponing ropes if you will be using a lot of coupons.  Be sure that other customers as well as the cashier recognize in a couponer someone who is smart with their money as well as their attitude.

Let the cashier know that you have coupons.  In some stores some cashiers are nice enough to bring coupons they won't personally use and will give them to customers to use or to alert customers about coupons in the flyers by the doors. (this has happened to me more than once at Publix.)

Side note:  Publix's motto/slogan is "where shopping is a pleasure", for me this has been totally true without exception when shopping at Publix.  I love the buy one get one free items, I don't think I've ever had an item ring up at the wrong price at Publix.  But beyond the sales, it is a pleasure to shop at Publix because employees from floor stockers to cashiers have always been happily helpful--they smile while helping and don't make me feel like I'm a bother by asking questions or taking time using coupons.