When Transactions Go Wrong?

Although this is a book blog I occasionally like to do life posts and that is what I have been doing a lot lately. I have been busy with school, so I'm finishing books slowly. Today I want to do a couponing post.

I went to Walgreens yesterday with a plan to get three items. One bottle of Renu contact solution and Two Dentek floss. Both of these items were on sale and I had coupons for them. The renu was giving 5,000 balance rewards points and the Dentek was giving a 2.00 register reward. Per their policy I can purchase both of these items in one transaction and as long as I don't pay with points I should get both the points and the register reward. I checked out at the beauty counter and the register reward didn't print. When I pointed this out the lady explained that the 5,000 balance rewards was the register reward. I corrected her because I knew that the points were from the Renu. Long story short the manager had to return my items and rescan them to get the register reward to print. Everything worked out.

Here's why this story is important! I'm teaching my friends how to start using coupons and I get that couponing is complicated. I'm still learning new ways to coupon and I still make mistakes. It really got me thinking about all the new couponers in the world. If I hadn't been couponing for years I probably would have walked away and lost the money they promised me. I want to give you the tools to be confident in your transactions.

1. Follow all couponing rules and policies- The #1 reason that cashiers don't like couponers is because too many couponers are not following the coupon policies and trying to cheat the system. If the coupon says that you need to buy 3 items to get a dollar off then you MUST buy 3 items. You should read the policies yourself, but there are amazing videos on youtube of people that walk you through the coupon policies. Krazy Coupon Lady and Free Stuff Finder are my favorite.

2. When the coupon beeps don't freak out- Coupons don't go through sometimes for a variety of reasons. It is hard to know why and as a new couponer you are always freaking out that you made a mistake and the coupon is not valid. If you printed it from a legit site (coupons.com, target coupons, redplum, smartsource, etc.) or got it from a newspaper then you have a legit coupon. If you followed all the rules then nicely show the cashier that you bought the item and they can manually put the coupon through. If the cashier refuses you are allowed to ask for a manager or have them take the item out of your transaction.

3. When the catalina doesn't print- This is my struggle yesterday and the reason for this post. Tell your cashier that it didn't print and they will find a solution for you. At my store apparently they are having problems with the register rewards printing at the beauty counter. If you know that a coupon should print out and it doesn't do not be shy to point that out.

4. When the cashier doesn't know the policy- Walgreens, and Target have probably some of the most complicated coupon policy out there. Walgreens has In Ad coupons, monthly coupons, manufacture's coupons, register rewards, and points. That is a lot of savings to keep track of. Target has gift cards, cartwheel, store coupons, mobile coupons, and manufacture's coupons. Its no wonder with all these ways to save that some cashiers don't understand the coupon policy. Although most stores train cashiers on coupons, some do not. If your cashier is being difficult you can ask for a manager, or void the transaction. Personally I have problems at Walgreens, but not so many problems at Target. Target understands that people want to save money.

5. Be Confident- I can't come up with all the possible scenarios that you could possibly go through. If you planned out your transaction and follow the coupon policies you should be fine. If a situation arises do not be afraid to point out the mistake and get the problem corrected. You can not afford to pay ten dollars extra then what your budget allows. Remember this when you just want to forget about the coupon. People who coupon know that every penny in life counts. Retail is not an option for me. I look for savings on everything and I want my transactions to go right so I have money left over at the end of the month.



Other Examples:
What to do when your transaction goes wrong?
Use your coupons correctly