It’s no secret that TLC’s previous season of Extreme Couponing caused a lot of controversy in the couponing community. From shoppers being allowed to use coupons for products that they didn’t buy, to stores with policies not to double coupons suddenly doubling coupons for the show, Extreme Couponing garnered a reputation for depicting shopping trips that few, if anyone, could replicate. When a store bends the rules for a shopper because cameras are rolling, the sky’s pretty much the limit on how much that person can “save” at the register.
With couponing blogs, messageboards and online petitions calling for more realism on this “reality” show, you’d think Extreme Couponing might have considered changing its ways. Not so.
Last night, season two of “Extreme Couponing” premiered without much fanfare. The episodes were actually more subdued than the previous season, with one shopper couponing to feed her church’s luncheon, and another shopper couponing to provide and prepare food for her sister’s wedding. Yet, once again, eagle-eyed shoppers spotted inconsistencies in the shopping trips featured on the show.
The first episode opened with couponer April Blum from Erie, Pennsylvania. She was couponing to provide the food for 200 people at a church luncheon. April stated that she purchases most of her coupons from a California clipping service, but that isn’t what has couponers online pointing fingers at her shopping trip.
April shopped at Bello’s Market, a family-owned grocery store that has been in operation for over 45 years in Erie. On the show, April demonstrated how her .50 Ronzoni pasta coupons would double to $1, as well as how to decode a Dole bagged salad coupon to know whether or not it will double, explaining that if it has a 5 as the first digit, its value will double, but if it has a 9, it won’t.
The problem is… Bello’s Market doesn’t even double coupons. But they doubled April’s coupons for the show.
Last season, readers at SlickDeals.net were diligent about documenting the rampant rule-breaking depicted in each episode of Extreme Couponing. This morning, SlickDeals reader Bavonv posted the following:
I live in Erie, PA, and believe me Bello’s Market is a mom and pop store that has NEVER doubled coupons. I started watching the show and just became so furious with the FAKE shopping trip, that I had to stop the tape and make a call to Bello’s. My first question to them was, of course, was to ask if they double coupons… this guy came back and told me NO they don’t double coupons and if I was talking about the TLC show…it was a special promotion. I guess a polite way to put my reaction is this: I WENT BALLISTIC. I told him that it was NOT a promotion it was a FRAUD. link
Having never shopped at Bellos’s myself, I wondered… did another store really double coupons “just for the show?” This afternoon, I spoke with Jim Bello, owner of Bello’s Market, via telephone to get the his side of the story. I asked, is it Bello’s policy to double coupons?
Jim said “It was not the policy to do this. We normally don’t double, but we had one item that we did double for them because it was for the church. We doubled the salad. I’ve gotten a couple of really nasty phonecalls about this asking ‘do you double now.’ We’re independent, we can’t afford to. Grocery stores here really don’t double. We did help her out and double it up on that though. Other than that, everything she did was normal.”
Jim added, “She worked some local people too for different stuff to get free coupons for items. Around here Smith Provision is big, she contacted them and told them she was going to be on the show, so they gave her so many coupons for free bologna. She had won a gift certificate too for a $50 filet, which she used. They shot for 8 hours, she prestaged all of her stuff. The amount of couponing that she did was unbelievable.”
I told Jim that during last season, Fry’s Supermarket (Kroger) got in trouble with shoppers for doubling all coupons for “promotional purposes” on the show, when it wasn’t their policy to do so for other shoppers, and I explained that viewers are watching to see if the trips on the show are depicted realistically.
“I can’t believe how many people have called,” Jim said, adding “I had an older lady today just verbally abuse me. ‘Well, that’s not fair,’ and she started screaming at me. It was a goodwill gesture for a church. I don’t mind donating for a church cause like that.”
While during our call, Jim stated that they doubled the salad coupons for April, they actually doubled others as well. During the episode, April stocks up on one hundred boxes of Ronzoni pasta, stating “It’s on sale 5-for-$5. I have a .50 coupon, which they’re going to allow me to double up, so this box is going to be totally free… 100 boxes of pasta, totally free!” …
In retrospect, April’s statement that “they’re going to allow me to double up” was a clue that the store doesn’t normally double coupons. Here’s a screenshot showing her Ronzoni coupons doubling to $1:
Of course, there were two episodes of Extreme Couponing on last night, and the second episode that aired is causing a Facebook frenzy today. Erin Cook of Sackets Harbor, New York shopped at a Price Chopper supermarket with the goal of purchasing enough food to cater her sister’s wedding with. But Price Chopper’s customers took to the company’s Facebook wall after the show aired, stating that Erin’s trip could not be replicated with the current coupon policy in place at Price Chopper.
Price Chopper’s current policy is to double only the first 4 like coupons per transaction. But Erin was shown buying at least 40 candy bars with coupons that doubled to make them free. After shoppers began questioning what they saw on the show, Price Chopper responded on Facebook that the “4 like coupon” doubling provision was added to its policy after this episode of Extreme Couponing was filmed. Shoppers continue to disagree, stating that this policy was indeed in place for them long before this summer’s taping took place. Erin was also allowed to split her groceries into sixteen separate transactions to skirt this 4-like-coupons-doubled policy.
But Price Chopper has another provision in its policy that’s a little more difficult to explain — a shopper’s total double coupon savings cannot exceed 50% of the total at the register. Erin’s $886.12 shopping trip would only be able to be reduced to about $443 after coupons… certainly not down to $95.91.
From Price Chopper’s Facebook wall:
Linda Zehr Matuszak: …the Price Choppers I shop at here in the Capital District DO NOT allow me, as one person, to go in and split my groceries into multiple transactions to maximize my coupon savings…and they never have. I’ve tried. SO…Price Chopper, what about it? While I’m happy to see Erin saving so much, I’m wondering why she was allowed to break all these policies at Price Chopper that the rest of us have to live by? Was it so Price Chopper could get the publicity? Because anyone who shops at Price Chopper could clearly tell by both the store surroundings and the price tags shown on the shelf that this was filmed at a Price Chopper. I personally would love to get all these savings at Price Chopper—I have the coupons and the saavy to do so–but the policies enforced at my local stores prevent me from doing so.
I’d like to know why you allowed these policies to be broken by one person but not by others? To me, although I love this show and I do shop at Price Chopper, this was a grossly inaccurate depiction of what one can do with coupons at a Price Chopper. I would love a response from Price Chopper on this.
Price Chopper responded,”…we agreed to participate with the show to help out a good customer who has shopped us for many years.”
Translation: It made for good TV, so we did it. But we won’t do it for you.
During my conversation with Jim Bello of Bello’s Market, we also talked about the day Extreme Couponing came to his store to film. He said something else that I found interesting:
“The other thing that didn’t come through as much as I would have liked it to on TV was they wanted to go to independent stores with owners, but they never really showed that we were the owners. They said ‘Last year we used all big stores, so this year we wanted independent stores.‘ They showed me as ‘Manager Jim’ on TV, not that I cared. But when they were here taping, they were playing the angle that this was an independent store. On the show you’ll see that’s my daughter cashiering. At one part she yelled, ‘Hey Dad,’ but they cut that. When they were here though, the guy said to me ‘that will be great for TV,’ but they never put it on and just showed me me coming out of the office,” Jim said.
This season, TLC’s focused on smaller, local stores. Is that because the larger supermarkets learned their lessons after last season?
The problem is, most coupon shoppers know that the best sales and promotions typically are found at the big-chain supermarkets. Smaller, local stores can be great places to shop, but they don’t always have the best coupon deals.
But that’s okay. They can just fake it for TV.
Want to learn more about stores bending, lifting, and breaking rules for TLC’s Extreme Couponing? Recommended reading:
- Supermarket apologizes for participating in “Extreme Couponing,” allowed shopper to misuse coupons for the show
- Why your shopping trips aren’t quite like the ones on “Extreme Couponing”
- Shopper admits committing coupon fraud on “Extreme Couponing”
soapboxtray says
This is very interesting information. I personally don’t subscribe to a TV service mostly because I do not want to pay for crap :-) lol… when I can get plenty of it online… lol… I oppose main stream media in general because it is the advertisers, agendas and others that control the news and other programming, so it is very refreshing to see this exposed and it is comical how folks go or call the stores thinking that this really is what they will get. As if… everything on TV is true… lol. I hope this opens the eyes of some. They should change their disclaimer to “Don’t try this at home, or even the same stores.” Very cool how you made the calls and followed up with this.
jewelover says
The sad thing is, if you use coupons legitimately you can still save so much money. Is saving 50 or 66 percent not enough to make you say wow?
TLC: Well if we only got rid of this rule, and this one, and this one, then she could save 90% and your store would look great on TV
Store: Okay lets go for it.
rockandrollallnite says
So again stores are getting rid of their rules so people can have these super TLC trips! So fake!
How long before TLC stops even botherint to ask the store to break the rules and instead sets up a “TLC Supermarket” for these shoppers to shop in with no policy and everything doubles up? It’s already not far from that when you have stores going along with TLC asking them to double coupons but they don’t double any other time for anybody else. Id love to walk in Jewel and ask them if they’d double some coupons for me as a nice gesture LOL.
Dealznstealz says
I do not buy the owner’s comments and all the back-stepping of these retailers. It makes you wonder did TLC EC also front the stockpiles for these stars? I asked Buddig last season did they pay for brand placement in the show and their reply was no.
TLC Extreme Couponing reality TV show is nothing but a low budget commercial of the stores heavily promoting the show. Disclaimers and apologies do not counteract the backlash of coupon policy changes and inability to buy affordable groceries. The stars that appear in this show compromise their well-being and self-worth and have contributed to the end to couponing as we know it. Boycott the show and the retailers that sponsor the show. Boycott TLC’s Extreme Couponing Show on facebook – Bring Back Doubles.com
dolrskolr says
I’ve never watched. In today’s tv jargon, the term ‘reality’ is anything but. There are so many of these shows on that I’ve gotten a thick hide as to what’s real and what isn’t. Most of the time, nothing is. However, I’m not sure what the stores are doing is fraudulent.
I think folks just need to take most of this with a grain of salt. Take out what you can get from it, and move on. Now, using coupons on wrong products … that I don’t agree with.
Along with this disclaimer above, I foresee stores that were in the show putting something up at customer service or the registers or the windows indicating ‘WELCOME COUPONERS. Please note: Events depicted on a popular tv show were CREATED for your television viewing pleasure. Please don’t expect or demand to recreate the same couponing scenarios or deep discounts. If you’d like a copy of our current couponing policy, please visit the customer service desk. Thank you for your patronage.’
Personally, I don’t see this show continuing on past this season … I’d be surprised if it did. In the meantime, just don’t watch the show. Why get your blood pressure up? Maybe I’m just totally surprised by those who thought they could duplicate the effort. Think of it as the WWF of shopping, fun to watch but, really folks, not real.
HappyMom88 says
Since I have taken Jill’s class and have been couponing, I get asked many times if I have seen the show. Although I have not watched any episodes, I, in turn, tell them it is fake and fraud. People wouldn’t believe the following the show has, and how many people are hooked on watching it, whether or not, they coupon themselves. TLC has many reality shows that are not couth in my books. I agree that the majority of the viewers are the typical cage wrestling, WWF, Maury Povich, & Judge Judy type. They go in for the ‘HYPE’ not the reality. Get off your butts and stop watching that junk. Get a life so your kids and family can too. Become your own reality not media’s depiction. If we turn it off, it goes off the air. Simple as that. Ratings need to fall in order for the media to get the message. Also, we need to boycott the advertisers or write to them. They are the ones supporting the show.
hobbitgirl says
It almost seems to me that stores are doing this so they get the ‘press’ and then they hope that more people will come in the door. Of course, they don’t anticipate how angry shoppers will be when they come in expecting double coupons and the store doesn’t do them.
Lnjwand says
“Do you watch that Extreme Couponing show?” I politely respond and say,”I don’t watch it because many of those people and stores are doing things un-ethically and against coupon policies set by the coupon manufacturers. Shows like that are going to ruin couponing for people like me who need to do it because my parents are unemployed. I am buying groceries for my family of four and my parents because I am their only child and there isn’t anyone else to help them”. That usually shuts them up pretty well. I have not seen 1 episode of this show and I do not intend to. I just know of them from reading the blogs. If people continue to watch them then they will continue to produce them.
I will, however, continue to do what I learned from my father and Jill and I will use my coupons ethically and correctly. I will not try to fraud the store I am shopping at. I will be polite to the cashiers who don’t know their own store’s coupon policy when I show it to them.
That’s just who I am. :) Hugs all!!!!
CDSANDD says
Since it was mentioned. Did anyone noticed in the episode where the best friends tried to out coupon each other – when they showed her stockpile all the items were turned around EXCEPT Febreze products? My husband pickup on it immediately. There was even a close-up of the new set and refresh product.
I have to ask. Why do these “extreme couponers” always have a huge amount of candy? Is it just to say they “saved 90%” of their total bill? I don’t need 80 pounds of candy ever.
avenger says
April’s church was featured pretty prominently in her episode. How active she is in church, she’s couponing for the church, and the Father praising the Lord, over the top from the front of the church at the end for her couponing.
As a good Catholic, how does she justify buying coupons that say “void if sold” on them? That violates the terms of the coupons but she’s okay with that, I guess?
And how does she justify allowing a store to stage a shopping trip with her as the focus knowing that it is faked for the media and that store has never doubled coupons before, and never will again? Seems pretty dishonest to me.
jantemplin says
I am sick to death of all the “reality shows” that are nothing more that lies. If this is their reality I pass. I have noticed that in my area, Wichita, Kansas, the coupon inserts have become thinner and thinner and the non-food coupons are predominant in our fliers. It is disgusting and I have to believe that we are paying the price because of the THEFT that is televised on that show. Shopping for groceries is harder now than ever before especially if you are using coupons. Our stores are getting pretty nasty about taking them and when you give them your coupons you can see the judgement on their face, as if all couponers are cheats and thieves.
I am very happy to know that our bloggers are reporting this and happy that we are confronting the retailers about their policies and fraud. Couponing used to be fun, not so much anymore.
:-( Jan
Coupon Maven says
We’re midway through the new season of Extreme Couponing, and it’s pretty well-documented at this point how much stores are bending the rules to show these “killer trips,” and then simultaneously tightening their own rules & saying they want to discourage Extreme Couponing.
Kroger has said the same thing in the media, yet Kroger actually seems to be going out of their way to be ON the show this season and help create these crazy trips. They’re the only major chain that’s been featured multiple times this second season, and they’ve been on quite a few times, even when the shoppers didn’t live remotely near a Kroger location.
Last week’s EC shopper, Nicole, is from Jacksonville, Florida. A SlickDeals member saw the episode pointed out there are no Krogers within a fifty-mile radius of Jacksonville. In fact, the nearest Kroger store is over 80 miles away in Waycross, Georgia!
The week before that, Perry, the girl who was saving for a tattoo, shopped on EC. She is from Springfield, Virginia. Her closest Kroger? Mechanicsville, Virginia — 76 miles away.
Who drives an hour and a half in each direction every week to go grocery shopping? No one. They’re just more “staged for TV” trips.
Why would they even do this unless Kroger is actively vying to be a part of Extreme Couponing on a regular basis? I’ve been musing over that off and on throughout this season. And here’s an even stranger thing – when one of the newspapers I work with (Yuma Sun) was working on promoting my Arizona Super-Couponing workshop over the past couple of months, they approached Fry’s (Kroger in Arizona) as they’re the dominant supermarket chain in the area to see if they’d want to co-sponsor or offer giveaways for the class. Kroger corporate told the newspaper no, because they are “actively trying to discourage Extreme Couponing in their stores and working on tightening up coupon policies.”
Yet Fry’s (Kroger) lifted their entire coupon policy for the show when it was filmed there – usually, they double the first three coupons, but for the show, they doubled everything. And apparently, these shoppers are driving for hours or crossing state lines to shop at Kroger stores for Extreme Couponing? Something doesn’t wash. They seem to want the free publicity from the show, but not the after-effects…