Earlier this week, I was a keynote speaker at Inmar Promotions Forum, an event aimed at helping businesses plan coupon, rebate, and digital promotions. Inmar is (among other things) the largest coupon processor in the country, and this year’s event was well-attended by numerous major manufacturers and companies. The attendees and their representatives were a who’s-who list of brand names and products that you probably have in your homes right now.
Not surprisingly, “Extreme Couponing” was a hot topic at the conference. Each day was filled with instructional sessions on a variety of topics related to retail promotions and coupons, but one that was well-attended both days was entitled “Protect Yourself From Extreme Couponing.” These sessions were presented by the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC).
At the beginning of each session, everyone in the room watched this video, which appeared on ABC News in Cleveland recently:
If you were a manufacturer, how would you feel after watching this?
You could have heard a pin drop in the room afterward. And the topic of adding more limitations to coupons followed.
The CIC also stated that they and Inmar extended invitations both to TLC and Sharp Entertainment, the company that produces the show, to attend this “Extreme Couponing” session at the conference and speak to the manufacturers in attendance. Both declined.
As an aside, the topic of my address at Inmar was “Making Super Savers Your Allies,” which immediately followed the “Protect Yourself From Extreme Couponing” session. I was asked to provide information, statistics and anecdotes about the rest of us — the non-extremists — in an effort to help the manufacturers understand that the vast majority of coupon shoppers are not doing what the extreme couponers are, and that the actions of a few do not represent the majority.
imtryn4 says
Last evening my husband and I were discussing super couponing and he stated that we have to get our stock pile built before the end of the year. He felt that the coupon industry might change the rules and put more restrictions because this is gaining in popularity. Then I see this article, and completely agree with him. Now I feel the investment we have made in DVD’s, time learning this way of shopping, newspapers to get coupons, will be for nothing.
chattykenyon says
Not only do you spend your time to teach us the correct way to coupon effectively, but you are an advocate for coupon users everywhere. I believe your address at the conference helped remind the attendees that the majority of coupon users are not extreme. Although I am sure that video made a big impression on them, your speech may have helped refocus their attention somewhat. As redundant as it may sound, thanks again for your hard work. You are appreciated.
Cathy
lgillum says
I am in awe! This is really disturbing. I understand how hard it is for the average family to make a dollar now a days-but this is…LUDICROUS! What about the different shelters and charaties around her that could benifit more from her stockpile? AND knowing the prices I get with couponing (thanks to your help Jill) the prices she has listed on her items seem TOO expensive…$1 for a box of Hambuger Helper?! I have gotten them as low as .25 cents a box not to mention there’s ALWAYS a grocery store that has them on sale for cheaper than that. It’s heartbreaking that we (people who coupon the right way, follow the rules, and pass the benifits on to local charities without expecting ANYTHING in return) are going to be punished by stricter couponing regulations because of people like her!
sebrugger says
The reporter mentioned that one of the coupons has words stating item purchased is not to be resold. I think it would be great if all food/healthcare/toiletries coupons had that limitation listed!! There is a house a couple neighborhoods over from my that has stockpile sales every weekend. It’s no wonder that there is so much difficulty to find products in stock.
mburke221 says
Jill–
I recently shopped for the first time at the Eurofresh store near me in Tinley Park (they also have a Palatine store). I was told very rudely at the checkout counter that they do not accept internet coupons. I was surprised because I’ve shopped at many stores in my area and had never had a problem using my internet coupons. BTW — I was trying to use one $1/off coupon on 2 bags of Halloween candy — not exactly an extreme couponing attempt! After I checked out, I walked over to the CS desk to find out if they were planning to consider accepting internet coupons in the future. I was told (again very rudely) that they stopped accepting internet coupons about a year ago “because of all of the fraud” with those coupons and that they couldn’t afford to lose money on them. The CS person also told me that the vendors they use notified them that they would no longer accept internet coupons, and so they couldn’t get reimbursed for them. She made it sound as though the grocery industry was moving away from accepting internet coupons altogether. But yet your article says that manufacturers are moving toward issuing MORE internet coupons.
My conversation with the people in this store was very confusing. Apparently Eurofresh is both a Butera and a Piggly Wiggly distributor, and they offer the sales prices available at both of those chains. They told me that the decision to stop accepting internet coupons was not a corporate decision by either Butera or Piggly Wiggly — it was their decision for their 2 stores only. The store employees tried to justify the decision by making it sound like internet coupons would be going away because stores were moving toward not accepting them. But if internet coupon fraud is so widespread and stores are losing that much money, why are the manufacturers moving toward issuing MORE internet coupons?
Do you know how true it is that food vendors who serve independent grocers are now starting to refuse internet coupons? Is the industry heading in the direction where only the largest stores are going to accept internet coupons? Is internet coupon fraud really widespread?
Tigger679 says
I clearly see that what she’s doing, on such a scale… that’s just ridiculous… and to have it promoted by the news organization as a great idea? Wow…
BUT. One question I do have, though… why does the manufacturer/store get to decide what a consumer does with a product once the consumer has purchased it legitimately? If we continue in this vein, ALL manufacturers should take issue with thrift stores and garage sales in general. I mean, what is the difference between selling, for example, a bottle of floor cleaner or shampoo at a garage sale that we’ve discovered we don’t like/use and selling clothing or other household items that we no longer like/wear/use at a garage sale or on craigslist or in any kind of “used stuff” store? Or, if brand-new items are donated to Salvation Army or Goodwill and then re-sold by that organization? At some point, a manufacturer and a store made their money and what happens to the items then is out of their hands. I see an issue, perhaps, if the items are perishable and something then happens, but again, caveat emptor?
The woman in the news report – obviously, she’s selling in such a volume and she’s clearly trying to make a profit, so she maybe doesn’t fit my example, but so many people could fit it, y’know? Is it the clear profit-making that is an issue here? She’s not selling stolen goods, though, still… The manufacturer and the store made their decisions to sell the items at sale prices and offered coupons, she purchased the items legitimately and then… shouldn’t she be free to do as she wished with what she bought?
editing to add… within LEGAL limits. Obviously, all consumers are limited by not using what they buy to commit crimes or something, but unless I’m missing something, it’s not illegal to re-sell your own belongings, is it?
Flag1 says
Oh my gosh! I hope there are consequences for people that do this. Yes, someone could become quite ill if not properly stored besides the fact that they must need a permit or must be laws about selling food. Doesn’t the health department get involved when selling food? I find it unbelievable that these people are so arrogant that they actually do this on national television. I am truly disgusted and did stop watching the show last year. This gave me a reminder that this afternoon I need to check expiration dates on canned goods and plan meals accordingly for this month.Thank you Jill for your sanity. I have been couponing off and on for many, many years.
theresa1740 says
Most towns have a limit on how many garage sales per year. Not hers apparently. Also why buy from someone when you do not know how stored etc. At least 5 years ago ran across one of these type sales but with more beauty items and not food. I walked away. Want to buy your Crest at a garage sale???
Frugalista says
Thanks for posting this Jill. Food for thought.
But WHAT is with the “one couponer thinks it’s wrong” thing at the end? Jeez, plenty of people would have gone on the record saying that.
Tlorence says
How does she get away with not paying any income tax on this? She profits $300 a week & goes on national television? Maybe someone with the IRS was watching & will be knocking on her door.
HappyMom88 says
I know people in Jill’s area do that very thing. However, I never thought it would hit prime time television. It is a very sad thing when people use the coupons to this kind of extreme. I can see doing it to give it away, but not reselling it. I think she should be required to have a license for this kind of thing even if it is a yard sale. That is why many cities have limited amounts of times that one can have a yard sale. It is to limit people from selling everything from things they purchased at other peoples yard sales to grocery items without a license or record to evade being taxed. Let’s face it, people are going to find a way to make some easy money. If they can keep getting away with it, they will to the point it hurts everyone in the end whether it’s adding more laws or taking away great deals. Our manufacturers and stores are out to make a profit and do not take kindly to being duped. This WILL come back to bite us all whether we partake in this kind of practice or not. It’s the innocent that get hurt in the end. The ones just trying to survive in this economy.
noel1262 says
I give all my stockpile to my friends and family for gifts. I can’t tell you how many times someone will say.”oh, you gave me one of those in my basket” and now I only use them now. There are many products that I use now that I would have never tried. I grew up on Tide and now use All. I would have never tried Tide stain release or Purex crystals if it weren’t for the couponing! I can tell you our work does help the manufacturers with my gift baskets.
mrsoregan says
this is just so ignorant!!! At least donate it! I mean, come on! No, instead let’s just ruin it for everyone for every single person who coupons for their own household. People in this world are SO selfish! And HOW can this be legal?? Selling food? In your yard? SELFISH! That’s all I can say. Spend less time couponing, and coupon for your family and your city food pantry and GET A REAL JOB! This infuriates me on so many levels!
jmb521 says
I’ve thought of doing something like this. Now, I don’t buy nearly that many products. I buy 4 to 6 of each item, mainly because I work a full time job, I’m a single mother and I go to school part time. But if I was suddenly unemployed, I’d consider doing something like this…certainly not this extreme.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the city issues her an ordinance citation for not having a permit to sell those products. I’m sure the IRS will also get involved. However, if she makes under the $10,000 (or whatever the amount is) to be required to file, she may not have to claim it as income.
I’m glad that coupons are stating limits…it makes it a little harder when I buy 5 or 6 papers but 4 is a decent number…and I’m perfectly ok with it. I is so incredibly frustrating to find out the items I’ve intended to buy are out of stock because of someone like this person.
I don’t think that manufacturers should be allowed to state what we can and cannot do with something once we have purchased it.
MomWifeNurse says
At the end of the clip there was a comment about new verbage on man q’s in the near future regarding items may not be resold………Really? And who is going to police all that? It’s not even worth printing on the coupon.
artmom6 says
This video makes me sick. It is the epitome of selfishness. What if we all went out and bought up all the products and then sold them at a huge profit? Guess what, only the most aggressive of all would get the products and there would be a lot more people lined up at the food pantry.
The manufacturers are giving people a break with coupons trying to make a profit that way; not trying to give others the authority to make a profit. SHAME ON THEM!
Curious says
I wonder when the stats on this were last tested! I’ll bet more and more people are using coupons anywhere now. I have to drive a minimum of 7 miles to get a loaf of bread or a gallon of gas. I shop in Bourbonnais, Bradley, and Kankakee but I live in a tiny town where there is nothing. I see people using coupons all the time. I get in line and unless a young person or teenager is in front or behind me, mostly the rest are using coupons. They don’t all have handfuls but they are using them. And you should see the price matchers at Wal_mart!!! You want to talk about fraud…people come in with hand written lists and make up their own prices! I had one couple brag to me about it in front of the cashier! The guy was saying Aldi had this and that at X price when Aldi doesn’t even carry those brands. Then the guy tells me just to find a friendly looking cashier to go to. I said no thanks…I bring my fliers in with me and have prices circled for the cashiers. I always offer the ads to them after I am done to either keep or toss in their trash bin too. You know I don’t think people like this are professional thieves nor would they shop-lift from a store. I think mostly it’s people who are having a hard time making ends meet. It’s sad really. We could easily afford to buy the same we do now if I didn’t use coupons. I wouldn’t have to cut back on anything else to do so. I like to save money and get the most for my dollar though. Always have and always will.
The Prudent Homemaker says
and often finds store shelves empty–this bothers me a lot.
My family of 8 lives below the poverty line, since our income has been cut by 75%. Just the gas to get to the store is a difficult thing, let alone having much to spend. Spending gas to get to the store and finding everything gone that I planned to get with coupons is a waste of my time and gas.
There are families who really need these deals, and when someone illegally buys coupons and then resells these items, it’s really difficult for those of us who could have used the food. Sure, people say they gets lots to donate to a shelter, but many families are using coupons to just get by–and not driving an hour across to town to get to the shelter that gives out one grocery bag of food a week to a family. (In fact, the shelter here started at 9:30 am and everything was gone before 10 am, so many drove across town for nothing). It’s not worth the $10 in gas it would cost me to get to the shelter. I need to be able to use coupons at the stores that are within 5 minutes drive.
Couponing keeps many people off of food stamps–and is a blessing to those who ARE on food stamps.
To the manufacturers who think that the answer is all about cell phone coupons–I disagree. I don’t own a cell phone. I can’t imagine spending that kind of money every month. I do have internet–the slowest speed available. Internet coupons, my own website, homeschool printables, and a husband who often works from home make it worth doing that (but if my husband didn’t work from home, we probably wouldn’t have it at all). I am usually home, so I don’t need a cell phone, nor can I afford one.
I have a well-stocked pantry, but it is not built by double couponing (non-existant here). It is built mostly buy buying in bulk, gardening, and canning things myself. I’ll use coupons on items that don’t grow well here in the desert, and especially on tolietries (because a family of 8 uses a LOT!).
Coupons are a blessing to us. I hope the manufacturers know that. I am very grateful for them, and especially for internet coupons (because we don’t get the paper). I would love to see internet coupons work while printing from Google Chrome and also for more of them to work while using Firefox. I’d like to get away from being stuck using IE to print so many coupons.
futurechemist says
I had a family member who would sell extra items he had at a local flea market on weekends. He wasn’t an extreme couponer by any means, but if he had an excessive amount of items he knew his family wouldn’t be able to use, he’d sell them. All his income was reported to the IRS along with his normal work income. He had a permit from the county health department. And every 3-4 weeks a rep from the health department would come visit his table to make sure he was selling appropriately.
He was following the law, never sold any food approaching the expiration date (80-90% of what he sold were cleaning products and toiletries). So what’s wrong with that?