Jewel-Osco has Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice on sale this week, and naturally, many couponers are inclined to use a coupon to make the price even better. Coupons.com has some printable coupons available, and the 6/24 SS insert also has a $1 coupon.
But guess what? Shoppers trying to use these coupons to buy Pom Wonderful this week are being denied at the register. Why?
In addition to “Limit 4 Like Coupons Per Transaction” and “Limit one coupon per person,” it appears we’ve got a new set of restrictions to watch out for in our coupons’ fine print:
“Cannot be used during any in-store promotional offer or discount.”
Really? Now, I like Pom juice, but I only buy it when it’s on sale and I can use a coupon. It’s one of the most expensive varieties of juice out there! A sale alone is not enough to make it affordable, and a coupon alone is also not enough to make it affordable. Combine the two, and it drops into my “buy” range.
But if a coupon is now restricted from being used when an item is on sale… what’s the point of using a coupon at all?
Companies print coupons to encourage consumers to buy a product. But think for a moment — what if every store in town has Pom on sale for the next few weeks? The manufacturer is stating that they don’t want the coupon used during a sale – period. And if every store has it on some kind of sale or price drop, in theory, there will be nowhere a shopper can use this coupon.
Thanks to Rachel over at Mashup Mom who pointed out the wording on the Pom coupon and wrote a great post about it too which is also worth reading. She raises an excellent point as well — has a company like Pom Wonderful considered the negative connotations that will accompany this new coupon restriction? Rachel writes that the restrictions on Band-Aid coupons are leading her to buy a competing product, Nexcare. Restrictions such as these can potentially backfire if they ultimately drive consumers to a competitor.
Or do manufacturers simply not care?
momof4 says
I read your post as well as Racheal’s and have to give my apologies. I was not aware of the coupon wording until reading the follow up posts. I would not intentionally share a deal or do a deal that was not ethical. That being said the restrictions on recent coupons are surely going to drive couponers to purchase competitors brands. I guess this goes to show you have to read each and every coupon before redeeming to make sure you are within the terms of that coupon.
rswehrle says
Who actually stops to read the small print on every single coupon, when most of the wording is the same. For me, I see the dollar amount and the item on the coupon and just clip away; I hardly ever stop to read the fine print. I can’t believe that even the cashiers are giving back the coupons to shoppers, because most of them don’t read the small print either. This is definately NOT a smart move by Pom Wonderful, especially when every penny counts in most households these days. There no product that I HAVE to buy, there are only products I CHOOSE to buy, and if it comes down to a restriction like the one on Pom, then I will buy another juice on the market. Nothing hurts a companies product more than no sales.
eztupp says
i guess since i dont like the product it doesnt really matter to me. as far as the restrictions go, it’s their perogative to word it how ever they like. just like stores can make up what ever coupon policies they want to. they will have to live with the consequences of the bad publicity. i wonder how many people actually buy it with no sale and/or coupons.
Coupon Maven says
They’re telling people to head to http://www.pomfeedback.com to complain about the coupon wording.
Boscobud says
I just found on Coupons.com a $2 off Pom Coupon without the cannot be used with a promotion. It expires on Sept 3.
dolrskolr says
I NEVER feel sorry for the manufacturers. NEVER. Don’t cry to me about extreme couponers ripping them off. Normal, smart and frugal consumers are willing to try a product by using legitimately obtained coupons in conjunction with a sale. Otherwise, the product, ridiculously base-priced, is out of reach to many (I would think) desired consumers. Obviously, mfrs want OUR business less and less.
These types of coupons are an insult. They present as not in good faith, greedy and unsympathetic or grossly unaware of the current economy. Perhaps this idiocy will cause consumers to think twice about buying products by these companies. Mfrs are taking calculated measures to hinder or prevent a major, and potentially loyal, consumer base.
Who’s being EXTREME now? And, don’t blame the new verbiage on the tv show. I don’t buy it. Most of us are not buying stacks of coupons nor producing them fraudulently. We should be able to USE coupons, WITH sales, IN CONJUNCTION WITH catalinas, rebates or any other opportunity to save a few bucks.
Mfrs are OVERreacting and UNDER-appreciating shoppers, whether they are loyal or one-time purchasers. If your product is too good to be purchased in this manner or by a client base that isn’t sought (couponers) … then don’t put out the stinking coupons. You should be doing just fine without the advertisement, hmmmmm?