My syndicated Super-Couponing Tips column for the week is entitled “Coupon cannot be combined with… anything?“
Here’s an excerpt:
“A coupon for one of my products had this text in the terms: ‘Coupon cannot be combined with other offers.’ The cashier said that she thought this item was on sale, and because a sale is an ‘offer,’ she would not let me use the coupon. Who is right? If the coupon is not valid during a sale, shouldn’t it just say that? She would not even scan the coupon to try it.”
Read this entire column at the Napa Valley Register.
My Super-Couponing Tips column appears in newspapers around the country to a weekly readership of over 20 million people! Learn more about my column’s syndication at this link.
Miss a column? Here’s an archive of all of my past columns I’ve shared on the blog.
wolverine70 says
I’m sure the cashier was only acting in response to management telling them that they needed to be vigilant related to the coupon terms and failed to clarify what an offer actually is. The language on the coupon was likely to prevent stacking and has basically become boilerplate. Not being able to stack a retailer offer, say a sale and/or Extrabucks, for example, would make me far less likely to redeem at a drugstore because that’s the only way to get the prices competitive with Walmart prices.
In any case, restrictions have gotten ridiculous. I think manufacturers have gone overboard in combating fraud to the point that they are creating frustration for consumers which will reflect badly on the brand.
Coupon Maven says
I agree 100%. I completely understand the stores’ and brands’ desire to reduce fraud, but when the restrictions get to the point where they are difficult to interpret or are outright ridiculous, they will affect shoppers who are just trying to use them legitimately.