As a couponer, I just have to get something off my chest.
I started this blog as a way of sharing deals with others. I have been couponing and deal-hunting most of my life and mostly out of necessity. If I couldn't get something for the right price, I just couldn't afford it. I've couponed to stretch my family's budget in times when I didn't have that extra $20 to spend on groceries that the coupons helped me save.
To me, it's not really a game. It's what I do.
To a lot of people, it seems to BE a game. They love to see how much they can stockpile, how far they can test the limits of stores and yes, they will even try to cheat the system.
If you're using the WRONG coupon on an item in order to get a great deal, you are scamming the system! If you're using Tide coupons to buy Downy, you're scamming the system. Unless that coupon says you can use it on Tide OR Downy, it's an illegal use of the coupon. You're committing coupon fraud. JUST because the coupon doesn't beep and the store takes your coupon doesn't make it ok! The store will NOT get reimbursed for that coupon if it can't show that it sold those items.
Let me explain to you how coupons work. You take your coupon to your local store. You buy the item specified on the coupon. The store submits the coupon to a clearinghouse for reimbursement and they get back the face value plus a small fee for each coupon submitted. They HAVE to show that they sold those items however, or they will NOT be reimbursed.
Over the past few years, Extreme Couponing has taken off--thanks to the TLC show of the same name. Many people have taken up couponing because it looks like something fun to do and a way to get things for free. Most people watching the show don't realize that many of those couponers are breaking coupon rules. Stores often bend the rules for the show, too, so those big hauls aren't realistic most of the time. How many of you are willing to stand there and do 72 transactions at one store? Chances are the store is going to also say you aren't allowed to do 72 transacations unless you're on TV.
I belong to several Facebook groups about couponing and deals. Most of them are ethical and are great. I've discovered a few though that are encouraging people to use the wrong coupons on items and follow the rule of "if it doesn't beep and the store takes it, it's a valid coupon."
I'm here to tell you that's wrong.
I've been couponing for 25 years. I've seen the rules change. Stores and manufacturers DO pay attention when their coupons are submitted incorrectly. They do change the rules. They also WILL come after you if you knowingly commit coupon fraud. Don't believe me? Read this.
I'm probably going to be kicked out of the groups I'm talking about for discussing this. That's fine. I've taken myself out of a few of them already because I refuse to be a party to anything that perpetuates coupon fraud. It's a crying shame that new couponers with questions are being told that committing coupon fraud is ok!
Instead, I would like for people to take the time to read the coupon and understand that if it says on ANY one Secret, you can use it on any Secret, but if it says on Secret CLINICAL, you must buy the Secret Clinical. I promise that I will only post ethical coupon deals and you will only see deals that really work here.
If you have questions about couponing, come hang out on our Facebook page. We'd love to have you. I know coupons can be confusing, but please try to learn how to use them the right way. There are plenty of deals to be found using coupons the way they were meant to be used!
If you'd like to learn more about proper coupon use in general, check out this FAQ from the CIC.