Supermarket Shopper

Being a Good Customer—Coupon Ethics  

by Stephanie Nelson    

Over the past few years of providing grocery savings advice to shoppers,  they have taught me that there is a wide range of viewpoints on “coupon ethics.”  I define “coupon ethics” as how shoppers interpret and practice coupon rules. Some coupon users believe that it is the stores’ responsibility to screen coupons submitted.  If the coupon used doesn’t match the item purchased exactly, their belief is that “close enough is good enough.”  However, that belief is incorrect.  In fact, it is the shoppers’ responsibility to use the correct coupon, and if they use coupons incorrectly, they can be found guilty of “coupon fraud.”  Most stores would not take any action other than handing the coupon back to the customer.  However, in some cases authorities (both store management and even local police) have disciplined shoppers for “bending the coupon rules.”   

 

I define  “coupon fraud” as knowingly misusing coupons. Coupon fraud is a very expensive cost to manufacturers who issue grocery coupons.  As Strategic Shoppers, we want to minimize coupon misuse to make sure that manufacturers continue to issue coupons that help us save money.   

 

It is not the store’s computer system or the cashier’s responsibility to screen coupons.  It is actually the shopper’s responsibility to use the coupons correctly.  This means the coupons given to the cashier must be for the brand, variety and size purchased, as well as within the expiration date of the coupon.  If not, then the shopper is guilty of coupon fraud. 

 

Believe it or not, a store manager could take legal action if they could prove that the shopper knowingly committed coupon fraud.  I am aware of a shopper in Florida who used high value coupons at a self-serve checkout lane for items she did not purchase (knowing that the computer system would not reject the coupons).  She used a $7 coupon (issued for a $25 product) for another product from the same manufacturer that cost slightly more than $7.  The computer did not reject the coupon since it only read the general manufacturer barcode and did not recognize the product as a different variety.  After she made her purchase, the store manager stopped the shopper, called the police, and the mother was arrested in the store with her children in tow.  She did not spend time in jail but is most likely not misusing coupons anymore. 

 

Although this is an extreme example of coupon fraud, it does point to the need to understand exactly how to use coupons correctly.  You can avoid accidentally committing coupon fraud by understanding these guidelines for interpreting coupons:

• The wording on a coupon defines how you can use the coupon.  For example, if the coupon shows the most expensive variety of a brand’s product (such as a premium toothpaste) but the coupon says, “any variety,” then you can use the coupon on the less expensive variety of that brand.  However, if the coupon clearly states a specific variety, you must use the coupon for that variety.
  
  
• The wording also lists any restrictions, such as size.  For example, the coupon may say “64 ounce size or larger.”  If you use the coupon on the smaller 48 ounce size, even if the cashier accepts the coupon, you are guilty of misusing the coupon.
  
  
• The expiration date is binding, unless your store has a policy of accepting expired coupons.  Most store computer systems cannot read expiration dates so it is the cashier’s responsibility to screen expiration dates.  Be sure to check dates carefully, and do not put the cashier in the position of having to check every single date.  Cashiers at one of my grocery stores are held accountable for coupon expiration dates and if they accidentally accept expired coupons the store deducts the coupon value from their paycheck.  I also know of one cashier at my store that was fired for accepting too many misused coupons.
  
  
• Buying and selling coupons on the Internet is a bad idea.  Coupons clearly state at the bottom of each coupon that their cash value is 1/20 of one cent, and they are not to be transferred.  I have yet to see an online coupon service sell a coupon for that amount (prices start at 5 cents each and go up based on value and demand).  Although the coupon industry does not object to casual coupon trading between friends, buying or selling coupons via Internet sites is considered illegal by the coupon industry.  Sellers of grocery coupons typically obtain their circulars illegally (meaning they do not get them by buying individual newspapers from a retailer at the retail price).  Buying coupons from sellers who have illegally obtained coupons is supporting an unethical business, which most of us would not do with any other business.  Trade coupons with friends and avoid the complications (and expense) of buying coupons on the Internet.
  

Copyright 2006, United Feature Syndicate, Inc.

United Feature Syndicate