Tuesday Tidbits & Tips: Ask The Manager!

Most of you probably read about my embarrassing shopping trip last night, and my confession about how timid I am when it comes to couponing!

While Julie and I were talking about coupons on the way to the store, she brought up a point that I thought would be really good to talk about on here...

I was telling her about some kind of coupon I used, and she said that when she had tried to use a similar coupon, the cashier had told her that it wasn't allowed. She was telling me that she was bummed about it, and wished that her Publix store was as lenient with their coupon policy as mine is.

I then went on to explain to her that she should always check with the managers, because cashiers tend to see how much you're saving, and think you're doing something wrong...when you usually aren't. Nothing against the cashiers. They just don't know the coupon policy inside and out, and it isn't every day that a shopper comes in and needs an override because she has more coupons than items. Ha!

When I went to check out last night, I handed over my coupons like normal. The cashier then proceeded to tell me that I could not use the $5 off of $30 CVS printable coupon. I politely asked, "Really? Can we just check with a manager? It's okay if I can't use it, but I just want to clear it up for the next time I come in. I've been using printable competitor coupons almost every week, and I've never had a problem. I just want to make sure I'm not doing anything that goes against your coupon policy here."

She called over the manager, and he took one glance at it and immediately said, "Oh yeah, we take that. It's just a competitor coupon." The cashier then told me, "Well, I knew the manager would take it to be nice, but you're really not supposed to use these. The rule is that you can't use printable coupons $5 or more." I politely again told her, "Really? I asked about it when I first started shopping here, and the manager told me they took printable coupons up to $5, but it couldn't be over that." Then the transaction proceeded, and the whole fiasco with the $7 coupon not getting scanned happened...

When I came back inside to help Julie settle that issue with the coupon, I pulled the manager (a different one) aside and asked her about their printable coupon policy. She said, "Oh yeah! No problem at all. We take all printable coupon competitors...Toys R Us and Babies R Us even! It's no big deal at all. Even if it was more than $5, as long as it's a valid competitor coupon, we'll take it! We just have to be careful, because every now and then we get fraud coupons. Your CVS coupon is totally fine though. Keep bringing those in!"

The moral of the story? And the whole reason I'm telling you all of this? Always ask a manager. Most of the time, cashiers will tell you all kinds of different things. It's not their fault. They just don't know the policy, and don't know how to handle huge money-savers like us! The manager usually knows the policy, though, and you always want to check with them. Publix managers are great. I've never had a problem with them! Managers at some of the other retail stores, however, I have had a few problems with...not fun!

Anyways, Julie left the store with me saying, "I'm going to ask a manager next time! I bet that cashier at my store just didn't know the coupon policy."

Also, this is why I have my "favorite cashiers." When I have one bad experience with a cashier, I never go through his/her line again. It's nothing against them personally. I just don't like having to deal with the embarrassment, slow-down, holding others up behind me, and having to call a manager over. I have about 4 or 5 cashiers that I always look for at my Publix, and they are awesome! (None of them were there last night, though! First time ever!)

Pick your cashiers wisely, and ask a manager when problems arise! Happy shopping!

Want to see other Tidbits and Tips for helping you save more? Go HERE to see all of them from the past weeks!