I don’t know about y
ou, but I love to save money on groceries. The TLC show “Extreme Couponing” is right up my alley, but slowly it’s starting to ruin my grocery store experience.
1. I’m not that gal who buys 22 Sunday newspapers for the coupon inserts. I buy one, but in that one I expect the coupons to be there. As reported by The Digitel Myrtle Beach, newspaper insert theft is on the rise. I know that to be true because it’s happened to me…and I was MAD!
2. The shelves in my grocery store are typically cleared of good deals. A few weeks ago there was a deal where an in-store sale and manufacturer coupon made the price of a Whisk laundry detergent $1.25. Yes, please. I had two coupons. For two weeks the shelf remained empty of this product. I went at 9:00 a.m. the day the deal started and several times over the next 13 days. Either hoards of folks came in daily with their coupons to clear the shelves, one person did that, or the grocery store took their loss on the first day and never restocked until after the sale was over. The specific scenario matters not – I never got my Whisk…and I was MAD!
3. I’m not patting myself on the back, but I work pretty hard to make sure I’m getting the correct items associated with the coupons I intend to use. A few of the cashiers at my favorite grocery store infuriate me. There have been instances where I got angrily challenged over the items. It goes something like this:
Cashier: “It says here you have to buy two boxes of Cheerios.”
Me: “Yes. I did. They are right there.” *pointing to the Cheerios on the belt*
Cashier: “The coupon is getting rejected.”
Me: “I’m sorry. I did, however, get the right items.”
Cashier: “This coupon must be expired.” *getting out a magnifying glass to inspect it*
Me: “Nope.”
Cashier: “Must be the wrong size.” *picking up the cereal boxes to inspect*
Me: “Nope. I was very careful to get the right items.”
Cashier: *forcefully running the coupon over the scanner again, which beeps in rejection*
People behind me: *heavy sigh*
Round and round we go. Seriously lady, is it coming out of your pocket? Maybe it is. I don’t know. Why is she so mad I’m trying to save money? In the end, I’m always walking out of there spending $200 anyway. It’s not like we watched my bill whittle down from $1,452 to $1.98. And now, every time I see this cashier, I attempt to find a spot in another line, regardless of the wait.
Cashier: “Ma’am, I can get you here.”
Me: “I’m good.” *but I’m really kind of MAD*
So I’m curious, are any Myrtle Beach families couponing? Have you got a tip to share? Do you have a great horror or success story to share?
Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.
I coupon, and love a great deal, but I am not in any way EXTREME about it. I find that most coupons for food items are for lots of processed food that I’m trying to cut back on anyway so most of my coupons are used on toiletries and household products. When I find a GREAT deal on food items, I might stock them up to donate else where. Same with great tolietry items. If there’s an item I need *Wisk detergent* that is gone, I will not hesitate to ask for a raincheck on that item for the coupons I have. I also try to be reasonable and not leave the store with 10 or more bottles of the said detergent. Maybe just two.
Couponing has saved my family nearly half my grocery bill and I do love that. When I buy a Sunday paper, it’s usually at the Dollar Tree in CF. The paper is yes, $1.00 and they keep them behind the counter so the inserts cannot be stolen. Daily papers there are $0.75 if you like the Wednesday ads.
Wow! I had no idea that the Dollar Tree kept them behind the counter! That is genius and much appreciated information! Thank you for sharing that, Holly!