Damn the coupons!

[Imogene]

Yeah, foreshadowing: The company decided NOT to put out an ad this week, so, no coupon. Around 9,000 people who've signed up on our website got internet coupons, as a test to see if customers would be interested in them.

Two results: Every store in the company has been dead slow this week, and our store has gotten two (count them, two) of these internet coupons in.

Of course, we've also dealt with the literally hundreds of customers asking if we had an ad in the paper this week...

Had this gem today.
Lady came through my line, with a medium full basket. Hands me a mat. I ring it, she asks if it rang up on sale. "No...?"
"Oh, good, I can use this coupon then."
I glance at her coupon, which I saw her tear from a newspaper. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but that's last week's coupon. It's not good any longer."
"I just got it in the mail yesterday."
Sidenote: Interesting, as our mail ads usually show up on Sunday, not on Thursday
"I'm sorry, but it is last week's coupon, and is no longer valid."
Woman gets CBF, and just walks away, me with her coupon in hand, and her half cart of items.
"Er... K..." I void the one item I rang up, and call for the next in FES H's line to get over here.

[rerant]

I'm dreading coupons this week too.
Every Christmas we sell trees for $20, and when you buy one you get a coupon for $20 off a purchase of $75 before taxes.

It's a sort-of decent coupon, mostly for people who shop at my store a lot.
The fact that we even give customers a coupon to begin with is, in my opinion, quite generous.

Anyway, tomorrow is the last day they're valid and I just KNOW I'm going to be fighting with people over it on Sunday and beyond.

Valid Jec. 2nd to Mar. 1st means NO MORE STARTING MARCH 2ND!

I just know these jerkstores are going to give me hell over it.

[simplyanother]

. Around 9,000 people who've signed up on our website got internet coupons, as a test to see if customers would be interested in them.

Customers have been bitching forever that we didn't have printable coupons. I wonder if the answer is going to be a resounding DUH. lol Some of the coupons are item/area specific, which I thought was interesting.

A coupon a the beading stuff, will not work on anything else. Which makes SENSE, but never seemed to work before.

(Last year, we had a pamphlet that had great coupons that were supposed to be used on Wedding items. It worked no matter what the customer was buying. Sort of defeated the purpose, I guess).

Sidenote: Interesting, as our mail ads usually show up on Sunday, not on Thursday

Our mail doesn't run on Sundays. lol

I've had customers come through my line with the following weeks ad, which they did receive in the mail, and get pissy because it's not valid yet.

[Listerfiend]

Ugh... Monday I overheard a customer whining at one of my cashiers, "Oh, drat I forgot my coupon. Can you let me sign the paper?" (as in, the discount/coupon log we have to fill out when entering discounts manually) the cashier told her we didn't have an ad this week. Customer proceeded to argue with the cashier, "are you sure? you guys have one every week; I *know* I was one in the paper yesterday..." and just wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Obviously the customer knows more than the employee...

(btw my favorite thing ever at work is when I tell customers there's no ad/coupon. Makes me soooo happy)

[Red Briggs]

Oh yea, this falls with one of my favorite complaints from where I'm at. Why don't you guys send flyers out to podunk? we're only 100km away? don't we count?

sir/ma'am, we as a store do not have control over where the flyer goes. head office sends the flyers to the newspapers and and they stuff them there. we never see the flyers that go in paper. i don't drive them down there. i don't personally stuff every newspaper and intentionally skip podunk's copy of the paper as a personal slight against you.

It's just how it is. Deal with it like i have to deal with my hellish reality of SC everyday. see this? that's what we call in retail, a shit eating grin!

[simplyanother]

(btw my favorite thing ever at work is when I tell customers there's no ad/coupon. Makes me soooo happy)

Me too. It's a small joy, but it's oh so nice!
"I left my coupon on the kitchen table!"
"We didn't have a coupon this week"
"Are you sure?"
"No, I'm just lying to you, because, well, you know, I want to get fired over your stupid 40% coupon."

I feel bad, because the coupons ARE abused by the regular customers. They knew exactly how to work the system, and you know as annoying as it is, I don't blame them. Why would anyone pay full price if they absolutely didn't have to.

But I love deflating them. lol

Oh yea, this falls with one of my favorite complaints from where I'm at. Why don't you guys send flyers out to podunk? we're only 100km away? don't we count?

We get that from folks who claim to live in BFE, then when I ask for the zip, I learn they live where I live. Which is considerably closer than BFE.

"No, you don't count, sorry..."