Coupon Question

[Sapphire Silk]

I have a question for our grocery retail folks. Maybe you can explain how this works to me, because I'm tired from working all day and couldn't quite wrap my head around it.

I stopped by the Food de Leone in my neighborhood on the way home to pick up a few things to make dinner after getting off of work. There was a paper taped to the checkout area that basically said:

$5 off on $5 purchase typo: coupons printed with a typographical error expiration date of 12/29/13 should have been 12/29/12. We will honor these coupons until 1/1/13, after which they will no longer be accepted.

Now the part about the typo made plenty of sense. The coupons, when printed, were printed with the wrong expiration date and the store doesn't want to honor them after the first of the year. Makes sense. I'm betting there was some serious suck yesterday when customers tried to use these coupons.

But that's not the part I couldn't get my head around. It was the $5 off on $5 purchase.

Doesn't that essentially mean free? It didn't say $5 or more, though I'm sure that's probably what it was supposed to mean. Does it mean a customer could essentially get a $5 item for nothing, and buy nothing else?

There was a line forming, so I didn't have time to read the paper in detail, though I did notice somethings, like alcohol and tobacco, were exempted.

[Luna Baby]

Yes, Sapphire Silk, you can essentially get $5 of product free. I just used this same coupon myself along with another that came in my email with the $5 off of $5. If you shop just right, you can find an item or items that total $5 and you pay nothing. However, in my case, I had $22 and with both coupons, paid $16 + change.

[Slayer]

That's exactly it. I've used those kinds of coupons in the past. They're quite handy. For me, they're usually for stores that I rarely frequent so at least it gets me in there and looking at their products.

[bainsidhe]

I've seen similar coupons before, which have always been tied to another promotion. My local Bon Ton will have a $10 off $10 coupon during Black Friday, which is only valid for select departments and only for FULL PRICED items. One year I managed to find socks and paid 60 cents, but I don't think I've ever used the coupon any other year. Mostly because the store has virtually everything on sale already, except high-priced cookware and bedding, which I didn't want anyway.

[Gizmo]

I think its for clarity since I know a lot of coupons are issued for say $5 off when you spend $30. So saying $5 off $5 clears the question up of "how much do I need to spend again?"

[ArcticChicken]

It also means you can't use it on a purchase that's less than $5. Can you imagine the whining from SCs "I gave you a $5 off coupon, and my purchase was only $3. That means you owe me $2!1!eleventy!!1"

[Sapphire Silk]

I guess I just can't figure how a store can make a profit with a promotion like that.

[Slayer]

I guess I just can't figure how a store can make a profit with a promotion like that.

They weigh the risks and hope for the best, lol. They know some will only buy enough for the $5 while others will spend well above the $5 minimum. They're trying to get repeat customers and they will make their profit off of them in the long run.

I know I always end up buying more than the $5 unless it's a store that I really have no need for (which is rare, TBH, hehe).

[Pagan]

Kohl's routinely sends out what amounts to a $10 gift card.

Yes, Sapphire Silk, you can essentially get $5 of product free. I just used this same coupon myself along with another that came in my email with the $5 off of $5. If you shop just right, you can find an item or items that total $5 and you pay nothing. However, in my case, I had $22 and with both coupons, paid $16 + change.

If it was $22 and you used 2 of the $5 coupons, wouldn't that have brought it down to $12 + change? Unless you got insane sales tax there?

I guess I just can't figure how a store can make a profit with a promotion like that.

They weigh the risks and hope for the best, lol. They know some will only buy enough for the $5 while others will spend well above the $5 minimum. They're trying to get repeat customers and they will make their profit off of them in the long run.

I know I always end up buying more than the $5 unless it's a store that I really have no need for (which is rare, TBH, hehe).

That's exactly it. And gets people in that might not normally shop there.

[Luna Baby]

If it was $22 and you used 2 of the $5 coupons, wouldn't that have brought it down to $12 + change? Unless you got insane sales tax there?

No, I only used 1 of the $5 off coupons, but combined it with a $.50 off of the cream cheese. I had what amounted to $5.50 in coupons. I went back and re-read my original response and it wasn't real clear as to what I had done. Sorry for the the confusion.

BTW, KY sales tax is only 6%, but it's ZERO on groceries!

[PepperElf]

No, I only used 1 of the $5 off coupons, but combined it with a $.50 off of the cream cheese. I had what amounted to $5.50 in coupons. I went back and re-read my original response and it wasn't real clear as to what I had done. Sorry for the the confusion.

BTW, KY sales tax is only 6%, but it's ZERO on groceries!

yep! It's why the grocery stores along the border to TN get so much business.

[Miss Maple Leaf]

BTW, KY sales tax is only 6%, but it's ZERO on groceries!

We have no sales tax on groceries here either, but our sales tax is a whopping 15%!