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Back to Basics Series: What do I do when a deal doesn’t work as planned?

May 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

How many times have you said this at the registers?

I screwed up a deal yesterday. I hate when I do that! I was at CVS and wanted the Neutrogena sunscreen deal. Found two that I wanted, shelf tags made no mention of an Extra Bucks deal, but I grabbed them anyway. Then, on my way to the registers, I passed a display of Revlon nail polish. I liked the colors, checked my coupon binder, I had three Revlon nail coupons. Grabbed three nailpolishes, as I remembered this deal being Limit 5 or 6, and headed to registers. (Has anyone figured out yet where I screwed up?)

My plan was to pay for the nail polish with the extra bucks that I had, plus Revlon coupons. I would then be getting $12 back and I would use that + Neutrogena coupons to pay for Neutrogena. First transaction went very smoothly, I paid $0.46 oop and the cashier complimented me on my bargaining prowess. Feeling very smug, I handed her one of my business/blog cards. By this time, it was obvious that I wasn’t getting any Extra Bucks from the nail polish. I hesitated, then paid about $15 for the Neutrogena and got $10 back. Ouch! I can’t remember the last time I paid $15 oop for anything at CVS.

What did I do wrong? The nail polish deal starts TODAY and I was in there yesterday. In my head, I remembered reading and typing about the nail polish, just didn’t remember the dates. So what am I going to do? I came home and tossed the three nail polishes in the drawer with the other 25 free nail polishes I have, and call it a day. I thought about returning them, then just decided against it. Win some, lose some–in the past five years I’ve done very well at CVS, so I’m just going to eat this loss.

There are a zillion reasons why a deal won’t work as planned. First, let me preface this by saying, I am not one of the couponers that does “scenarios.” I don’t plan out my transactions, carefully writing down exactly what I’m buying, exactly what coupons I’m using, calculating tax…..oiy vey. The main reason I don’t do that, is that you need to be able to think on your feet. Especially since there is a very good chance that the stores won’t have the items you planned on buying.

Before going to a store to do a freebie deal or something like that (a trip where I’m only planning on getting very cheap or free items, not my regular shopping trip) I write down the items I am interested in, and I gather corresponding coupons. That’s about it. However you put together a deal, whether it be printing off scenarios you find online, or just throwing crap in your cart and adding it up in your head as you go along, there are lots of things that can make a deal go wacky. You’re at the register, you did your transaction and either your total was much higher than you planned, or Extra Bucks or a catalina did not print as planned. Here is what I recommend, or this is what I do.
First, I pay for the items. Then, I take my packages and step aside. If I have ornery children with me, I just go home. Seriously. If I am by myself or otherwise have the time and have patient and polite kiddos with me, I try to take care of it there.
Look at your receipt. There are lots of reasons why a catalina/RRs/ECBs may not have printed. Are you positive that you bought all of the correct items, correct sizes, correct varieties, correct quantities? Is it perhaps that just one flavor or variety isn’t working? Have you already maxed out on a deal, such as CVS? Maybe you thought it was Limit 2 and it was only Limit 1? Are you sure you have the correct dates? Are you there on the right day, or did a particular offer end on an odd day, that doesn’t coincide with their regular ad dates?
Were you doing the shelf price/sale price thing with a catalina offer, and in the case of Acme, something was on knockdown and you didn’t notice? Was the entire family of products included? Or, maybe this store’s policy has changed?
Once I’ve determined if the error was mine or theirs, I make my decision. Is it a lot of money, or just a few cents? Do I really need/want this item, or was I just getting it because it was free? I make my decision and then either go back to the registers or to Customer Service. If it’s a Catalina Marketing offer, you can fill out a form online and it will be mailed to you. Sometimes that is the easiest option. Especially if you paid very little or nothing oop, and are expecting a catalina back. Cashiers and CS people like to give you the “It didn’t print because you used coupons” excuse a lot. Just remember that if you do the pay now, possibly return it later, you are most likely going to forfeit those coupons. You won’t be able to get them back to try the deal again.
Ok, but let’s say a deal doesn’t work because of action by the cashier. Say he/she refuses a bogo coupon on a bogo sale, or two coupons on a bogo sale, or a store coupon stacked with a mfr coupon. First, pick your battles. I once read a discussion thread online where a couponer was being indignant about getting stores to accept coupons that say Do Not Double on them. Yes, technically the stores can accept them and double them if they wish, but they don’t have to. And is that really an argument you want to have?
Decide if you really want to pay for the items and try to handle it at the Customer Service desk, or if you’re going to ask the cashier to abort the transaction and give you back your coupons. In the first instance, I just find it to be a bit difficult because now you’re at the CS desk with your items and your receipt, and the coupons are in the cashier’s drawer. Keep in mind that you are the customer and you shouldn’t be treated with any disdain just because you’re using a lot of coupons. At the same time, keep your cool and remain polite.
I once read on a blog an essay about crying at the register. I think life is too short for that. While I’ve had my share of frustrating experiences, you won’t find me crying over coupons. Many big chains give their district managers and store managers discretion on accepting coupons. Hey, that’s fine, I respect that. But just as they have that choice, I also have the choice to take my business elsewhere if they don’t want my coupons. It’s disappointing when a deal doesn’t work out. But keep your cool, make sure you have it all figured out correctly and then make your decision on next steps. With enough practice and experience, you’ll get enough freebies that the occasional screwed up deal won’t set you back much and you can just shrug it off.
Happy shopping & let me know if you have any questions!
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