Too much of a good thing?

I LOVE getting a deal just as much as anyone else, but there are limits as to how far I will go to get them.

You know those free candies & pens that you get at professional offices when you visit? Do you take ONE? ... or as many as you think you can get away with without anyone saying anything to you? Couponing Queens across Canada & abroad have become very inventive with how they are achieving such "great deals". Are they legit? Some are.... Are they ethical? Most are not.

Couponing with sense & sensibility is a rarity lately. Those who are using coupons to save money, stay out of the red, or to simply be able to afford to feed their families are suffering because of couponers who have no hesitation or compassion for others that are clearing shelves, & using coupons improperly.

Improper Use of Coupons:

• photocopying coupons 
• using specific product coupons on the wrong size/type of product
• Stacking unstackable coupons
• Using expired coupons

Typically most stores will have limits now as to how many of the same "like" items you are permitted to purchase per shopping trip. Blatant disregard for these permissions, and purchasing more (way way more) product than allowed is pushing stores to adjust their policies to reflect even more restrictions. Yes, retailers want nothing more than to sell their product, but they also must maintain good customer service with ALL customers. Meaning, that they cannot "allow" couponers to clear shelves, leaving nothing left for 100's of loyal patrons to purchase. This is especially if an item is advertised. I am sure that all of us at one point or another have gone to a store to purchase something specific, to find that it is all gone. It is disappointing, especially if you are really needing that product. Resulting in you going to another store to spend your money...and who knows. If this situation happens enough times at one location, wouldn't you stop being a loyal customer? Probably...

Couponers who are only caring for themselves, and not the longevity, availability or ease of using coupons, are ruining it for everyone else.

Ohh..and here is another one....Tear Pad Stealing & Auctioning. This one really gets my goat.

There are some who will know exactly which day stores will release new coupons on their shelves...unless you have your running shoes & boxing gloves on, good luck in getting any. These tear pads have disappeared within hours (if not less time) from the shelves, thus now making them "rare". These pads can contain up to 600 coupons. Where as last year and years prior, one would be able to find tear pads weeks, & months after they were released. Sheer greed is the cause of this. It is so terrible to see that a simple piece of advertisement can cause such an upheaval amongst those who are trying to save a buck.

Now, to top all of this off...some have gone to the extent of "selling" these now rare coupons on e-bay! Some have paid virtually the same amount in actual cash that the coupons are worth...

COUPONS ARE FREE!

So, if you want to see coupons on your shelves, and retailers accept them with open arms, please have good ethics when using and acquiring coupons.

• When you spot at tear pad in store, take only a little bit each time you shop. Five or so coupons at a time is a very reasonable amount for anyone
• NEVER clear a shelf. Leave some for the next customer. However, if there is only a few on the shelf to begin with and you need it, by all means take it. Just use common sense.
• Use the proper coupons for the items that you are buying. If there are size/type restrictions, you must comply with the restrictions set out on the coupon. The more that people try to cheat, the more restrictions that we will all begin to see printed. Manufacturers DO know how people are using these coupons, don't think we are fooling them.