Kelloggs Promotion Shopping Disaster

[Valiant]

I've been keeping up to date with the new Kelloggs cereal promotion, the one with the various FPC's on the cereal packages, and saving 5 $2wub2 Kelloggs cereals coupons for this promotion. And this week in my store flyers, there was the promotion outlined on one of their pages with all the cereals listed and all the FPC's shown.

So I went to the store, and whatdyaknow, just the old stock is out there.
I search for employees, who look at the flyer, can't figure out what it means, and tell me to come back tomorrow, because new stock is coming in. I come back the next day, the staff are in a bad mood because of some sort of problem, loud arguments already in progress. No new cereal. Find the clerk that told me to come back; she's in a bad mood, redirects me to somebody else, who asks me to talk to the person I first talked to; finally somebody listens, takes my flyer to the stockroom where they argue about it for about 5 minutes, then come out not knowing what the flyer says or what cereal to look for. (turns out they noticed the pic of the Rice Krispies cereal in the bowl (the FPC cereal demo) and were looking for that in their stock. I explain again for the 6th time how the promo works. They say come back Friday.

So I go to the Ocean Spray shelf to get a couple of cans of sauce; they're on sale, so it's a good time to use my newly printable 'OS good on any product' coupons. Over to the counter, where the clerk gives me a funny look about the printable coupon, makes disparaging remarks about seeing a lot of those lately, and where are they all coming from...on the internet, eh??? (in an accusing tone), then wants me to explain to her how I can use the coupon when there are juice bottles on it. So I whip out my other OS juice promotions print-outs, explain that the coupon specifies juice when that is the only purchase allowed, but that they have started a new promo on 'any product' with their new coupon. Finally, after reading the various papers, clerk accepts my OS printables, and rings up my purchase.

Almost nicely out of the store, when other manager comes up behind me, pretty moody about me wanting the Kelloggs promotional cereal. Goes on and on in front of 5 other customers about the stock not being old, about not being able to order the Kelloggs stock on the flyer because who knows what they're going to send out??? I try to placate manager, whose eyes look rather wild and now he's even "My dear"ing me in a "tone" every few words, though I'm old enough to be his mother. Well, after making it clear to me that I'm not to expect the Kelloggs promotional cereal on their flyer, to be coming anytime soon, he finally turns and stalks off.

Just a few more feet with my medical rollator and my OS sauce and roast beef and I'm outa there...customers staring at me as if I must have just committed some kind of crime.
Anger gave me energy to get home a bit quicker than usual, all the time vowing to give the store a wide berth for awhile. Once home, phoning here and there trying to find a driver to take me to the city to shop.
YEEEE-HAWWWW! I found one...and ding-dong-darn-it, a-shopping I will go...and look out Kelloggs promotional cereals, cause here I come!!!!
Tomorrow is another day!

PS: Unfortunately, by that time, my 5 Kelloggs coupons will have expired.

[Litesandsirens911]

oh my, sounds like you shouldn't go back for a while, moody people!
Glad you have somewhere else to go!

[Cheesecake]

How frustrating!

[fire_earth_air]

Oh, that sounds so frusterating.
Why don't you send an email to Kelloggs and tell them about how you were hoping to use the coupons for this promo etc. See what they do...if the product is advertised in the flyer, the store should be able to provide the item, unless a correction notice is produced....right?
How about PM'ing at Zellers or Walmart?

[Valiant]

Although I was feeling frustrated and discouraged, today I went back to that store and again checked out the stock of Kelloggs cereals. They had some new stock: the Corn Pops with the Minute Maid OJ FPC, and the Frosted Flakes with the 1L Milk FPC. I used three $2wub2 Kelloggs coupons and bought 6 boxes total. The cereal was priced at 3 for $9.99, so after coupons I paid $13.98, and now have 6 boxes of cereal and 6 FPC.
They hadn't finished unpacking stock, and I didn't want to discuss it with them anymore, so I'll go back again tomorrow and check it out again. I have 2 more Kelloggs coupons left, so if I can, I'll get some more cereal with FPC's.
When I got home, I cut out the coupons from the box-backs, saved 1 box back for info re: size and price value (cuz the info on the coupons is micro-mini), and mixed some corn pops with some Kelloggs corn flakes, and had breakfast. And it was very satisfying to enjoy success at last!

[albertamommie]

WTG on being persistant. I hate all the grief we get using coupons and stuff and I really hate when there is old stock in the grocery story.
Just yesterday at the peace river IGA I bought popcorn that was expired in Aug of 2009. My hubby said to throw it out but I will take it back next time we are there. I mean.. cmon.. I could see it having expired last month but almost 7 months ago.

[Valiant]

Thanks for understanding!

Yes, there's nothing like opening up an expired package of food, and getting that first smell or taste of something foul.
I've been taking bad products back more often since I became a coupon-shopper and got a lot more shopper-savvy.

[anisa]

terrible. tho you might want to let their head office know about your trip.
sounds like it's more of a lack of management issue.
why would so many of them be so rude for no reason? the whole store seems to have issues.
blah

[mcminsen]

Your username is appropriate!

-----------------
valiant |ˈvalyənt|
adjective
possessing or showing courage or determination : she made a valiant effort to hold her anger in check | a valiant warrior.
DERIVATIVES
valiantly adverb
ORIGIN Middle English (also in the sense [robust, well-built] ): from Old French vailant, based on Latin valere ‘be strong.’

Thesaurus
valiant
adjective
a valiant warrior | her valiant efforts brave, courageous, valorous, intrepid, heroic, gallant, lionhearted, bold, fearless, daring, audacious; unflinching, unshrinking, unafraid, dauntless, undaunted, doughty, tough, indomitable, mettlesome, stouthearted, spirited, plucky; informal game, gutsy, spunky. antonym cowardly.
------------------

Sooner or later, we all seem to go through something like this. Couponing and deal chasing is very rewarding but not for the faint of heart. Sometimes it's almost effortless and sometimes you practically have to move mountains to get something simple. Good for you for following through!

[Natalka]

Yes, it's frustrating when this happens - some stores just have more turnover.
Where did you find a OS coupon good for anything? I thought they just have the juice ones out there -- hopefully you weren't trying to use that 'illegal' one floating around, the one without the expiry date!

[Valiant]

Dear mcminsen,
How I enjoyed your post; thank-you so much for your kind words!
What a tremendous bolster of support it was to me--thoroughly delightful!To explain my Username:
When I first joined these coupon sites, I wasn't sure of what name to use. At the time, I was planting a Valiant Grapevine and the plant tag was sitting on my computer desk. I happened to look down and took the name Valiant: hardy Canadian type--Zone 2/3, which is where I live. Also from a line in my grade-school reader many years ago: "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant shall not taste of death but once."

Dear Natalka,
Ocean Spray has a new printable coupon promotion which I learned of this week on SC. It's a $1 coupon off any Ocean Spray product, and there is a 1 month expiry date on it from the time it is printed. The coupon has a pic of 2 juice bottles on it, but the coupon states 'good on any Ocean Spray product'. I also printed out the promotion, and compared it with the print-outs of other specific OS juice promotions to the staff at the store. In the end, they accepted the new OS coupon.

[albertamommie]

i agree but, i think she lives in a small town and you would have to see these people on a regular basis. I know where I live I have to take things with a grain of salt because if I did any major complaining then i would have a hard time shopping there and it's the only grocery store we have here. The next closest is an hour away..

terrible. tho you might want to let their head office know about your trip.
sounds like it's more of a lack of management issue.
why would so many of them be so rude for no reason? the whole store seems to have issues.
blah

[Valiant]

My point exactly!
Only 8 years and 3 more months till retirement, and then with my Old Age Pension I can afford to move back to the city for all the great deals there!

[pippinelkhound]

i agree but, i think she lives in a small town and you would have to see these people on a regular basis. I know where I live I have to take things with a grain of salt because if I did any major complaining then i would have a hard time shopping there and it's the only grocery store we have here. The next closest is an hour away..

The promo boxes have only just started showing up in my Superstore. I really think the shipping schedule has a lot to do with it.

And we all know that Eastern Canada get their stuff first and more of it.

[Valiant]

(Pippenelkhound, I saw the Kelloggs promotional boxes a few weeks ago in the city flyers and stores, though I didn't have enough time to buy any. Generally, I've found that it takes more time for the towns to get the promotions.)

Update on my shopping:
Saturday I went back to the store and got another 6 boxes of Kelloggs cereal. Made it home and then noticed that one of the boxes was an ordinary one with no coupon; don't know why I didn't notice that in the store, must be shopping fatigue. Went back again and exchanged it for a box with a FPC.

Now finally finished the Kelloggs cereal FPC coupon shopping trips. I use half a box of their sweetened cereal per box of regular cereal, and don't have to add any sugar. And now I have 12 FPC's: 6 for milk and 6 for OJ. There were no others with FPC's, though I would have preferred the Mini-Wheats. But now I have a lot of cereal in my stockpile again, and lots of FPC's for my usual lean months ahead.
Harvest completed.