Coupon Redemtion Etiquette

[RyRy's Grasshopper]

Hi all! So I'm new to all this and have spent a good amount of time looking around the site. I am in awe at how much information you all have shared...just incredible!

I did read some etiquette expectations for collecting from tear pads in stores, and that you should only take what you reasonably expect to use, and if you require a large number of a certain coupon that it is most considerate if you collect them over a few visits as opposed to taking 20 right off the hop. This makes perfect sense to me.

When it comes to redeeming a certain coupon in a store is there an etiquette protocol agreed upon? For example: Using a coupon I can get 'widgets' for next to nothing this week and I have collected quite a few coupons! I want to pick-up 20 of them at this great price because that's what my family and I will use over the next 6 months (I'm learning to stockpile! ). When I get to the store there are only 12 available. I've read that "shelf clearing" is frowned upon, so what do I do?

TIA!

[FallenPixels]

I will usually buy 4, go to another branch of that store or go back another day and pick up 4 again rather than buy lots at once, I find cashiers dont fuss as much (even if they have 1000 on the shelves) if you have 4 of each coupon compared to more

[screamy]

There is certainly no agreed-upon etiquette. Everybody does what is "reasonable" for them.

Personally, if I see a tear-off coupon for something I buy all the time (like, say, milk), first I take one, to check the expiry date (and whether it's a store coupon or a manufacturer's coupon - because the store I find the coupons at may not normally have a good price for the widget).

Then I do a rough calculation of how many of the widgets I'm going to be able to use, for myself, before it expires. And then I will take a maximum of that number, or six coupons, whichever is greater. I RAOK the rest to people in the GTA group. If I need more than six, I go back another time and hope there will be more (I figure that way everyone gets a crack at them).

For the Toonies for Tummies coupons, however, I tend to be somewhat more lenient with my self-imposed policy, because the companies are also donating the money to the Grocery Foundation, and also because some of the coupons go faster in some stores than others.

And there have also been occasions (MIR forms, etc.) when I know members of our group need specific items or coupons. I wouldn't take an entire pad, but I'll grab some for them too.

We have an email distribution list for that kind of thing though, so I ping everyone to let them know I found X number of the coupon for them, so that everyone else will stop trying to find them, and they return the favour. It works quite well for us, although not everyone is going to have that option, of course.

edit: Okay, so I'm going to go have more coffee; I just answered a completely different question than the one you asked.

To answer your actual question, no, I wouldn't clear a shelf. The store always has the right to limit purchases to what they consider "normal household consumption", so whatever the widget is, I'd take a maximum of between four and six, depending on their stock levels.

[orv]

The most I have ever bought of one item in a shopping trip is 16(that was cambells soup...lol there was TONS left obviously) . And even when there are good sales in my town, very rarely do I see shelves cleared out. Unfortunately I don't drive so I can't go to a different branch of the store(there aren't anymore than one anyway lol) try to avoid arguments with cashiers, and I know that if I have like 20 of the same item and coupons for all them, only makes them double/triple check and think of an excuse to not let you do it. I will buy a few of one things, and several other items to "hide" the really good deals to avoid any hassles. After all, I am not going to use 100 deodorant at one time, and there will always be sales and coupons. So we really arent losing out taking less than 10 of one item.

[annedougherty]

I usually stick with 4 of something at a time. Like Pix said, the cashier is less likely to get their back up when you are purchasing what the store typically considers a "reasonable" amount. And like Orv said, there is always another deal around the corner.

[Brandy Hunter]

It depends what it is. But I voted 'half'

[miztia]

I usually only do 2 of the same coupon at a time, so if its a b1g1 I'd have 4 products. Cashiers dont seem to mind that way. If its something I use alot of, I have the option to stop at the store throughout the week for more.

[Brandy Hunter]

But,
What if it was a clearance item, and your coupons made it free. On things that hardly ever go on sale, but you use a lot of.
For me, I think that'd be Sparkys Cesar dry food. Aside from wondering why it's on clearance (ok, hypothetically, it's safe) I'd leave 2 behind. Only because that brand is SO expensive, and the only one he can eat.

But other then that, i'd take half. As I usually only get maximum 6 of the same things per store. Theres a lot of the same stores around me, so it's easy to store-hop.

[KellyC]

Take what you want/need and then keep it to yourself! I figure it's nobody's business what anyone else does with their life...if you think you want 30 of something to use/share/donate, well then, that is the choice you made. But I wouldn't advertise it on here unless you enjoy being flogged!

I personally don't clear shelves. If there are 4 or 5 and I wanted that many, then yes, I take them all. If there are 10 or more I wouldn't take all of them. I would come back another day or go to another store. I don't like setting off the "red alert" with the cashier, so I try to keep my multiples to a minimum.

[RyRy's Grasshopper]

Great points! Thank You. Seems like 4 is considered to be reasonable for the majority of items. (Excluding the Cesar's Food for Sparky - I'd have a hard time passing that one up too!) And like many mentioned it keeps the cashiers happy as well.

screamy ~

edit: Okay, so I'm going to go have more coffee; I just answered a completely different question than the one you asked.

No worries, still good info!

orv & anne ~ It's just all so exciting, thanks for the reminder that there will always be another deal/coupon

[FallenPixels]

KellyC, it is not just on here. I have become quite friendly with many cashiers in local stores and even they complain to me about shelf clearing and people misusing coupons and how the managers are coming down on them about coupons.

Simply doing it and not mentioning it on SC doesnt make it any better IMO

[Brandy Hunter]

Great points! Thank You. Seems like 4 is considered to be reasonable for the majority of items. (Excluding the Cesar's Food for Sparky - I'd have a hard time passing that one up too!) And like many mentioned it keeps the cashiers happy as well.

screamy ~ No worries, still good info!

orv & anne ~ It's just all so exciting, thanks for the reminder that there will always be another deal/coupon

This made me giggle

Haha

I promise to not clear shelves, to leave some for future shoppers, in the good name of Smart Canucks... unless it's Cesar food, then it's all mine.

[harbie]

For me personally I follow the rule of only "shelf clearing" if there is only 1 or 2 left which is not really shelf clearing to me and then I will ask for a raincheck if possible

As for coupon pads I will most likely hit multiple stores to get them (a few from each location) or multi visits to the same store. I will take "extras" but they will be for trades/RAOK's and "extras" in trades.

JMHO

[Brandy Hunter]

For me personally I follow the rule of only "shelf clearing" if there is only 1 or 2 left which is not really shelf clearing to me and then I will ask for a raincheck if possible

As for coupon pads I will most likely hit multiple stores to get them (a few from each location) or multi visits to the same store. I will take "extras" but they will be for trades/RAOK's and "extras" in trades.

JMHO

Where I shop, theres always more then 1 pad for the same item, and if they're both full, or remotely full, i'll take as many as I like, but not exceeding 10.
But then again, I never find good enough coupons to do that, so I don't bother.

[RyRy's Grasshopper]

This made me giggle

Haha

I promise to not clear shelves, to leave some for future shoppers, in the good name of Smart Canucks... unless it's Cesar food, then it's all mine.

It sounded better in my head! lol