weird coupon ethics question

[lucida]

when you see coupons attached to items (say a hangtag attached with an elastic), do you think it is cool to remove the hangtag coupon and take it home? i have never done that, but now that i think of it, would it matter any more than taking one off a coupon pad? i guess i've imagined it "belongs" to the item it is attached to.

similarly, there are sometimes coupon stickers on items (like some neutrogena clinical kits nowadays) that say save $x now on any blah blah blah product. do you think its cool to remove those?

thanks for your thoughts.... im a little ocd about messing up couponing

[Natalka]

I wouldn't do either of those - they are each meant to be a promo for that specific product at that store at that time...

[c_mcarthur]

no its not right but people do it anyway because their greedy

[kkz23691]

I wouldn't take it... it is a part of the product

[KellyC]

Tear pads, yes. Stickers, peelies, hang tags, save nows, no.

[silent_scream]

the other day i was in walmart looking for ziploc with stickers and i couldn't find it , but dont know why i was damn sure they are here somewhere, after removing a lot of boxes from the front side i finally found some with stickers.

feel very bad for people who theft them, they might be so poor to buy one lol

[Dayanara]

I will admit I did it in the past (before I was a serious couponer and did not realize what I was doing) but I refuse to now because it is very frustrating when you see it happening or know it has happened to a product you have purchased.

A woman the other day tried to accuse me of doing that, she got so mad at me. Bought some pickles that had a tag around the neck for $$$ off low salt pickles, it did not apply to the pickles I was buying so I took it off and put the jar in my basket and the coupon in my purse. Guess she only saw me put the coupon in my purse...yikes, I got an ear full from her, lol. She apologized once she saw the pickles in my basket though.

What really irks me though is seeing people take 10+ coupons off the tear pads (and even once or twice I saw someone take the whole thing!!!). I take 3-5 max if it is something I will be trading or giving away. I have taken 10 before, but used at least half of them rght then and there (WUB2 save $1 for example on the knorr sidekicks when they were on sale for .99) and know I will be using the rest before they expire.

[ferdo]

You didnt imagine it belonged to the product it does belong to the product.

[2010ontest]

I take that kind of coupon if they are floating on the shelf or on the floor... Sometime Staff at grocery store don't have time to put bottle neck coupon on the product and they let them floating around. I prefered to take it than see it going to the garbage.

But this is not the case of the peelie. Every time I have choice, I take product with pellie... But sometime I have a better coupon than the pellies one. When this is the case, I keep the pellies for futur use.

Also I already saw very good pellies on product that was expired (the coupon was expired, not the product... soap don't realy expiry) from more than 1 year... So now I look at the pellies to be sure the expiry date is still valid. So frustrating to see you buy a product with a good bonus in coupons (the manufacturer marketing strategy) and realized at home the coupons are expired since 15 months.

[clumsygal]

i think it belongs to the person who's gonna buy the product, i feel like stealing if i do so! i don't wanna make myself feel so ugly for just a coupon!!!!

[freefreed]

In my eyes if it is attached to the product in any manor, it is meant for that exact item... Would you switch stickers from on item to another just to get the undamaged box for the cheaper price? Well that is illegal, and known as sticker switching... and I can tell you I have helped put people in the back of cop cars for doing that... and to me taking coupons off products is exactly the same...

Tear Pads, of hangtags that are on the shelf are free game, but never if attached!

[newtocoupons]

Hang tags and stickers belong to that product. The companies pay huge money to put those coupons on (especially in cases where the hang tag or sticker entitles you to a different company's product, like the free Mabel's Labels on Ziploc boxes) with the expectation of recouping that money in the sale of the the product. Taking them without buying is always stealing.

[lucida]

thanks for all the helpful input. i appreciate it. i'm glad i've always gone with my instinct on this. i sometimes play things overly safe and i'm not sure when i'm being extreme or not i shall continue leaving these with the product they are on and walk on by!

[SharBear]

In my eyes if it is attached to the product in any manor, it is meant for that exact item... Would you switch stickers from on item to another just to get the undamaged box for the cheaper price? Well that is illegal, and known as sticker switching... and I can tell you I have helped put people in the back of cop cars for doing that... and to me taking coupons off products is exactly the same...

Tear Pads, of hangtags that are on the shelf are free game, but never if attached!

I am 100% in agreement with Freefreed, the peelies are only yours if you buy the product or find it loose on the shelf somewhere!!

I am reading a couponing book right now where the author actually advises people to hunt for peelies and take them off the products!!! She will be getting a letter from me ASAP. She even says at the beginning of the book that she does everything legit and by the rules! The nerve!

[Mrsb07]

I don't. I have taken ones that others have taken off and left on the shelf. Don't really know why doing that is any different though, I should probably have left it or put it back on the item. Seeing it on the shelf though I always think it's going to end up in the garbage when staff are tidying up. Last month I bought some Greenworks products that had hang tags, got home and unfolded them to see all the coupons were removed. grrrr.