expired coupons?

[Rosebud1]

I am an avid coupon user. I frequently combine coupons with store sales. I also frequently use expired coupons -- not super expired, but sometimes a couple of months expired. It seems like the shelf life of coupons is too short for my system -- by the time I find a good store sale on the item, the coupon is expired.

I have found almost all cashiers will take an expired coupon without even really checking the date. They just zap the bar code and send it through. Today I was thrown off because the cashier would not take it. He explained he could get in a lot of trouble for accepting it. I was assuming it takes stores a couple months to even process and send in coupons, so I also assumed they would still get reimbursed by the manufacturers and thus the manufacturers would afford some leeway to the stores.

I guess in some ways I am an unrepentant user of expired coupons! Do you find that most stores don't have a problem with this? Is it wrong for me to simply go to a different, less consciencious cashier the next time I try to use an expired one? I don't want to be uncool, but times are tough!

[1growingsprout]

Coupon rules are very strict. Stores have a very short amount of time to get those Q's to the redemption center for their reimbursement. The coupons are barcoded and generally the system works correctly and the scanner will not accept an expired coupon. I am an avid couponer as well and have noticed the expiration dates are getting shorter and shorter these days. Many times I have not used my coupons too.

The only merchants that I know of that accept expired Q's are overseas military bases.

[LittleBlessings]

i also use coupons when shopping but never thought to try and use an expired one but now i almost want to try

[MomOnDaEdge]

Originally Posted by 1growingsprout

.

The only merchants that I know of that accept expired Q's are overseas military bases.

That. Last time I checked, Military could use expired coupons as long as they were not more than 6 months old. Maybe you could send them to a family there?

[OkiMom]

You could definetly send them to military overseas. The Navy Marine Corps Relief gives them out over here to the service members that need them. We live in Japan and they are good for 6 months after the expiration date.

[Kyamo]

Originally Posted by Rosebud1

I guess in some ways I am an unrepentant user of expired coupons! Do you find that most stores don't have a problem with this? Is it wrong for me to simply go to a different, less consciencious cashier the next time I try to use an expired one? I don't want to be uncool, but times are tough!

I am a cashier, and we get in trouble if there are expired coupons in our pouch because they can't get the money back from the company. Granted, it would be the non-conscientious cashier's own fault if they take it from you, but I wouldn't do it on purpose.

[woodchick]

Our grocery store cashiers absolutely check each and every coupon. And they don't accept internet coupons either.

Maybe if you use a ton of coupons they just want to scan them fast to get you through the line? I've used many at a time and still the cashiers read each one carefully. I think you've been lucky up until this point!

[Pinoikoi]

I think that if stores don't get reimbursed for expired coupons then they are just out that money. Out that money too many times and they will no longer accept coupons.

And that would upset a whole lot of people that use the system the way it was intended.

[Norasmomma]

My local store accepts expired Q's but I don't usually use them and when I don't I just write it off as a tiny loss for myself. I've used them if it's like a day or 2, but a month-no I wouldn't do that. I have a stack of Qs to send to the military families. I should get it together and send it off.

My friend works in a store office and that's part of her job is doing all the coupon stuff-I guess I should ask her how long the store actually has before the coupons are worth nothing to them.

[Rosebud1]

response from OP

Okay... now I feel kinda bad. The truth is I don't have a lot of love for my local grocery store. I live in a remote area, and it is a chain that has a total monopoly (they are the only stores within 50 miles), and their prices reflect that. In fact, the husband of a store manager told me they had the highest prices in the state of California! Their idea of a sale item is ten cents off the regular price! Hence my obsession with coupons. Oh and they just cut low level employees out of profit sharing, while they reap really high corporate profits. Sigh.... Time to stock up more at the farmer's market, or start stockpiling!

However, I sympathize with the low level employees who, especially in this economy, are afraid to lose their jobs.

If there are any military mom's who use coupons a lot and could use some expired ones, please let me know via PM. I would be happy to mail them to you... some are really sweet $1 off ones!

[Belia]

I use expired coupons all the time. Like.... very expired. Even years.

None of the grocery stores around here (well, like the 3 that I go to) ever even blinked about them. The only place I was ever challenged was Target- they have always been very strict.

But in the last 6 weeks or so I've noticed a change. The Ultra Foods near me has a sign that says they won't take coupons that are more than 6 months old... and they may even be tightening up on that. My local Jewel (Albertsons) just put up signs everywhere that say "We will no longer accept expired coupons." Cashiers were really strict at the beginning, but now no one checks the dates anymore.

I dunno.... I was really bitter when Jewel put up those signs. I mean, NO grocery stores around here do double coupons and their sales are pretty lame, so I read the threads from you mamas who get stuff for free all the time and am completely flummoxed.

I'll probably continue using expired coupons until someone stops me. It's not often that I consciously do something I know is wrong.... hmmmm.

I would love to know how the coupon thing works from the store / manufacturers POV.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by Belia

I use expired coupons all the time. Like.... very expired. Even years.

None of the grocery stores around here (well, like the 3 that I go to) ever even blinked about them. The only place I was ever challenged was Target- they have always been very strict.

But in the last 6 weeks or so I've noticed a change. The Ultra Foods near me has a sign that says they won't take coupons that are more than 6 months old... and they may even be tightening up on that. My local Jewel (Albertsons) just put up signs everywhere that say "We will no longer accept expired coupons." Cashiers were really strict at the beginning, but now no one checks the dates anymore.

I dunno.... I was really bitter when Jewel put up those signs. I mean, NO grocery stores around here do double coupons and their sales are pretty lame, so I read the threads from you mamas who get stuff for free all the time and am completely flummoxed.

I'll probably continue using expired coupons until someone stops me. It's not often that I consciously do something I know is wrong.... hmmmm.

I would love to know how the coupon thing works from the store / manufacturers POV.

Not only do no stores do double coupons where I live, but the coupon manufacturers themselves send very few coupons to our daily newspaper for me to collect. RedPlum is pretty much all I get- which is like makeup coupons for the most part. I wish I could get double coupon days. Heck, I wish I could get a good supply of coupons locally. I have started purchasing coupons to make up the difference.

Most people I know irl that use coupons regularly buy inserts from people out of state... so to me just HAVING and using coupons is such a privilege! Where I grew up there was one general store- anywhere else required an airplane to get in and out of town, and no they did not take coupons at all.

[Norasmomma]

Originally Posted by Belia

I dunno.... I was really bitter when Jewel put up those signs. I mean, NO grocery stores around here do double coupons and their sales are pretty lame, so I read the threads from you mamas who get stuff for free all the time and am completely flummoxed.

I'll probably continue using expired coupons until someone stops me. It's not often that I consciously do something I know is wrong.... hmmmm.

I would love to know how the coupon thing works from the store / manufacturers POV.

It totally depends on the store. Some stores are notorious for being total PITA when dealing with coupons, others are great. It also is the same with cashiers, some rock it-some act like that money is coming out of their pocket.

Getting free things requires research, it's not just some luck of the draw thing that happens. I also live in the land of no doubles, but I often get things for cheap or free(and I don't even live near a CVS-which is where much of the free stuff comes from). This past month I got $20 back in rebates from RiteAid-that got me free kids shampoo, bubble bath and baby wash. I also got 3 packs of diapers for $11, I could have gotten them free also but had used my voucher for free diapers a month ago-although they essentially were free since I used a gift card I had gotten from another deal(I ended up paying $1.54 oop). There were many on hotcouponworld who did in fact get their diapers free or made money. Even my mom is realizing that the internet is the way to learn how to save money and get things for very little or free. I'll now take my $20 and get more diapers with coupons and well essentially get them for free with my rebate checks from RA because I just keep doing the deals and getting the money back. It's really just like a big game to me now-a game of how to make money stay in my pocket, but also working with the system rules.

[HappyMommy2]

I would keep trying. If the store takes a coupon, great! They are probably making more money off of you than if you didn't buy anything!

I think it is ridiculous to act like using an expired coupon is a moral dilemma! come on, ladies.

[jeca]

I never use expired coupons but the few times they sneak in on me the cashier always tells me they are expired, then looks at me like I'm trying to get one over on her.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by HappyMommy2

I would keep trying. If the store takes a coupon, great! They are probably making more money off of you than if you didn't buy anything!

I think it is ridiculous to act like using an expired coupon is a moral dilemma! come on, ladies.

I don't think it is about a "moral dilemma" but to many coupons are a "game" and what kind of game has no rules to govern play? Also, to others, coupons are a necessity- it helps "keep the lights on".. so why put the system at risk for those that really need it? I just don't see the point.

If someone really needs to buy oatmeal with a coupon, then they need to plan ahead and use the coupon within the time frame outlined.. it isn't about "moral" or "immoral" its about natural consequences.. and those consequences can really hurt others.

My local bread factory USED to take coupons.. they no longer do because they "lost too much money" by accepting them. I asked last weekend, and that is the word for word response I got. So did the coupon manufacturers stop honoring the coupons? I doubt it- at least not within the rules that govern them. So why did the manufacturers not send the money to the bread store for the items sold? Dates are the only thing I can think of.

[Belia]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

My local bread factory USED to take coupons.. they no longer do because they "lost too much money" by accepting them. I asked last weekend, and that is the word for word response I got. So did the coupon manufacturers stop honoring the coupons? I doubt it- at least not within the rules that govern them. So why did the manufacturers not send the money to the bread store for the items sold? Dates are the only thing I can think of.

Or, was it too time- and labor-intensive for the store to process the coupons? And do the manufacturers reimburse at face-value, or some lower number?

[Noelle C.]

The stores here have their scanners set up somehow to reject expired coupons.

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by Belia

Or, was it too time- and labor-intensive for the store to process the coupons? And do the manufacturers reimburse at face-value, or some lower number?

I don't know, but I don't think so.. they had taken coupons for years and years.. then suddenly they didn't anymore. Why would it suddenly become more labor intensive than it had been? Plus, it is a bread factory- there aren't really THAT many different manufacturers that they carry- so I don't see it being the million different envelopes of coupons to mail out as a grocery store would have- I mean, they wouldn't have any produce companies, or meat, or frozen foods, etc so that would be a lot less labor intensive than a supermarket would be.

ETA: I read the fine print on a coupon today and it says that the retailers will be reimbursed the amount of the coupon if they follow the rules, plus 8 cents for shipping.. so I wonder what exactly those "rules" are..

[Norasmomma]

Originally Posted by HappyMommy2

I would keep trying. If the store takes a coupon, great! They are probably making more money off of you than if you didn't buy anything!

I think it is ridiculous to act like using an expired coupon is a moral dilemma! come on, ladies.

I don't think it's a moral dilemma-it's more of a YMMV thing. You may get away with it or you may not. Smaller stores you usually can do it, but bigger chain stores good luck. Coupons can be such a great thing and such a PITA sometimes, it really just depends. I mean my local store I probably can use any coupon-they rarely check, but I've had other coupon issues there. They mark down stuff all the time with .99 stickers and such and one of the cashiers(who used to be one of my hair clients) wouldn't take a coupon if the stuff was marked down, until a manager told her that I was buying the stuff at least they are getting something out of it. So I guess I can see the point of expireds not being a bad thing-and really there is a whole designated area on HCW where people trade and talk about expired Qs, there are places that do take them and don't care. There are other places that really frown on them. I have used expireds, but I only do if it's been a few days-maybe a week after that I feel like I'm not abiding by the rules, and I don't want to suddenly not be able to use ANY at all.