Explaining BOGO sales and coupon usage

At the last Clipper Chicks meeting I was at (the first of the month), I was asked, "How do we explain to cashiers that we are using our coupons the right way when they tell us we can't use them". OK...honestly, the question was asked MUCH more eloquently than that.

Well, I found a couple of samples that people say when they are question about their coupon usage...specifically BOGO coupons with a BOGO sale (which would mean you get both items for free). I hope this helps....and, please please forgive me for not citing the source. I know one quote (but I don't know which one) came from a forum discussion on Hot Coupon World, and the other quote came from a blog post. All I can say is that I have been searching for good answers in the middle of the night as my three children alternate their attempts to NOT allow me to sleep. I'm a bit of a zombie...and quoting my resources was not what I was thinking about at the time.

Number 1

Understanding coupon lingo and logic is critical. Coupons are considered a form of payment, similar to a check, because the store will get money back from the manufacturer for each coupon you give them. So you will buy the first item using your BOGO coupon as payment. The store will cover the price of the second one. So you get both products for free. This is how it ought to work, anyway.

Number 2

Here's the logic - when the store offers bogo, the customer pays for one item, and Kroger gives you the 2nd item free. When you use a bogo coupon, they write $4.79 on the coupon and send it in to the manufacturer. The company doesn't care what the sale was, they just reimburse the store for the $4.79, in effect paying for the one you would have been paying for.

So, it's completely legal and ethical. The store is getting paid for one item (from the manufacturer instead of you) and they are giving you one item free.

So, when clerks give me a funny look, I explain that the coupon is paying for the one I would normally pay for - "See, just write $4.79 right on that line there, and the manufactur will send your store the money for the other bottle of shampoo."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Look ladies, if a cashier doesn't want to scan your card...ask for a manager. If a manager hassles you, very kindly and patiently ask he/she would mind calling corporate to figure this out. If you have more questions or problems, let us know and we'll try to help.

Did that answer your questions?