Sunday, May 15, 2011

Jail'Me Kirlew And Other Problems With Extreme Couponing

On Wednesday night I watched the program "Extreme Couponing" for the first time. Despite the fact that like everyone else, I'm always looking to save money, I won't be watching it again. It would be great to purchase $500 to $600 worth of groceries for 80% to 90% off, but I have no use for 25 boxes of cake mix or frozen pizza. I certainly have no desire to stockpile 300 bottles of soda or sports drinks.

What I saw was 2 to 3 or more grocery carts full of items that contribute to heart disease and diabetes. Foods which are loaded with salt, sugar and transfats. There were no lean meats. No fresh fruits or vegetables, no whole grain products. Just prepackaged, highly processed foods and sugary drinks.

Has it not escaped anyone watching this program that these women were going out and buying items to add to stockpiles of items that all ready were valued at $10,000+? How far past it's expiration date is some of that stuff? Will someone explain to me why a couple with no children need a stack of canned soup cases that is 5 feet high?

For thse women, coupon finding and clipping is a full time job. All of the women said they spend an average of 35 hours a week on this task. One of them has 5 computers on which she can download more of the e-coupons than she'd be allowed normally. Saving money by extreme couponing has allowed one woman to buy a spanking new SUV. Of course it sits out in the driveway because her garage is used to store all her purchases. Organized neatly on industrial metal shelving units. She has a grocery store in her garage, but she had to go buy $600 worth of groceries for less than $30 because....why? Every one of these women said this type of shopping is addicting.

Apparently it's so addicting that some women are willing to cheat both the manufacturer of the products they're buying and the stores they're buying from to achieve their goals. From what I've read, one woman, shown last month was committing coupon fraud by buying the product, but she was buying the smaller sizes. The bar code reader in the stores apparently reads the family code for products and accepts the coupon even if it isn't for the item listed on the coupon. For instance the shopper had coupons for $1 off the 4 packs of Yoplait yogurt. She used the coupons on Yoplait yogurt in the 6 ounce container.

Supporters who follow her Facebook page commented that she should be left alone since no one was hurt by her actions. That's not exactly true. When the manufacturer audits the coupons from the store, they will see that sales figures on the 4 packs of Yoplait don't match the number of coupons used. It will then refuse to pay the store for the items. In essence, by using fraudulent shopping habits, she committed shop lifting since the store won't be paid. Shop lifting is a crime. So is coupon fraud, which is what she's doing, and she's doing it regularly. Even after finding out that what she's doing is a crime.

NOTE: If you wish to listen to this video, please scroll to the very bottom of my page where you will find my music widget and turn it off. Trying to listen to both may be difficult.



Manufacturers offering coupons are now changing the bar code formula for their coupons to prevent this type of fraud from happening. I would say the fact that they're doing so is an indication of how widespread this practice may be. It costs to change these codes so it seems to me that manufacturers have knowledge of how much they're losing as a result of these fraudulent practices and are taking steps to protect themselves and the grocers who redeem them.

25 comments:

  1. Yikes! That's taking coupon clipping to an extreme.

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  2. John,

    I only watched this program once for an hour and those women on the program are housewives and this is how they live on a single income.

    If you watched the video the stockpile behind the woman in it is the same for every woman I saw. I use coupons for toilet paper, laundry detergent, toothpaste, shampoo and things like that. The prepackaged, processed foods are pretty much what coupons are issued for. I don't need those.

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  3. Addiction indeed. Wonder how much money they could make if they took a job with those 35 hours a week, or how much good they could do spending more time with their kids or doing volunteer work for 35 hours a week.

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  4. I end up behind a "Connie Coupon" about once a month - zip lock bags with 3/5 cards taped on the outside - And, they watch the register intently to seize upon any imagined slighting...
    But, they do this - too, the one, loudly brag about how much they save...

    Thank God for those self-checkout things...
    Which for some reason they shun.


    Sarge

    ReplyDelete
  5. PS:
    Kick-ass tunes...


    Arigato,


    Sarge

    ReplyDelete
  6. Skinny,

    Those women who were shown on the program I watched are stay at home Mom's, with younger children. Only one wasn't and she was using her savings to finance trips with her husband. My problem is with the number of products they buy that are simply unhealthy.

    Saving money is good, however, this program and the people it features aren't sending the right message to the rest of us. I watched one woman buy over $1000 of products for less than $50. This isn't something that is normal, not for the couponers nor for the rest of us.

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  7. Sarge,

    Coupons are a good thing. They help us save money, but this program isn't the whole story. They don't get the kind of savings we see on every shopping trip. What we see is preplanned for the greatest amount of savings to draw viewers for the program.

    I'm really bad at couponing, I prefer to shop the grocers that offer "buy one get one free". Those offers are usually on produce, dairy and lean meats.

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  8. I agree with everyone here!

    I just don't understand it at all...yes, they are saving loads of money, but they have 52 boxes of toothpaste!

    Coupon in moderation, people!

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  9. Sarge,

    The best description of what's on my music widget would be Woodstock meets Stevie Ray Vaughn meets Southern Rock.

    Glad you enjoy it.

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  10. HD,

    I feel that this program takes conspicuous consumption to a whole new level. I'm going to be asking myself if that empty spot on the store shelf where I should have found an item I need is empty due to an extreme couponer?

    Saving money is one thing, but this is...well...extreme.

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  11. I have always found that most coupon incentives are for products that don't move well or are much more expensive than the same product of a different brand name......why buy a bunch of crap you will/can not use, don't need, don't want to save a few pennies.....ALL coupon products are overpriced to start with..DUH !!!!!

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    Replies
    1. You are woefully misinformed but I doubt from your attitude that you'd ever notice evidence contrary to your conclusions.

      Delete
  12. CANNED HEAT!!!!! Dig it...

    I've seen the show a couple times, in the same way I see most shows...peripherally and subliminally, as the t.v is always on as a "bark deterrent" for the pugs.

    (GEORGIA SATELLITES!!!!)

    At any rate, I think a great deal of it is hyped up, as you've already said, to get viewers.

    Yeah, this J'aime person has committed a crime, for sure. And, you're right, it does hurt people, because such things will eventually lead stores to drastically alter their coupon policies, and it will drive prices up for consumers.

    Peace

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  13. JANIS & BIG BROTHER!!!!!!

    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  14. TAB,

    I agree, plus none of them are healthy. I'll use coupons for toothpaste, shampoo, some paper products, dish detergent and laundry supplies, but other than that I'm not interested.

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  15. Paul,

    That program just didn't set right with me. In many ways, it fosters fraud because they expect those big savings. When it showed one person with 5 computers getting more coupons than she's entitled to I wasn't impressed. Fraud can take many forms I guess.

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  16. Paul,

    Skynyrd, Mama's & Papa's, Jefferson Airplane, Marshal Tucker, Allmann Bros., Wet Willie, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Atlantic Rhythm Section, Youngbloods and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are also on my music widget. Along with Gerry Rafferty and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

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  17. Sherry,
    Use of coupons here in New Zealand, at least on grocery items, doesn't seem as big a craze as in the US. The store Mrs. O and I frequent has consistently come in with the lowest overall food prices in annual surveys. It's no-frill shopping, bag your own groceries, but so what? I think the last coupon we used was for dry dog food - and that stuff keeps - would anyway if our mutt allowed it.

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  18. Sherry:

    The people spending all those hours, days, weeks, and months clipping those coupons, organizing them, and cashing them in might be better off financially if they went out and got a regular job. :^)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mr. O,

    I use coupons on cat food and litter, toothpaste, detergent and stuff like that. I guess I'm not cut out to be an extreme couponer.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Whit,

    I think you're right. They justify what they're doing because they say it means they can stay home with their kids. I wonder what will happen when manufacturers make it harder for them by changing the bar codes on the coupons?

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  21. I started to not read this - after all - although I enjoy reading your blogs - I wasn't too turned on by the subject matter - i.e. 'coupons.'

    but, alas - I learned two things by reading it (the blog).

    ONE - that - just as I thought - I'll never cut coupons.

    and

    TWO - I finally figured out why every time I read your blog while I listened to my music (on my computer) that the sound sounded distorted for some reason. lol - and I now know how to remedy that problem. - unless your music turns out better than mine and then I can just turn mine off and listen to yours.

    ReplyDelete
  22. ICE,

    ONE - I hear that!

    TWO - If you scroll down to the bottom of my page you'll find the widget with the titles and artists listed. That way you can decide that sometimes you should listen to yours and others you should listen to mine. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  23. Although the show does show extreme behavior, there are episodes with people who donate large portions of what they buy to charity, people who do this while working full time, people who are able to eat because they use coupons, and people who do not stockpile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. also one show features a vegan and people do buy healthy items like produce and almond milk

      Delete