Help!! My Cashier Was Mean to Me

I get numerous e-mails like this a week. They all are worded slightly differently, but they all basically say the same thing . . . My cashier was mean!  What do I do now?? Do I stop couponing? Was I in the wrong?  How should I have reacted?. . . So, I figured I would do a post about this for everyone. I figure as many e-mails as I have gotten about this, there must be a lot of you interested in my opinion. So, here is my opinion for whatever it is worth.

I am sure that this scenario has happened to many of us . . . We know that we are going to be leaving the store paying less than a dollar with loads of stuff . . . it is almost like legal stealing . . . So, we must be doing something wrong right???  So, we anxiously scan all of the cashiers looking for the one that looks the nicest to us, “the couponers”.  Then we think to ourselves, she looks like she is in a bad mood, that one looks friendly, but what if I ruin her day . . . etc, etc. So we finally pick out the right line with the person who looks like she will have the least problem with us, “the couponers”.

So step one:  Case out the cashiers:

1.  I personally, avoid the teenagers. They freak out when your total goes from $62.50 to $1.16, and are convinced they they have done something dreadfully wrong and will lose their job.

2.  My first choice is definitely the one that smiles and doesn’t look ready to bite anybody’s head off, especially not mine.

3. Middle aged is my typical preference.

4.  So to recap, I go for a smiling person, preferably middle aged that smiles.

OH NO!! I picked the wrong cashier! She doesn’t want to take my coupons even though their store policies say they should.

What do I do now???  I figure here are the choices . . . .

A.  Apologize profusely. Go ahead and buy all of the groceries and pay full price. Leave feeling horrible that you spent so much money. Then make sure to feel guilty as well, convinced that YOU have done something wrong. Make sure that you leave your coupons there, so you can beat yourself up about that later. Lastly decide that couponing is too hard, and you can’t do it. (Doesn’t that sound like fun!)

B. Get angry and leave. (Not too good of an idea. . . )  Anger is not good for the soul.

C. This is the method I prefer:  Print out your store policies, put them in your coupon notebook. Bring them with you to each store. When you run into one of those grouchy cashiers, pull out the coupon policy and show it to the cashier. I honestly think that most of the time cashiers just aren’t aware of their store’s coupon policy when they give you a hard time. If showing the cashier the coupon policy doesn’t work. I politely ask to speak to a manager. My next step, which I have not personally had to do, would be to ask them to call corporate about why that store does not follow their coupon policy.  Just be nice and smile during this time.

Which method sounds best to you? I figure there is nothing wrong with being politely assertive, plus it gives the best results.

In all seriousness, I try to be careful that I only use coupons the way they are intended, and according to the store’s policy. I also make sure to know each store’s policy before I go to the store. That way, I know that when I give them a coupon, they should take it.  If you know the store’s policy before hand then you are able to show that you are in the right to use the coupon according to their policy.

If you make a mistake using a coupon, don’t beat yourself up over it!! There is a learning curve to using coupons. But, keep trying, it will save you a ton of money!! It also becomes a lot more fun. Just wait, until your balance goes to zero, negative or a few cents & you have no hassles. Then you will be doing your happy dance in the middle of the store as you watch the price drastically fall. (Those of you in my classes have seen my happy dance.)

THAT is my favorite part about couponing, watching the money magically disappear using my coupons as currency!  And I do think of my coupons as money. That is why they go everywhere with me.

So to sum up:  Case out the cashiers, have your coupon policy, be assertive, don’t feel guilty, THEN do your happy dance.

I hope that helps you guys out some!!!!

Wanna see how I organize my coupons, click here.