Earlier today, I asked you about your biggest fear when you arrive at the checkout line with your coupons.  It got me thinking about our transactions at the register as couponers.

For sure, there are many circumstances and situations that are out of our control when we check out at any store.  I think, though, that there are still a couple things we can do to make our transactions a little less chaotic, smoother, and worry-free.

Here are a few suggestions for hassle-free coupon transactions:

1.  Pull into a quiet aisle in the store before heading to the checkout lane.  Make sure all your coupons are in order and ready to go. For example, I usually end up not buying a few items that I had coupons for.  I put those coupons in a different place so that I’m not frantically trying to pull them out at the last minute.  I also make sure I have the correct amount of coupons for each item purchased.  I quickly glance at all the expiration dates, too.  If you know ahead of time that everything is legit, it makes it less confusing at the register when a “problem” arises.

2.  Put any “free item” coupons with the item on the conveyor belt. I find that this helps the cashier, and most of the time they thank me for it.  It makes it easier for the cashier, because the price-value of the item can be typed in for the coupon immediately after the item has been scanned.  It prevents the cashier from having to scroll back up the screen and find the item’s price for the freebie coupon.

3.  Separate your coupons into two piles: manufacturer coupons and store coupons. When you hand them to the cashier, say, “These are the manufacturer coupons…and these are the store coupons.”  I find that when I do this, there is less confusion on whether I’m trying to “use too many coupons on one item.”  It separates the coupons into two categories for the cashier.  Plus, the cashier often has to manually input store coupons and can simply scan manufacturer coupons.  It makes it flow better.

4.  Unevenly stack your coupons. If you hand over your coupons in a perfectly neat stack, the cashier will usually miss one.  Coupons are thin and tend to stick together.  I usually stack one coupon hanging off slightly to the right, then one to the left, then one to the right, and so on.  It makes it so that there’s always a part of the coupon sticking out.  The cashier rarely misses any of my coupons because of this.

5.  Be polite and courteous. We are all human beings.  We all have bad days.  My biggest pet peeve is the bad reputation that couponers have these days.  It ruins it for the rest of us, and we need to try to change that stigma.  As a couponer, strive to be extra nice, respectful, and polite.  Smile a lot.  You can definitely disagree and stick up for yourself, but do so in a nice manner.

6.  Be persistent. Don’t let the cashier tell you that you’re doing something illegal when you’re most certainly not.  We know the rules of coupons.  We are ethically couponing.  We shouldn’t have to educate the cashiers, but sometimes we have to.  Which brings me to my next point…

7.  Ask for the manager as soon as a problem arises. When I’m checking out and I can see immediately that the cashier is not educated on how coupons work, I almost always say, “Would you mind if we paged a manager?  I just want to verify the rules and make sure I’m doing everything correctly, because this is the way I have always couponed.  I’d hate to be doing something unethical and not realize it.”  Most managers understand the store’s coupon policy.  It might take a few seconds for the manager to come to the checkout lane, but it will probably actually save you time in the long-run.  Dealing with a cashier who is not coupon-friendly can be extremely frustrating and time-consuming.

8.  Let the person behind you know that you have a stack of coupons. Often, if I see somebody rush up behind me in line with just a gallon of milk, I’ll tell them that I have a big stack of coupons.  I don’t want them to get annoyed with how long the transaction is taking.  Usually, they’re very grateful for me telling them that and they switch lines.  This is definitely not necessary, but then again this is my biggest fear as a couponer at the register. 

9.  A deal is sometimes not worth the fight. In the end, sometimes it’s just not worth it.  If you find that you can’t even get through to the manager, it’s often better to just leave your merchandise and exit the store.  It’s not worth getting stressed out, worked up, and enraged with anger.  Let’s just face it – some stores are not coupon-friendly at all.

What About You: Do you have any tips or tricks for a hassle-free transaction as a couponer?

*Photo Credit: Idea Go on FreeDigitalPhotos

Quite often, I have acquaintances or friends say to me, “Wow!  A coupon blog?!  How cool!  I want to learn how to coupon.  Can you explain it to me?  I SO need to save some money…”

So I start explaining the basics of couponing to them, and it is almost immediately met with a slew of excuses.  And I’m just going to put this out there.  I don’t want to sound mean, but…

I’m sick of all the excuses.

Do you want to save money or not?  If you truly want to do it, then you can.  Bottom line.  Of course, everybody’s budget and coupon style will look a little different.  There are many factors: diet, geographical location, family size, product preference, stores shopped at, etc.  But everybody can save money with coupons.

Let me counter some of the excuses I hear most often:

“It takes too much time”

Couponing does not have to take up very much time.  You can invest as little or as much time into couponing as you’d like.  I only spend maybe one hour per week on coupon-related activities, and it saves me at least an average of $50 per week.  If somebody paid you $50/hour to coupon, would you?  Because I think that’s well worth it!

“You have to run around to multiple stores to catch all of the deals.”

This is simply not true.  In fact, I highly recommend sticking to just one or two stores that you love.  You can maximize your savings, keep things simple, and save on both gas and time.  By following sale cycles correctly, you can easily stick to one grocery store that you prefer.  This week, Hot Pockets might be on sale at Publix.  But I can guarantee you that in 2 weeks, they’ll be on sale at Winn Dixie for the same price.  No sense in hopping back and forth.  Just stock up and save until the next time.

“But I strictly buy organic products.  Those are expensive, and I know you can’t save on organic food.”

Myth.  Some of the best deals are actually on organic products.  Organic product companies put out some of the highest value coupons, since the products are so expensive.  Stack those coupons with sales and store coupons, and you have yourself an incredible deal.  I often pick up freebie organic items at Publix, Whole Foods, or Target.

“I buy TONS of produce.  There aren’t any coupons for fruit!”

So do I.  I’m a Vegetarian.  My savings aren’t near what some people’s are for this very reason.  Over 50% of what I buy is usually produce.  But I still save.  And so can you.  There’s always somewhere you can save with sales and coupons.

“Nothing I buy ever goes on sale.”

I beg to differ.  Do you use toothpaste?  Shampoo?  Razors?  Then you can save money.  Some of the biggest savings are on every day items that almost every person uses daily.

“It’s way too complicated.”

It’s really not.  It’s actually very easy and simple.  Just have some patience in the beginning to learn a little bit about it, and you’ll soon find out it’s really not complicated at all.

“I don’t want to clip coupons all day long.”

Neither do I.  And I don’t.  I use a filing system for my coupon inserts each Sunday.  I label them by date and file them away.  I then use my coupon database to look up coupons I want each week when I go to the grocery store.  I simply find the insert in the filing system, pull it out, and clip the coupon I need.  I clip coupons 15 minutes per week, right before I go to the store.  That’s it.  I never clip a coupon unless I know for sure I’ll be using it.  Now that doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

“But I’m brand loyal.”

That really doesn’t matter.  Almost all brands go on sale at some point.  Sales rotate on a regular basis.  Crest goes on sale just as much as Colgate, Aquafresh, or Arm & Hammer.  I promise you can get savings on your favorite brands.  And if you happen to pick up a freebie or two that you don’t want to use, just donate it!  That’s the greatest part of couponing!

“I’ll just end up buying way too much stuff I don’t need.”

You don’t have to do that.  Don’t believe what you see on TV.  (Dare I bring up the forbidden E word again?)  I buy what I need, and a little extra to donate on a regular basis.  That’s it.  Easy and simple.  No need to hoard.

“Shopping store brand at Walmart is way cheaper and easier.”

Absolutely 100% the BIGGEST lie you could ever be told.  If you think this, you’ve never truly attempted couponing the way it should be done.  By following store cycles and stacking coupons with sales, you’re sure to save at least double on your favorite brand-name products than you do on store brands at Walmart.  I PROMISE.

“There is no need for me to coupon.  I have plenty of money.”

You know what they say.  A penny saved is a penny earned.  Contrary to popular misconception, it’s not just poor people who coupon.  Some of the richest people I know use coupons.  Why not save money when you can?

“It’s too much work.”

As seen from all the other explanations above, you can probably see by now that I believe couponing to be very easy and well worth the little bit of effort required.

The bottom line is that people who truly want to save…make it happen.  The people who don’t…make excuses.

What About You: What other common excuses to you hear from wannabe-couponers?

*Photo Credit

It’s been a really. long. time. since I did a Tuesday Tidbits & Tips.  I started up Tell Me About You Tuesday, and as a result this weekly feature kind of…well, disappeared.

I’d like to start trying to get back into the Tidbits & Tips, as I think it was pretty helpful to many of you.  I probably won’t do it every single week, but I’m going to make an effort to do it a couple times a month.

So this week’s tip?  I want to encourage you to…

stick to a couple of stores.

I’ve touched on this before, especially in the Beginner’s Resources.  I think sticking to just a couple of your favorite stores is one of the BIGGEST secrets to being a successful couponer.  Why?  For a few reasons:

1. You don’t get burnt out nearly as easily. Running around from store to store trying to chase every last deal results in coupon burnout, BIG time.
2. You know your store inside and out. You know your favorite store.  For me, it’s Publix.  I know my cashiers.  I know which ones to avoid, and which ones I love.  I know the aisles.  I know where to find every last item, pretty much.  I know the coupon policy backwards and forwards.  I never run into problems.  There is no way you can make 4 or 5 stores your “regular shopping” places like this.
3. The sales cycle, and you learn to stockpile with the flow of that cycle. This is one of the biggest reasons why I feel that shopping at multiple stores is pretty pointless.  All items will go on sale at different stores and different times.  If you stick to one store, you can just follow that cycle, stock up on enough of what you need until the next sale, and not have to run around each week to a different store.  Does that make sense?  Say I love Doritos.  They might be on sale this week at Publix and 2 weeks from now at Winn Dixie.  Rather than buy them at rock-bottom sale price at BOTH stores, I just buy enough Doritos at Publix this week to get me through until they’re on sale in another 4-8 weeks.
4. It saves loads of time, and ultimately money. Time management is huge, especially for a couponer.  What is the point in couponing if it is sucking up every last bit of your time?  No thanks!  We want something that saves us money and saves us time, right???  Also, you won’t waste gas driving around to a zillion stores.
5. Couponing will remain fun, cheerful, and positive. Something so beautiful can be turned into an ugly extreme when we become obsessive or it is ruling our lives.  Running around from store to store can definitely create this.

My favorite stores?  I shop at Publix every single week, CVS about every other week, Walgreens and Target maybe once every month or two, and Walmart every 6 months (if that).  So for me, Publix and CVS are my weekly stores.

What About You: What are some of YOUR favorite stores?

Want to see other great Tidbits & Tips? Be sure to go HERE to read all of them from the past weeks!

*Photo Credit:  photouten on freedigitalphotos.net