Ever feel like you need a little coupon therapy? I do! Sometimes the deals do not go well and you feel...well, icky. Right? I think on The Internets it's so easy to pretend that everything is fabulous and fine all the time. But I'm a great big fan of *real* so here's my not-so-great-even-though-it-ended-ok coupon story.
Anyone take up CVS on their Buy One Get One Free Kodak Picture Maker DVD?
Well, right now the store is running a BOGO special AND there is a BOGO coupon on the Kodak website.
((It's a FANTASTIC mother's day present!))
So, I made my dvds (with some small machine issues and it took a WHILE) and brought them up to the counter with my sunscreen money maker
(Buy 2 CVS brand 2 oz sunscreen for $4.38 and get $5ECB back!).
The cashier looked at my BOGO coupon and said,
"We don't take BOGO coupons on BOGO items."
I explained to her that I had done it in the past and that it is a part of CVS corporate policy (which I was willing to print out and show them). So, she said to be safe she wanted to call her manager--which I was fine with! The manager came up and was flabbergasted...in a nice way--but did NOT like my BOGO BOGO idea. He thought it was ridiculous. So I told them I'd print out the policy if they were interested in seeing it and he said they would be. As I got in the car though, I didn't want to go home and come back so I called CVS customer care and explained the situation to them--they told me I was right and called the store manager to tell him the news immediately. (They were great!). The store manager was FURIOUS! He was very kind to me but really NOT so much a fan of the BOGO. He finally decided that "as a courtesy" to me he would process the coupon but that he would NEVER let it happen again. I asked him (sheepishly )
"So, you don't plan on adhering to CVS corporate policy?"
He said, "No! I don't agree with it and it will never happen again." Also adding something to the effect of not wasting my gas to come to their store and do a BOGO scenario again.
So...in the end I got my *free* cds and had a good experience with the cashiers and CVS customer care but cringe just thinking about taking a stack of coupons back to that CVS! The CVS representative said that the BOGO BOGO was a difficult thing for people to understand--but wouldn't you think someone who was at the top of the CVS store chain would be able to fathom it? It was a little bit awful...but I survived. =)
Any coupon sessions you need to get off your chest? Leave it in the comments 'cause I'm sure we all could use a little coupon therapy!
Good for you for sticking to what you knew was right. In fact it seems like you have every right to walk back into that CVS with a stack of BOGO coupons since it is the corporate policy not his!
ReplyDeletewow! mind sharing which cvs that was since i'm so totally non-confrontational and would like to avoid that man at all costs?! =)
ReplyDeletei applaud you for saying that though! that's just totally crazy! i bet he'd be in a heap of doodoo if corporate knew!
it's my favorite cvs debby! the one in heights on kings highway/whp. i did send an email to CVS to tell them about the situation and hope that they rectify it!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for standing your ground, but I'm with ya....I'd get butterflies just thinking about the possibility of confronting him again. Ick. Shame on him, too, for sitting there and listening to corporate telling him it IS allowed, and standing right in front of you saying he will not allow it again. It kills me, the way some people (managers/cashiers) react to coupons--you'd think the difference was coming out of their pocket! :(
ReplyDeleteHi Shelly - I LOVE your couponing blog, it made me get started and so far....hmmm??? When I plan everything out, it sounds and looks good, but when I get to CVS - ugh!! I think everything is free and i always end up paying $10 out of pocket... I cannot see where I am going wrong either... maybe it is the coupons here in Batavia, NY (I come to you from pamela at the Dayton Time)... I don't know but my CVS will not let me use 2 separate $ off coupons for two items when i also have a buy one get one and that blows some deals for me.... maybe I will call corporate too... maybe they will send me some more coupons!! Haha... customer service is a lost art - too bad!! Thank you again for posting!! Yeah deals!!
ReplyDeleteI totally know your pain. I just had a very similar scenario happen with a local grocery store here in NC. I contacted corporate and they told me that the manager was wrong but that he has the last word on it because it's his store. Uh! I was so embarrassed to have to go through what I did (with 2 3-yr-olds and a 1 year old with me) that I avoid that store at all costs! It's really affected my couponing - I haven't gone out in *gasp* almost 2 months to do a REAL coupon trip. Thanks for sharing this, it's helped me come to terms with my own experience. :)
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