Is this what it’s come to?

Empty shelves?

• People racing to the store to get the deal?
• Couponers buying out the stores just for the thrill of the deal?
• Shoppers who only want 3 or 4 items finding bare shelves?
• Stores losing money because couponers don’t abide by coupon rules and limits?
• Manufacturers cracking down on coupons?
• Little old ladies searching for their favorite shampoo with no success because some crazy coupon shopper just HAD to take all 25 bottles (claiming it was all just couponing for charity)?

We’ve read your comments, we’ve seen the chats, we’ve received your frustrated emails… and we’ve experienced empty shelves ourselves! We are sad that this is an issue lately, thus we feel the need to revisit the topic again.

Your Options:

You can get frustrated, angry, and give up, creating a resentment towards a wonderful money saving opportunity.

 OR

You can take a deep breath, relax, and shake it off.  You can choose how you’ll react. THAT you can control.

Here are some tips to help you achieve your stockpile with a slow and steady (and patient) pace…

Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

1. Don’t be the problem! Practice good coupon ethics.  This means:  you place an order if you want a lot of product, don’t take peelies off of products, don’t photocopy coupons, do be kind to your cashiers and those in line behind you… do all you can to give couponers a good name!
2. Teach others to NOT be the problem! Got a friend who decided to coupon because they watched Extreme Couponing?  Teach them the realities of Extreme Couponing (that it’s NOT real)!  Teach them how to make couponing work… for everyone!
3. Don’t feel the need to get every deal! Sales come back. So do coupons.
4. Don’t feel the need to get a life time or even a years supply! Typically, many items will cycle through promos every 6-12 weeks.  That means, many items you can just purchase a 1-3 month supply of.  Keep expiration dates in mind!  Don’t buy 20 bottles of mayonnaise if you won’t use it before it expires.
5. Abide by coupon wording, rules, and limits. Give couponers a good name.

#5 is the one we would like to stress today…

Some manufactures have started pulling back the reigns by limiting the number of items you can purchase in a transaction, shopping trip or day on their coupons. It appears that some couponers not abiding by these limitations has been a big issue lately. When you purchase more than the limit allowed, you are not only being dishonest, but you are being unfair to other shoppers, the stores, and the manufacturers who release the coupons.

I’d like to share an experience I had this week:

I spent an hour gathering, clipping and organizing my coupons, then headed to the store Wednesday morning at 8:30. Being round up week, I was pretty excited to use up those smaller value coupons and get some great deals. One of the deals I was hoping to find was the Bounty Paper towels. The fine print on the $.25/1 Bounty Paper Towel coupon clearly states LIMIT OF 4 LIKE COUPONS PER HOUSEHOLD PER DAY, so I planned on getting my 4 then moving on. As I walked toward the aisle, a woman pushing a shopping cart FULL of the Bounty paper towel rolls quickly walked past me towards the registers. I got to the shelf where the Bounty rolls were supposed to be and there were none. Not a single one. I was bummed Not because I didn’t get any paper towels, but because it was 8:30 in the morning on the first day of the sale and the shelf was already EMPTY. Every other shopper that day would come in to find nothing left and leave bummed like me, all because one person decided to be selfish, dishonest and commit coupon fraud…

So What Do You Do To Avoid The Frustration?

1. Find a new store! Do you live near a heavily couponed store?  Then find one that is less “shopped”.  A few extra miles may be worth less frustration and a happy shopper!
2. Be Mindful of When you Shop - let’s face it… if it’s the last night of the sale, you just can’t plan on getting many of the deals you’d hoped for.  I carefully suggest you hit the sale earlier… please note that I’m NOT suggesting you sitting outside the front door at 6 am the first day of the sale!  (that’s when the visions of Black Friday start popping into my head!)
3. I mentioned it before, but placing an order is a key part of building a stockpile.  If I want 20 boxes of dishwasher detergent, you can bet I’m going to place an order!  If I want 5 boxes of cereal, I probably won’t place an order unless it’s going to be a really hot item.  Communicate with your grocery manager!  They can become your BFF!
4. Just ASK! Don’t be afraid to ask if there is more product in the back.  Sometimes they’ve been so busy, they haven’t been able to keep up with the demand.  It never hurts to ask.  If they’re out…
5. Find out when the store gets shipments in! Then plan you shopping trips around those times.
6. Call before you go! My favorite stores are stored on my cell phone!  Call your nearest 3 stores and check on your top 3 items.  Are they in stock?  This will help you decide if it’s worth a trip to the store.
7. Ask for a raincheck - most stores will give you a raincheck so you can still have that sale price when they get more product in stock.  Mel has had instances at Rite Aid where this worked in her favor!

One Last Thought… Couponing for Charity

First things first. We are all about giving. Using couponing as a tool to help bless the lives of others is truly awesome.  BUT shelf clearing in the name of charity is not OK.  Here’s why we feel this way:

1. Remember that there are MANY MANY couponers whose couponing habits are keeping their families off of food stamps (thus saving tax payer dollars!).
2. Some couponers aren’t trying to build a massive stockpile, but just need to feed their families that week.   When the shelves are empty, they don’t have a huge stockpile to fall back on.
3. Think about it… is your true intent to experience the high of saving and justify it by giving?  That’s a great way to get your high… but not at the expense of others.  Just don’t forget about your fellow couponers.

How You Can Coupon & Give Without Depriving Other Couponers:

1. Consider just donating from your personal stockpile.  That way the only shelves you’re taking product from are your own! Let’s face it… there are many couponers who just have too much!
2. If you want to score some great deals and donate the product, then place an order! {see above}
3. Shop a little bit at a time, in moderation.  Remember there are other couponers who aren’t asking for charity, they simply want to feed their families and be self sufficient during difficult times.

You might also like to read…

• Extreme Couponing: When Charity Goes Too Far
• Stocking Up: How Much is TOO Much?
• Fabuless Coupon Tip Tuesday: Give Couponers a Good Name
• Fabulous Coupon Tip Tuesday: How to Avoid Leaving the Store Without the Deal
• The Honest Coupon Way
• Extreme Couponing Reality
• A Word About Shelf Clearing
• Extreme Couponing Education: Shelf Clearing For Charity
• Avoid Leaving the Store Without The Deal! { Extreme Coupon Education }
• Extreme Couponing Education: Don’t Be A Crazy Lady!

This is a bit of a lengthy post, but as you can tell, these are some things we Fabs feel strongly about. We appreciate you taking the time to read it.

Learn how to extreme coupon the right way and save loads of money  on our 90-minute DVD! Use coupon code ‘FABFRUGAL’ to get it 50% off!

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What are your thoughts?

Please be kind in your comments.  We are anticipating differences of opinion but also wish to maintain a respectful tone.  Thanks in advance!