Archived coupon policy change

Status
Not open for further replies.

redeye58

Hasta Ba Rista, Baby!
Joined
Jun 9, 2011
Messages
21,258
So a couple of guests called asking if we'd changed our coupon policy, specifically if we still accept a manf & Target coupon for each item. I said yes, we do. Curiosity got the best of me so I went to Target.com to review the policy & lo, it's been changed as of 6/10/11. It's a lot more reasonable but I'm sure we'll be challenged. You might want to print one off for your front lanes & service desk.
See below:

Target Stores Coupon Policy
Coupons are a great way to save even more when shopping with us, and it's easy to use them at our stores. When accepting coupons, we follow the guidelines below.

Manufacturer and Target Coupons:
• Target accepts one Manufacturer Coupon and one Target Coupon for the same item (unless prohibited by either coupon).
• Item purchased must match the coupon description (brand, size, quantity, color, flavor, etc.).
• Coupon amount may be reduced if it exceeds the value of the item after other discounts or coupons are applied.
• We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item.
• All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier during checkout.
• All applicable sales taxes are paid by the guest at the full value of the item.
• These guidelines apply to all coupons accepted at Target (Color Checkout Coupons, Internet Coupons, Mobile Coupons, Mailed Coupons, Coupons from Newspapers and Magazines, etc.).

Internet (Print-at-Home) Coupons:
• We gladly accept valid internet coupons that contain a clear and scannable bar code.
• We do not accept internet coupons for free items with no purchase requirements.
Mobile Coupons:
• Guests can receive Target Mobile Coupons by signing up for Text Alerts at Target.com/mobile or by texting COUPONS to 827438 (TARGET).
• Message and data rates may apply. See site for full details.
• To redeem, simply show your coupon barcode to the cashier. With one simple scan, all applicable coupons are applied.

Buy One Get One Free Coupons (BOGO):
• BOGO coupons cannot be combined (i.e. you cannot use two BOGO coupons on two items and get both for free). Unless stated otherwise on the coupon, the use of one Buy One Get One Free coupon requires that two of the valid items are presented at checkout of which one item will be charged to the guest and the 2nd item will be discounted by its full retail price.
• A second cents-off coupon of the same type cannot be redeemed towards the purchase price of the first item.
o If a Target BOGO coupon is used, one additional manufacturer coupon maybe used on the first item.
o If a Manufacturer BOGO coupon is used, one additional Target coupon may be used on the first item.

Exclusions:
• Coupons are void if copied, scanned, transferred, purchased, sold, prohibited by law, or appear altered in any way.
• We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for products not carried in our stores.
• Some items may not be available at all stores.
• We do not accept expired coupons.Updated 6/10/11

Everything in red is new.
 
Last edited:
I dont recall what the old policy was verbatim, but, I'm not seeing anything new here... Although it may be worded more clearly than the old one, However, I do like the "guest should present coupon" part... I guess if we trust that they do have one we're supposed to give them the money for it??
 
The old policy said nothing about BOGOs, mobile or internet coupons for freebies nor did it mention applicable sales tax or denial of expired coupons. I mean, some of these are kinda "duh" details you'd think most folks would understand but, if they included it, it means somewhere someone challenged it.
As to refunding for a coupon presented later, we've started verifying that the item on the receipt is the actual product after a lady would bring in several coupons hrs later because she 'forgot' them. They'd have to be tendered one at a time & she was getting cash back for each one until we discovered that, after keying in the DPCI, many of the products didn't match.
*sigh* What people do for a few bucks.
 
lol expired is a no brainer.... however I do get the occasional guest that begs me to let it slide because it was a day after.

But yeah it's crazy sometimes what I see when I am up front. I had one lady try to use $1 off coupons on 97 cent packs of arm and hammer toothpaste. If the transaction would have gone through, I would have been paying her money. I noticed something was up when stuff wasn't adding up right, however, I should have payed more attention as to why. Turns out the coupon stated a certain size, which the guest claimed we didn't have so that's why she got the smaller size. So after we denied her, she left cause she wasn't going to buy the larger size lol.
 
I feel like I have seen some of that "new" information before... might have been on the message board on WB.
 
Apparently my target doesn't know of/care about the new policy regarding internet "free" coupons... because when I got a few today and asked the standing supervisor about them, she told me to go ahead and accept them.
 
I've heard nothing about this until I read it just now. Although the new parts seem kind of obvious anyways.

Also, does anyone besides me have a great deal of difficulty scanning mobile coupons? I can never get them to scan for some reason and I always have to type in the number.
 
There's really not much of a change. Also, a lot of this info has been available for awhile.....since the mobile phone coupons came out.
 
I've heard nothing about this until I read it just now. Although the new parts seem kind of obvious anyways.

Also, does anyone besides me have a great deal of difficulty scanning mobile coupons? I can never get them to scan for some reason and I always have to type in the number.

Those mobile ones can be tricky... I usually have to have my phone on the bright setting to make them work. They work better with the smart phones though.
 
Those mobile ones can be tricky... I usually have to have my phone on the bright setting to make them work. They work better with the smart phones though.

probably has to do with screen resolution... makes sense since smartphones are built with higher end components including screens.
 
I read this hoping Target would set a maximum number of coupons per transaction.

Not that I've noticed but there does seem to be a limit on how many coupons can be tendered on a fix-it. Even tendering them one at a time, it seems to stop at 5. The lady was ticked but I told her the only other thing we could do was to void the transaction & start all over, adding the coupons. She balked at that because she was getting cash, however small. I don't think she realized that she was just getting a tiny advance against her credit card by taking the cash. :rolleyes:
 
Not that I've noticed but there does seem to be a limit on how many coupons can be tendered on a fix-it. Even tendering them one at a time, it seems to stop at 5. The lady was ticked but I told her the only other thing we could do was to void the transaction & start all over, adding the coupons. She balked at that because she was getting cash, however small. I don't think she realized that she was just getting a tiny advance against her credit card by taking the cash. :rolleyes:

For whatever reason, fix it fast normally doesn't take any more than one manufacturer coupon at my store.
 
For whatever reason, fix it fast normally doesn't take any more than one manufacturer coupon at my store.

Our GSTLs just tell us to enter the coupons manually when fixing missed coupons (select Target Coupon or Manufacturer Coupon, enter amount) if it won't accept them.
 
Target needs to do something about the coupon scammers who buy a bunch of stuff they dont need (like 50 deodorants or toothpastes), use a coupon on each one and then come do a receipt lookup with a credit card or giftcard and get the full retail price back. I hate just giving money away to them
 
Target needs to do something about the coupon scammers who buy a bunch of stuff they dont need (like 50 deodorants or toothpastes), use a coupon on each one and then come do a receipt lookup with a credit card or giftcard and get the full retail price back. I hate just giving money away to them
Those same people are probably the ones complaining because some stores (?) don't give coupon discounts back to them.

Maybe it's just me but if I paid X amount after using a coupon, I just expect to get X amount back. So what if target gets reimbursed for those coupons I used? The fact remains that I still just paid X amount instead of Y amount I would of had to pay without coupon(s)!

Besides, after the BS some guests give regarding coupons when first redeeming them, they should take the ding in not getting refunded coupons. :C
 
Things to remember: coupons are bait to get consumers to buy/try a particular product. Target is reimbursed for the tendered amt + 8 cents handling which is why T isn't entitled to the full amt when guests return coupon-reduced items. Unfortunately, the manf takes the hit & it's too complex to police the system from their position. With store coupons, tho, Target is the "3rd party vendor" so the guest only gets back what they paid minus any T coupon deductions or freebies because it's tied in the same system by their receipt. This is also why it's important for cashiers (& code ones who don't cashier as often) to read the coupon CLOSELY to make sure it's for the right item (see "item purchased must match product description") so we get fully reimbursed. Some couponers exploit manf coupons that will scan for other items & will argue w/cashiers that "if it scans, it's good" but it doesn't mean we'll get reimbursed for it when it goes through CSA. The most notorious one is buying a 97 cent can of airwick room spray & tendering a $4 coupon for an airwick plug-in starter kit because it took the full $4 off. That's down-right fraud & gives couponers a bad name.
The thing that irks me, tho, is when the item being returned goes red & must be tossed - something we DON'T get credit for even if it's donated (which keeps it out of the landfill at least) because only greens are written off.
 
Last edited:
I've been seeing an uptick in couponers who are fans of the "Extreme Couponer" type shows, complete with their binders & pages of coupon pockets. Some of the purchases I wonder if they realize how much they're buying & if they'll use it before expiration. Some folks have turned into hoarders with pallets of stuff in their garage that they'll never use up.
 
We have a couple of women who come in and do this type of behavior. One particularly troublesome women used to come in on Saturday night and check out ten minutes before close. We think her motive was to pressure the cashier into accepting anything. My ETL finally told the woman that she was not allowed to come in and redeem her coupons like that right before we close. Haven't seen her at closing since.

BTW, we do have the right to limit quantities on a reasonable household amount. And we have done it a couple of times.

I agree with the notion that these people are hoarders at heart. I shudder to think what the insides of their homes look like.
 
Yeh, we post the sign at our door about limiting qty & our ETL will limit the number of same coupons that can be used in a trans. A SFTM was coached recently for allowing a guest to use 25 coupons for a 'free' item. Not only was the amt excessive, the guest wasn't purchasing anything else. The SFTM told me later that he 'didn't care' & maybe they'll think twice before calling him up for code ones.
I see a termination in his future...
 
Yeh, we post the sign at our door about limiting qty & our ETL will limit the number of same coupons that can be used in a trans. A SFTM was coached recently for allowing a guest to use 25 coupons for a 'free' item. Not only was the amt excessive, the guest wasn't purchasing anything else. The SFTM told me later that he 'didn't care' & maybe they'll think twice before calling him up for code ones.
I see a termination in his future...

My bet is 2 weeks & out the door!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top