Resources For Shopping

Hi Trina,
I am so sorry you were a victim of the Target Coupon Nazi’s. Not all stores are like this and it is pure ignorance and a huge dose of what I call “little man syndrome” that drives a store to have such an atmosphere. Here are the things I can think of to do in addition to what you have done.

- Use power words when you describe how it made you feel — humiliation, degradation, etc. Literally get out your thesaurus to get the words that describe your HORRENDOUS ordeal.
- Keep your cool at all costs all the time.
- Quote the facts like day, date, time of day, names of those you spoke to in the stores and up the chain of command.
- Keep notes!!! Detailed notes. Ask for full names, employee numbers, location, document day, date, time of day, phone number you called or number they are calling from as well.
- Print off and quote from their very own Target Coupon Policy.
- Keep original receipts if they ask for them. Never give away an original of anything. Have your bank do a notarized copy if you have to authenticate a copy.
- Be sure you comment on why you shop at Target to start with and how their deals keep your bank account in good shape so that you can pay your bills, don’t shirk your responsibilities etc. Note that the store is clean, well signed, nice shopping hours and the like.
- Also discuss where you get your coupons, how you know they are not fraudulent, that you don’t copy coupons and are careful to follow their own policies but yet their employees and managers do not.
- PlanetFeedback.com is also a great resource to make a more public complaint.

You didn’t say exactly how it all happened or what they said/did. I will tell you that I have posted on ATS many times that any stores anywhere has the right to refuse a sale, a coupon and they don’t have to have a reason other than that they can. Having said that, it doesn’t make much sense because all stores are reimbursed for their coupons. Not only are they reimbursed, they are also given credit for a handling fee.

I have also posted many times I am not a fan of using coupons to get the travel sizes. It is such a labor intensive section of the store to keep stocked that I know by having managed in retail for many years that it isn’t cost effective to even have travel sizes in the store. What I will endorse is purchasing travel sizes to send to our soldiers or for legitimate travel use and even for donation to food banks. There will be some that even need them because of the economic times being so hard. I get all of that. But if you are just shopping that area to stockpile for yourself when there isn’t a real need – well I am not so much for that. It doesn’t make it wrong, just makes it more expensive for the stores and will boost prices in other areas to cover the cost for having that area available.

If you have the stamina and the backbone to make this store do the right thing – you have my support. I am not a gambler, but I would bet $100 that this is just a poorly managed store that isn’t trained up on the policies of the whole couponing subject. You’ll have to let me know how this turns out.

Best of luck!
Ginger

There is no sure-fire answer for this Mandi. It has been bantered around here for 2 years and there is just no definitive answer. Some of the ideas on how to receive them are….
RedCard, sign up for gift registries, pay by check, use their photo shop, use their optical shop, have a Rx filled there, make a complaint to corporate, make a purchase off the web site ….and well about anything else you can thing about to do there. Some get them when a new store moves into their zip code/city.

Good luck!