A Savvy Comment: CIC Extreme Couponing Ethics

While I have been vocal about my opposition to the show Extreme Couponing, I thought you all might be interested in hearing what the CIC has to say!

CIC Position on Extreme Couponing

The Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) expresses our great disappointment with TLC’s current series, Extreme Couponing, and hereby offers our expertise and other assistance to TLC and Sharp Entertainment (which produces the show) to enhance the program with more accurate and realistic information. In addition, we hope they address potentially illegal acts that appear to have been portrayed on the show.

Professionals in the coupon industry believe this show creates unrealistic expectations about how coupons work and promotes the misuse of coupons. For example, the show appears to portray coupons being used in violation of the terms and conditions printed on the coupons, such as using coupons to obtain products other than those specified by the coupon offer, and focuses on consumers who have procured large quantities of coupon inserts from unknown sources, which may raise civil and/or criminal issues.

In real life, individuals attempting to use such large quantities of coupons or attempting to use them in violation of the terms stated on the coupons would most likely have their coupons refused at the register or, depending on the circumstances, be investigated by law enforcement. According to media reports, TLC recently stated,

“While the series documents extreme couponing strategies, we take any concerns about specific tactics seriously and are looking into the situation.” We look forward to hearing what TLC discovers.

The CIC’s and other industry experts’ previous offers of assistance to the producers to make this an educational show were previously turned down. Nevertheless, we stand ready to help in the event the producers or TLC reconsider their path and seek to turn this into a show that accurately reflects appropriate coupon strategies and use, which would result in real benefits for TLC’s viewing audience. (May 5th 2011)"

 
In addition, last week, newspapers across the country received notification from News America/Smart Source as to their response to Extreme Couponing.  In part the notification reads:

"Due to the show Extreme Couponing, there has been a significantly increased interest by the public in couponing recently. While we welcome the promotion of coupon usage, some episodes appear to portray shoppers using illegal methods to obtain and use coupons, including going to newspapers to obtain multiple copies of our SmartSource coupon inserts."  "It is illegal for any inserts not distributed in newspapers to be taken, given away or donated. Failure to comply will result in prosecution."

As a result, newspaper security guidelines will be more strictly enforced or the offending newspapers risk being dropped from carrying coupon inserts at all!  Do you really want your newspaper to lose their coupon inserts?  If not, then stop asking carriers to give you extras, taking them from vending machines, dumpster diving for them or buying them online (where do you think they're getting those inserts to sell from folks?)

So what's next?  It's already coming!  

Have you noticed that there have been several recent coupons that now limit the number of coupons you can use in a transaction?  Coupons typically limit how many coupons you can use on one product, ie... one manufacturer coupon per product, but now they are limiting how many products you can actually buy at a time!  I believe Extreme Couponing will bring even more unwelcome changes for the couponing community.  As you know, I have no problem getting a great storage room full of products your family needs, but there is a point when it becomes wasteful and greedy! Buying 5-10 of something is totally different than buying 50-100 or even 500-1,000!

It's truly unfortunate that a television network would seek to undermine the community it professes to promote!

I am proud to say I am NOT an Extreme Couponer!

A Savvy Event: The Riverwoods Hotspot & Blickenstaff Giveaway!

 Holy cow I had more fun last weekend that I have had in a long time!  I was able to attend a CBC Hot Spot event in Provo at the Shops at the Riverwoods, (I should say I have always loved them to begin with!) and was given a tour of some of the amazing stores and entertainment venues they offer.  I went with 20 other amazing Utah Bloggers and we had more fun that might even be allowed in Provo ;)

Riding the Merry-Go-Round at 
Provo Beach Resort

OK, did you know there is an entire ropes course, bowling, arcade games, and indoor surfing/Flow Rider at the Provo Beach Resort?  I literally had no idea!, but it is spectacularly awesome and my kids are already so excited to go (or maybe I'll make it a fun date with my husband!)  I even got to play miniature croquet, and while my mallet skills are not top notch, it was a blast!  The ropes course, however, is now first on my list to try out when I head over with the family.

I was also able to check out Blickenstaff's Vintage Candy and Toy Store (ok - I should add here that I've shopped there a ton already and this store isn't new to me at all, but rather an old and trusted favorite!)  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their selection of candy throughout the decades as well as their mini metal shopping carts! (Of Course!)  Don't forget that you can sign up for Blickenstaff's Facebook Page and newsletters to get a heads up on all their hot candy and vintage toy discounts! FYI - This is probably my kids all time favorite store in Utah!  Blickenstaff's also gave me a $20 gift card to give away to one lucky Utah Reader!  Just head over to my Savvy Shopper Facebook Page and post "I Need A Blickenstaff's Candy Fix" and I'll pick a random winner next Friday 5/13!  And as a bonus, Blickenstaff's was named one of Utah's favorites in the Daily Herald and they are giving everyone a 20% off Bulk Candy coupon good through May31st!

Then we went over to Called To Surf (Love the name!) and by the way, they carry THE cutest, modest Bathing Suits, for girls and women,  all year long! It is so hard to find swimming suits in the middle of winter when you're headed down to southern Cali.  My winter swimming suit troubles are over, now if I can just lose 5 more lbs :).  Called To Surf also gave us all a Deuce watch which is a killer find!  They are great for swimming, running and all kinds of sporting event participation.  I picked glow in the dark, cuz I'm crazy like that!

Lastly we went over to Malawi's Pizza Place.  I'd been meaning to try this restaurant out for a long time and just hadn't made it over so I was thrilled to eat lunch with all my new gal pals! You likely know I am a super picky eater, but Malawi's had about 5 million (well, maybe not literally 5 million) different pizza options for everyone there!  They must have brought over 25 different pizzas in less than 10 minutes - holy cow.  I do have to say that my favorite pizza of all was the Cookies N’ Cream Crumble Dessert Pizza and the Cinnamon Apples & Cream Dessert Pizza.  And yes, they are as divine as they sound! But, honestly, even more amazing than the food was that for every meal YOU buy, THEY will provide a nutritious meal to a hungry child in Malawi Africa.  WOW, if you are looking for restaurants in Provo, you should seriously head over to Malawai's!

Thanks for letting me tag along ladies!  It was a great day!

A Savvy Life - My Manic Monday

I just have to share my utter elation at this moment.  And, while certainly saving related - this may not be the saving you would expect!

Over the weekend I spent my days in meetings about expanding SavvyShopperDeals.com to the entire state of Utah.  My colleagues and I also had the opportunity to get to know each other a little better.  In the process we laughed about my savvy farm life: the cows running through the garden, the horses breaking trees in the orchard and roosters chasing the kids around.  I also mentioned our cats, which I HAVE to get fixed as they keep having babies.  So appropriately, we came home Saturday and on Sunday morning, in addition to finding Easter Eggs, we found 4 newly born kittens as well.

The kittens are absolutely darling (anyone need a kitten?) and lovable.  Macgyver, the kids and I moved the momma and her babies to a safer location than the previous haystack birthing center and thought all was well.  We put them all in a kennel overnight to make sure mom and babies would be safe.  But this morning, as I was working on round one of Utah Grocery Deal Emails, I saw the mother cat heading back to the haystack.  I went down to the garage to see if she was planning on moving her little brood back to the stack, to potentially be crushed, and to my surprise found a fifth kitten, cold and lifeless, had recently been placed in the kennel.  We had left a kitten behind in the move!  I swear I searched that haystack to make sure all the kittens had been found, but alas, one tiny orange snuggly ball of fluff was left behind to brave the cold night alone.

The kitten was silent and fairly rigid.  Thinking it had surely passed, I gently laid it down quietly pondering what I should do with it.  It was then I felt impressed to try my own version of kitten CPR and make sure there was no chance for life.  I pushed gently and rhythmically up and down on the cat's fragile chest.  Nothing.  I laid the kitten down again and was about to scour the haystack once more when I felt impressed to pick up the baby and try again.  I rubbed and rubbed its' slender torso.  I even blew a little in the baby's mouth (a sight to see I'm sure!).  And then to my surprise it moved slightly.  Was there a chance it could still be alive or had it passed so recently that I was merely witnessing a muscular contraction?  I ran in the house, turned on the blow dryer and grabbed a syringe filled with warm milk.

After about 5 minutes of stroking its soft newborn fur and gently prodding it to eat I heard a faint whimper.  My heart soared with excitement and for the next 15 minutes I cradled this once lifeless being in my hands in the hopes its' life would be spared.  After steady cries and movement were apparent I returned the baby to its' mother, with an admittedly prideful heart, and if it lives on, I'm naming it Lucky!  Oh my savvy life....

A Savvy Tip: Buying Coupons Online Is Illegal!

It seems like this month I've been blogging about ethical couponing non-stop!  Why is that?  Well, with the upsurge in shoppers watching the new Extreme Couponing series on television there has been an equally appalling upsurge in the promotion of unethical coupon practices.  Lately I feel like I'm fighting to keep couponing as I know it alive by trying to debunk these erroneous tactics.  With every passing episode I wonder what the impact of these fraudulent savings tactics will have on me, my family and all of you, my friends?  I believe whole heartedly that there WILL be changes to the way we coupon coming down the line very soon and they won't be good!

It's frustrating to see couponers and people preying on couponers trying to make a buck off unethical coupon practices so I've decided to speak out against these dishonest savings methods.  It's not my intent to stand up on a soap box and preach to anyone, I just want to make the truth available for those deal seekers who want to save well, but save right!  And, hopefully all of you can spread the truth to all the newbie couponers and all the oldie, but goodie, couponers as well.

In one of my recent ethical coupon practice posts I was asked about whether buying coupons online was legal.  My response was an emphatic no, (as I have believed from early on in my couponing experience), but I also promised to research my position further and share the findings with all of you.  I promptly emailed News America (a.k.a. Smart Source) for their stance on the purchase of coupons from coupon clipping services and this was their response:

“The stand of News America Marketing is that coupon clipping services are illegal.”

"For more information on this, I suggest you reach out to the CIC (Coupon Information Corporation)."

So I went to the CIC and found this statement:

"You can protect yourself from fraud by:

 Never paying money for coupons. This includes buying coupons from companies/individual who “sell the service of clipping coupons” instead of the coupons themselves. (Think about it, you really ARE BUYING the coupons, yet the business will insist you’re not. Does that make any sense? Does it inspire your trust? Do you really want to provide them with your financial information?)"

And as for these coupon clipping companies who claim they are not really selling coupons, but rather you are paying for their time to cut them out,  I would ask, "Why does it take more time, and thus cost more money, to cut out higher value coupons?" Do the higher valued coupons require specially made scissors or is there some other costly equipment to maintain to justify their higher price?  Umm... no!  Of course they're selling coupons!

And to go one step further I went to the FTC and found this:

"There’s only one legitimate way to use a coupon: Cut it out of the newspaper or other source and use it toward the purchase of the designated product. A coupon is meant to be used only by the consumer who buys the product for which the coupon is printed. Selling or transferring coupons to a third party violates most manufacturers’ coupon redemption policies—and usually voids the coupon."

There's no getting around this one!  It is considered illegal to sell coupons online so why would you buy them and support unethical people trying to make money off unsuspecting shoppers? If you know someone who buys coupons online or anyone who promotes the use of coupon clipping services feel free to direct them to the CIC or the coupon inserts companies for that matter.  My guess is that many of them had no idea it was illegal!  

On a side note:  Why aren't these sites being prosecuted?  I have heard of several prosecutions in the past, but am still looking into this and will let you know what I find out!

A Savvy Event: Taste Of Home Cooking School

It was so fun to see so many of you last night at the Taste Of Home Cooking School!  Minus the sound issues, I had a blast and hope you did too!  Next year they're laying out the seating a little differently so that every seat is an amazing seat and this should fix the sound issues as well.  Because there were over 600 of you there last night it seems the sound was bouncing back or something like that.  Anywho, here's a little recap of last nights events.  See if you're on the video and make sure to tell everyone you're a movie star!: (You can also find this video story on the Daily Herald Website)

A Savvy Comment: Walmart Ad Matching and Stealing

Ugh, I've been sitting here trying to even figure out how to title this post and be the most pc about it that I can.  But, there's just no way around the truth, no matter how bad it sounds.

I have been saddened lately by the number of Walmart Ad Matchers who I have personally witnessed, or been told of, pulling prices out of thin air, claiming to price match from a competitor's store.  It happened again tonight as I went in to a Walmart to help out with the new coupon policy that is being implemented for Utah County.  First, let me just say that Ad Matching is a privilege, NOT a right.  Walmart does not have to let shoppers price match if they don't want to.  However, in an effort to be the "low price leader" they offer this promotion in their stores.  Yet, I believe a large percentage of shoppers lie about the price of a product, (and sometimes almost every item in their cart), each week in an effort to save a couple bucks.   These shoppers know they might not have to actually prove their ad match price by showing the actual ad so they help themselves to a few extra cents here and there.  What's a penny or two to a big company like Walmart right?  It won't hurt them will it?   I have said it before and I'll say it again, a person's  integrity ought to be worth more than a quarter!

You would be amazed at how many times I have been told by shoppers that they know someone (or are someone) who makes up prices on a regular basis.  What in the...?  Purposefully making up prices at Walmart to ad match is stealing.  It's stealing potential revenue from the store, just like shoplifting, but even worse in my opinion, because lying to a cashiers face takes more cowardice than sneaking out of a store with an unpaid tube of lipstick in your purse.  I have heard of shoppers driving miles out of their way to go to a different Walmart so they can get in line with the "nice" cashiers that will let a shopper do practically whatever they want.  What a sad statement that makes.

If you intend to price match a sale item at Walmart remember, the price you give the cashier should be the actual price of the product, not the price after a coupon you saw listed on my website (you would actually need to have the coupon to get that price), nor a made up price, nor a price you saw last week but weren't able to get.  The ad matched price should be the exact price that day as advertised in a sales flier not including catalinas, Register Rewards or Up rewards.  Anything else is just plain theft!  Why "cheat" the system at any store!  When you cheat them you're really cheating yourself.

A Savvy Tip - Coupon Binder Shopping Cart Trick

Couponers frequently ask me where I keep my binder in the shopping cart when I'm at the store.  It's always been second nature to me to keep it propped open over the baby seat so I have easy and instant access to my coupons.  But, as I shopped Saturday night and watched several savvy shoppers try to wrangle their binders from various positions in their cart I thought maybe I would share this tip with you all. It seems rather silly, but maybe it will help some of you keep your misbehaving binders under control!  Plus, I've seen a few websites selling gadgets to hold coupon binders in shopping cart seats and who wants to pay for something that's free!?! (This obviously only works when you can shop without the kiddos!  When I have my toddler with me I keep my binder open in the front of the basket.)

Latch the baby seat belt clip around the center leg 
hole post for the perfect binder carrier!

And voila!  The shopping card cradles my coupons from falling and I can easily flip the pages and find anything I need - especially any coupons I might have for unadvertised sale or clearance items!

My Savvy Life This Week - Taxes, Death & Savings

Benjamin Franklin said "there's nothing certain in life but taxes and death!"  I'd like to add savings to that infamous quote as well. 

I laughed to myself as I began filling out my taxes this weekend.  Ok, so taxes aren't really funny but in my mind I though "Well at least the government gives overage!" (I had to find some humor in it or I'd still be screaming at my stacks of neatly sorted receipts laying in chronological order on the floor beneath my feet.)  I wish I got ALL my money back for sure, but at least I'll get a portion back (and yes I know, it's not really overage.)

In the midst of sorting and adding, my mom called and told me she would owe the IRS this year, as she does every year.  Ugh - how terrible is that to owe them even more money!?!  I always get a refund, but I cringe a little every time it comes.  I know many people use their taxes as a sort of savings account and wait for the check to help buy the car they've been wanting or even pay off a credit card or two.  But really, getting huge returns wastes your money, in my opinion.  Instead of you getting to make interest on the money all year (even though it may be small), the government takes the interest off your hands willingly.  You can change your number of withholdings whenever you want to, so why not adjust the number of dependents in your household so that less taxes are withheld now and you get a smaller return next April (ask HR at work or your CPA for the appropriate dependents to provide you with as little return as possible).  You'll see more money each week in your paycheck and you can safely store it away in a CD or any other investment you see fit to garner a couple extra bucks in your own pocket.  (Ok, probably right here I should say I am not a certified accountant and you can't hold me responsible when the government completely shuts down and takes all your money anyway!)  But, seriously, if you're a couponer like me, think about what you could buy with even a couple extra dollars of interest. (And by serious couponer, I don't mean extreme ;)

You do have to be disciplined enough to actually save your new money from adjusting your  # of dependents.  Just blowing the extra money on frivolous purchases is far worse that letting the government hold on to it for the year.  Make sure you take that extra money and really invest it somewhere safe so that it isn't wasted by you instead of being wasted by big brother.  Either way would just be a waste.

A Savvy Birthday Freebie - Old Navy

The birthday freebies just keep rolling in! When you sign up for Old Navy emails you'll receive a $10/$50 Old Navy coupon on your birthday.

See My Favorite Birthday Freebies!

UPDATE - I am NOT an Extreme Couponer!!!

 

Ok couponers, I have to say I wasn't surprised by the volume of callers today who asked if we could please deliver all the "extra" coupon inserts to their homes.  In fact, I am prepared for groups of dumpster diving coupon clubs meeting up at midnight on Sunday to scour through piles of trash for as many inserts as they can possibly get their hands on.  So let me explain to all of you how coupon insert delivery works. (I should probably preface this, for those of you who don't know, by saying that I am the official deal representative for The Daily Herald and the Standard Examiner newspapers (more to come soon ;) and work hand in hand with them on a daily basis.)

Newspaper policy is that they ONLY sell Sunday papers, as required by SmartSource (News America) and Valassis, and actually have to sign a legal affidavit verifying that they destroy any remaining coupons. This is required of them by the coupon manufacturers. They do not and CAN NOT give them away or throw them away.  And don't even think about dumpster diving for coupons as it is illegal, and considered criminal trespassing, in most cities. And FYI - they are actually required to destroy and bale the coupons after all subscriber homes have received their inserts.

The shoppers you may have seen on Extreme Couponing not only encouraged newspaper carriers to break legal contracts, but quite obviously were given significant leeway by the stores in which they shopped for publicity's sake, again, not so legal.  The shopper in Bethesda MD who showed extra newspaper coupons being delivered to her home has just put the coupon contract of her newspaper in serious jeopardy.  I'd be surprised if News America and Valassis haven't started an audit process already.  My guess is that every newspaper in America will soon have an audit to verify that all contracts are being strictly enforced.

Do you like receiving coupons in your  Sunday paper?  If the answer is yes then don't ask newspapers to bend the rules for you or find "unethical" ways to acquire more.  If you do any of these things, it is within the legal right of the insert companies to pull all inserts out of a newspaper on a moments notice or refuse to renew contracts at the end of the quarter.  I love couponing and never want to see the savings end (the reasonable savings that is) so please, please, please stop this madness.

Madness I say, because while I certainly believe in being prepared in your own homes with a good amount of food storage, I also know that almost every item in every store goes on sale at least once every 3 months.  That means you never need to buy a years worth of anything (or a 15 year supply of mustard) in one shopping trip.  Shopping for your family in 3 month increments is not only doable physically, but also financially.  If you'd like to learn how to save 50-80% over retail prices at the grocery store, in a common sense and realistic way, come to my Free Savvy Shopping 101 Class in Provo on April 28th or contact one of my awesome Savvy Shopper Instructors to help you find a free class throughout the state of Utah.

Your interest may be peaked in watching this television show just to gawk at the "crazies", but even watching the show once helps the television network make money.  Just stay away and watch some healthy, and even uplifting, television instead.  It's not worth wasting your time or lining the pockets of a show which reflects negatively on all of us ethical couponers.

Finally, a shout out to my friend Kellene from PreparednessPro who stood up to the producers of this show when they asked her if she would be filmed for a segment and then act in a way that wasn't in her character.  Bravo Kellene for trying to portray couponers in a positive light - even when it was a fight to do so!

(P.S. I can appreciate that after their segments aired that many of these couponers claimed to have given their purchases away to charity. I believe this could be true in some cases, but how many do you think are just trying to save face after the negative push back they've felt or only gave it away to avoid looking overly greedy?

Also, while I absolutely support donating excess products to the needy, I also don't believe one person has the right to determine what everyone in the store gets to buy and when.  Meaning, if these shoppers cleared the shelves for whatever reason, regular shoppers are now out of luck in getting an item they actually needed for their own families.  If you intend to buy large quantities of product, for whatever reason, please special order it from customer service so the rest of us can find some product still on the shelf!)

I am NOT an Extreme Couponer!!!

While I consider myself to be a coupon master, having couponed for over 19 years, I am not, and hope to NEVER be, an extreme couponer!  I may have a great food storage "stockpile" but it has never been at the expense of others nor has it taken the excessive amount of time some shoppers waste on an almost daily basis!

Tonight, for the 1st time, I watched Extreme Couponing on television.  Honestly, I was appalled by much of what I saw!  Let's just say I will not be watching again.  From buying over 60 bottles of mustard (and purposely taking all but one on the shelf) which her husband doesn't even eat, to spending over 5 hours in the store and calling friends to stand in line for you just so you can save $10 is beyond ridiculous.  Or how about the woman who did 18 transactions at the store which took her over 1 hour just so she could double 3 Albertsons coupons in each transaction!  They had to close the checkout line behind this woman because she took so long.  I actually yelled at the t.v. when a woman bought over 30 bottles of Maalox and she didn't even get them for free.  Either you and your husband have some serious stomach issues and need to see a doctor asap or you need to see a psychologist!  I don't even know what to say about the woman who said her stockpile was almost as beautiful as her children - how can that even come close?!  What ever happened to customer courtesy?  This isn't savings for their families, it's savings IN SPITE of other families!

You will rarely hear me be critical of others, but in this instance I cannot hold my tongue.  I believe these women (and men) have real shopping addictions and need to seek professional help.  I'm absolutely serious in that.  It's interesting that this television series runs in between Hoarding and My Strange Addiction shows don't you think?

This show gives couponers a bad name as overbearing, almost maniacal shoppers.  Not only that, but I believe this show could have serious ramifications for the rest of the couponing world.  It's absolutely possible that stores may start limiting the number of coupons shoppers can use in transactions and coupon values can also be dramatically reduced.  The way coupons are distributed may also come into question, like the woman who had all the extra coupons delivered to her home by her carrier - this  directly violates newspaper contract policy!  Or the woman who had her young children and pregnant friend dumpster diving for extra coupon inserts.  What!?!

I have taught shoppers how to coupon for almost 2 decades to ensure that everyone can save and have fun shopping.  This show makes this couponer "extreme"ly frustrated as it undermines all I've tried to do! The last time this show aired I got several emails asking me to teach them how to be extreme shoppers.  I will never teach someone how to be a greedy, obsessive, addicted shopper.   I believe it's fundamentally wrong on so many different levels and absolutely disturbing!  Will the real couponing community step up and call this show out for what it is - garbage!

I hope none of you watch this show and that they take it off the air soon! (FYI - They actually emailed me with clips of the show to help promote it to all of you - well... Hollywood can forget it!)

I'd love to know what you think.  Please comment below with your thoughts. (More comments here)

A Savvy Birthday Freebie - Jack In The Box

You don't even have to sign up for this birthday freebie from Jack In The Box.  Just print the FREE Jack In The Box Dessert Coupon and take your ID into a Jack in the Box location on your actual birthday and voila - a FREE Dessert!