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 CVS Cashiers do not know their own policy
Posted Tue May 17, 2011 3:54 pm, by Jessica S. written to CVS
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I went into the CVS at XXXXX on 5/17/2011.
CVS is having a BOGO sale for Lifesaver Gummies. I have a manufacturer coupon for BOGO Lifesaver Gummies. As all seasoned couponers know, if you use a BOGO manufacturer coupon on a BOGO sale, both items end up being free. Now, I am well aware that not all stores let you use a BOGO manufacturer coupon on a BOGO sale.
Knowing this, I head over to your website to find out directly from the appropriate source whether this can be done or not. Shockingly, your coupon policy is no where to be found. Interesting. So I decide to "google it" and come to find out that no, you do not post your policy online...or in writing...anywhere...even in store. This is my very first complaint of multiple complaints.
So other couponers took time out of their day to e-mail you to find out what your policy is. You e-mailed them back and they posted your responses on multiple different websites detailing your coupon policy. Let me just say right now, I HIGHLY recommend that you post your policy online to avoid 80% of the confusion your cashiers have. I'm assuming you intentionally do not post your policy because you do not want to be held accountable to it. Which is just bad business. Of course, that is just my assumption. However, backing up my assumption is the fact that there is no way to e-mail customer service for the brick and mortar shops. Only email for media, cvs.com issues, and other useless emails. The page even says not to bother emailing these other addresses with your customer service complaint because they are not there for that. Why would a store do this? So that once again, their policy is not in print. I'm not sure what investigative work all the other bloggers did to obtain an email address for customer service, but I spent 5 minutes trying to find it and could not. Maybe it is out there somewhere, but you sure as heck don't want people to find it easily. That is complaint number 2. Please provide a valid email address because if I'm trying to get policy information, calling does not help. How do I know calling does not help? Let me move on to complaint number 3.
After "googling" around and finding out from multiple different sources that posted your return emails that you do in fact allow a BOGO coupon to be combined with a BOGO sale, I ALMOST head out the door. At the last second, I decided to call customer service first. Just a quick call while I have one foot out the door. I am informed by corporate that yes, you can use the BOGO coupon on a BOGO sale resulting in both items being free. Great, here we go.
Find the Lifesaver gummies that are B1G1 free. Right off the bat I'm seeing that there is going to be a problem. The gummies are priced at $2.24 and BOGO. However, my coupon will only allow up to $1.19 to be taken off. This is, of course, no big deal. Instead of getting both items free, I will have to pay the difference between 2.24 and 1.19. The problem is not that I won't get each one free, the problem is that I know this is going to be way too much for the cashier to handle.
Sure enough, I get to the register and the cashier won't take it because of the price difference. She says that this coupon is for a smaller size. Granted, the smaller size is 1.19, exactly the price that it will discount up to. However, and it's a big however, there are NO size restrictions on my coupon. I ask her to get a manger.
The manager, JXXXXX, looks at the coupon and I overhear her say "it doesn't matter because she needs to purchase one to get one free". I tell her no you don't and corporate verified this for me. She asks for corporates name and I have no idea. I didn't think to get the name as I have already gone above and beyond to figure out what the policy is. And some how I doubt that if I gave her a random name, she would say "Oh ok then".
JXXXXX says she works at CVS and has never heard of such a thing. That's a shame since this BOGO thing has been around for probably longer than both of us have been alive.
At this point, I've been there for so long I'm just going to give up. I decide to just get the smaller bags, which of course are not BOGO and they are all out of stock. Great. Though I did get a raincheck as they were on sale.
Rainchecks are another issue as I have two rainchecks from weeks ago that STILL can't be fulfilled. 1 was for the Dove mens deodorant that is consistently out of stock. And the other was for the "free" carefree panty liners that I'm not even sure this store actually carries as I've never seen them in stock...but do have a raincheck for them(?)
I would like you to post your coupon policy online and in the store. I also would like you to post an email address so proof can be brought to the store.
I would like JXXXXX to be personally informed about the policy of BOGO's. In fact, please explain to all of your cashiers how coupons are a GOOD thing for your store. As you are aware, your prices are exceptionally high. The only reason (other than convenience) to shop at your store is to combine coupons with Extrabucks on a sale day. So a good portion of your sales would NOT happen if it weren't for coupons. I know I don't need to spend $5.69 (not exaggerating) for one stick of deodorant. But if I can combine it with coupons and get it for free, I'm going to. What your cashiers need to understand is that the coupon is going to be reimbursed by the manufacturer. The coupon is as good as cash. It encourages people to shop at your store when they normally wouldn't because of the high prices.
One final thing, JXXXXX did not have any type of attitude problem. You could see she was irritated that I knew something she didn't, but at least she didn't get angry.
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you can't get something for nothing!
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The only thing I could think of through this whole letter was why
anyone would go to all this trouble over Gummi Lifesavers. Really?
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You gotta admire the couponers out there!
Your letter gives them some good feedback and I have no doubt you are
correct. I happen to work somewhere with some pretty stringent coupon
restrictions, but they are published and available - you shouldn't
have to go toall the trouble you did to get an answer.
However, if it were me, one of two things would have happened - after
I spent all that time researching my info, I would have waited while
the mgr called corp himself and got clarification....or...I wouldn't
have spent any time researching all this to save $2.24....not worth it
to me.
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My policy is simple, if the cash register doesnt take it, I dont take
it. The registers are set up by corporate so there ya go.
Not saying this applies to you but We occasionally get eccentric
couponers in our store, who have 20 coupons of a certain thing,
usually a new item.
They will wipe out the whole shelf, and have none for our regular
customers.
To combat this, we sometimes put only one or two items out of the
item.
We know we get reimbursed but multiple coupons, but if you wipe out
the shelves for the customers who only want one.
good day
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