Update on Walmart Coupon Issue.....
By mehale
@mehale (2200)
United States
June 28, 2008 12:39pm CST
A few weeks ago I started a discussion warning everyone that Walmart (or at least my local Walmart store) would not honor internet coupons. I went home and sent an email to the corporate office in Bentonville, AR telling them about this, and complaining that they would not accept the coupons. Well the following week, I received an email from corporate office (actually two of them) telling me that Walmart does indeed accept the internet coupons as long as they clearly say "Manufacturer's Coupon" on them and have not been altered. The bar code must also scan in order to be able to use them.
The following week I received a call from the store manager at my local Walmart store telling me that there was some confusion about the coupons, but that the CSM's have now been trained on how to handle them, information on how to use the coupons has been placed at each register, and they DO take the coupons. If I had any more problems with them then I should talk to her.
Well, the next day, I decided to test this new information. I went to Walmart with about $50 worth of internet coupons, and managed to use most of them. When I got to the register, the cashier told me that Walmart did not take these coupons....here we go again. I told her that I had received not one, but two emails from corporate office telling me that they do indeed honor them, and also a call from the store manager telling me the same thing. Well, she went and talked to the store manager and was told that YES they do honor the coupons and to take them and not give the customer (me) any more trouble about them. I was able to use the coupons and save almost $50 on my groceries. I will also be able to use them there in the future. I even saved the emails for future reference in case any more problems with them come up.
I guess in this case, the squeaky wheel DOES get oiled! My local store was supposed to be honoring them all along, they just did not want to have to deal with them! At least this story does have a happy ending.
3 people like this
14 responses
@Barb42 (4214)
• United States
28 Jun 08
And the problem didn't come from the cashiers. They only do what they are trained to do, but they often get the fallout through the managers. I am sure they were told not to accept those online coupons.Good for you for emailing the main office and getting your reply not only once, but three times!
1 person likes this
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
28 Jun 08
Oh that is wonderful! I recently moved away from a small, backward town in which the WalMart also refused to take coupons from the internet. In the new town that I have moved to, they have absolutely no trouble taking my coupons and it is such a joy. The coupons being accepted at WalMart is only one of MANY reasons that I am much happier in this town. I so wish that we had moved long ago rather than staying in that little town for so long! I'm glad that your story had a happy ending. If I were still in my previous town I would email corporate just as you did.
1 person likes this
@Ldyjarhead (10233)
• United States
28 Jun 08
Good job!
I rarely use coupons myself since they are normally for brand name items and I will usually buy the cheaper generic/store brand anyway. I did have one that I tried to use a couple of years ago and was told that they wouldn't honor it because they had no way of knowing if it was legitimate or if it had been made on a home computer. I don't recall if it was WalMart or not.
1 person likes this
@sherlock27 (913)
• United States
29 Jun 08
I'm sorry to say that the Walmart that I work in does not accept the coupons that we can print from our conputers. My grocery store will not accept them either. The reason being, people are running them off on copy machines. They are abusing the priviledge of getting them. The Walmart I work in has no problem dealing with coupons, I use them all the time and so do alot of our customers. I'm talking about the coupons we get from newspapersm magazines etc.
1 person likes this
I remember the discussion. I thought it was wierd! I'm really glad that this worked out for you!!! Go girl!! LOL!!!! tdemex
@fluffysue (1482)
• United States
29 Jun 08
Good for you! I remember reading your original post but may not have replied. Thank you for the update, it is good to know that their policy is to accept the coupons. I'll remember this if I run into this problem at Wal-Mart, and will ask to speak with the manager.
1 person likes this
@ambkeb (782)
• United States
29 Jun 08
I remember this discussion. I think I may have even replied. I used to work at one of our local walmarts as a cashier so I know that we took them...so I had been wondering about why your walmart wouldnt. I am glad that you got everything taken care of. Every little thing helps with the way the prices of everything is rising.
@horsesrule (1957)
• United States
4 Jul 08
Hey, that's great! I usually don't even bother with internet coupons because the stores in my area won't take them. If I come across some good internet coupons, I am going to have to re-think that though. Thanks for the good news!
@nehenderson (140)
• United States
3 Jul 08
With prices the way they are now, every penny counts and coupons are a good way to save.
@wachit14 (3595)
• United States
29 Jun 08
Good for you for being so persistent. Unfortunately, I've had the same problem with my own Walmart. You think that the employees would be trained to know the difference and not give the customers such a hard time about it. As a result, I use the coupons at the grocery store where I know the coupons will be accepted without a problem.
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
29 Jun 08
I'm so happy to hear that you were able to
get them to use the coupons.
That really worried me.
Cause I had just discovered Internet coupons
the week before and was looking forward to using
them at the Walmart.
After I read your discussion, I was really bummed about
the whole Internet coupon issue.
This new discussion gives me hope!
Thank you for the update.
The power of one voice to make a change!
Thank you!
Be well.
Happy coupon shopping.
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
29 Jun 08
I have seen a lot of people that have issues with the local Wal-Mart taking coupons. Some say that if you have more than $50 you have to have a manager over ride for the purchase. I don't shop there much because my local grocery store doubles up to and including $1 and so it is cheaper for me to go there. If you go to the corporate website there is a copy of their coupon policy and I have had people tell me they carry it with them when they go to Wal-Mart.
1 person likes this
@craftymom (71)
• United States
29 Jun 08
I have to wonder if they offered you any kind of compesation for the coupons they didn't take and for any trouble they put you through. My experience with Wal-Mart has been that they are not always that nice, even when they are in the wrong...They have this policy (posted) that if they charge you the wrong price for something, you either get the item for free or you get $3 off your total. I tried this around Christmas and had to wait about 15 minutes to get my measly three dollars:)
1 person likes this
