Should Supermarkets have a separate line for coupon users?
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
June 2, 2008 9:14am CST
Most coupon users have all their coupons ready and the cashier is able to zip them through without much trouble, but recently, I have had yet another experience where I waited in line for at least 15 minutes for the customer ahead of me who had a coupon that wouldn't scan. The store was incredibly busy and all the lines were long.
I don't know what she was buying or what she didn't buy that the coupon was for. However, the cashier wasn't able to scan it after several attempts. A manager was called over who couldn't make the register accept the coupon. During this time, the woman put on her lipstick, starting writing out her check and seemed totally unconcerned about holding up everyone else in line for this one coupon. Finally, the manager manually entered some code and I think they gave her the 35 cents off (or whatever amount it was) just to get her to leave the store. I know I was grateful.
If it were me, I would have said forget that coupon or remove the item if I didn't want it without the savings. I wouldn't have gone through that much trouble nor made everyone wait in line that long.
Supermarkets have express lines for those with only a few items - at busy times, should they have lines for those with checks and coupons?
2 responses
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
2 Jun 08
No, it's the store's responsibility to have the coupons go through quickly. If they don't scan, cashier's have the overwrite function which in this case should have been used much earlier. With mine they try it three of four times to scan it and then type in the code. I see coupons just as every other purchase item. If I have twenty coupons I very well may have had twenty extra items to purchase and for the cashier to scan. There is no difference really. If a regular store item doesn't scan, then people have to wait, too. In fact, in my life I had to wait more for cashiers waiting for somebody to check a price on items without price sticker or now without barcode than for somebody to overwrite hard to scan coupons, lol.
And yes, I'm as unconcerned as the lady with the coupons you described. I need all the money I can save on groceries for my family of five. In fact, I leave the store counting my savings knowing that those who complained in line behind me obviously don't know better or they would have them,too.
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
3 Jun 08
I'm with you on this one jonesy - Seems the problem was with the cashier and her not knowing her job - - and could have manually put in the SKU or whatever in and been done with it. I have more problem with items that aren't priced. I see the price on the shelf, but of course the item won't scan that so price check and time waiting most always it comes back as I said it was priced on the shelf.
My BIG issue is that while I am putting things on the counter, the cashier is already ringing things up and I can't watch to see if they are ringing as the price on the shelf said it was. I get home and see things that rang up differently.
Coupons, have no problem there - other than being jealous that she has so many, where'd she get them!?!?!?!
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Jun 08
I have shopped with coupons myself and my sister is the ultimate coupon shopper, but in this case, I am not even sure she bought the item that the coupon was for. Note that I did say that most coupons go through fine and it's not a problem.
My question wasn't meant to indicate that coupon users should be penalized, but rather, the way stores handle shoppers with coupons. I don't know why they spent so much time on this particular coupon or why it took them so long to override it but it's not a good call on the store's part to hold up the checkout lines over a few cents.
@jsitko (1169)
• United States
3 Jun 08
I am a coupon shopper and I love to save money rather than to spend it. I would have waited there for my cents off coupon especially if it were a double off coupon. There has been a few times where my cashier has had to call her manager over to use the special key because I saved more than half of the original grocery bill because of the coupons I used and the store's club card. I am sure that may have upset the person behind me, but that is not my fault nor do I feel sorry for it happening. When I go home will a load of groceries that would have cost me $120 and I get to show my husband that I only paid $58 for them, I would say it was worth the wait.
I think that was a poor call on the cashier and the manager, they could have done an over ride or just punched in the scanning code. I have waited in lines many times and the only ones that irritate me are those that say they forgot something and left the line to go on the other side of the store to get it or the ones that don't have enough money to pay for what just got run up and now they have to take up my time to figure out what they are going to subtract.
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Jun 08
I agree that the store should have handled it better. I wondered if having dedicated check outs for coupon users and cashiers with better training on them might expedite checkouts for everyone.
I too, get irritated by people who hold up lines for forgotten items. I suppose I am just as irritated by people with 25 items in the 12 item express lane because the express lane is meant to move more customers out more quickly.
I think that all stores should consider how to better service customers with coupons and make it more convenient for them and others by responding quickly to problems and resolving them.
@jsitko (1169)
• United States
3 Jun 08
I agree with you whole heartedly. This may be a bigger problem in the very near future with the way the economy is going. More and more people are looking for ways to save money and coupons are the easiest way to do that. There are some weeks I can use 10-25 coupons when I shop. Can you imagine if every shopper in the store uses even 10 coupons while they are there? It could really cause a traffic jam.
