I doubt anyone would be surprised to know that I have a pretty conservative view of how coupons should be used. Couponers engage in so many shady activities- some of which are actually illegal. For those of you trying to navigate the coupon waters and keep your head held high I sat down and wrote out what I consider some of the most important areas of coupon ethics. I am sure some of you won’t share my opinion- feel free to leave (nice, polite) comments and get the conversation going!
Black and White Areas
Some areas (in my opinion) are pretty black and white. If the government says it’s illegal and you can go to jail I would highly advice against that action. And yet people continue to do these!
Stealing Inserts– People go into the store on Sunday morning, go through the newspapers and steal the inserts. This is a very common problem. It has gotten so bad that many stores keep the newspapers behind the counter with the cigarettes and expensive razor blades. I have had people in coupon classes argue with me that since they are leaving the rest of the paper it’s okay. It’s not. And if you try it and get caught the police agree with me [1]. Don’t lose your integrity for free shampoo or toothbrushes- it’s not worth it.
Photocopying Coupons- Photocopying ANY coupon is illegal and is punishable by fines and imprisonment. The government sees coupons as currency so it holds punishments similar to counterfeiting money. Additionally you are stealing from the store that accepts the coupon. While it could possibly scan at the register, when it reaches the reimbursement warehouse, the coupon will register that it is fraudulent or copied, and the manufacturer will refuse to pay the value. This means the store does not receive the money and must cover the cost themselves, just as if that money was stolen from the store. And the cashier and store manager will both be written up.
Selling Stockpile Items– Did you know that the terms and conditions of a coupon prohibit stockpile sales? I have seen huge tables of items at flea markets and even some people who sell out of their basements (a few have been arrested for it). Though there are multiple reasons this is illegal two of them are most commonly stated. The first is the purpose of coupons is to save individuals money—not to help someone sell products for profit. More importantly local health codes could be violated as products may be expired and not stored properly. It can be a danger to consumers.
Buying Individual Coupons– I advise people NOT to buy individual coupons. Companies get around the legality of it by saying you are paying for their service and not the actual coupon itself. Few people go to prison for purchasing them. The Coupon Information Center [2] keeps a list of fradulent coupons and it grows every day. While it would be incredibly difficult to counterfeit an entire coupon insert creating one or two fake coupons is a piece of cake. We see HIGH instances of fraud in these individual coupons purchased. So people pay for the coupons and shipping, get to the store and can’t use the coupon. It’s a waste of money. You can read here [3] about recent arrests from people selling counterfeit coupons online.
Grey Areas
Other areas are a bit more grey and points of great contention in the coupon community. In some of the group coupon rooms I am in these areas aren’t even allowed to be mentioned as they cause such heated debate and discord among members.
Taking Peelies off of Products- This is one I happen to feel VERY strongly about and others don’t care at all. These coupons are called “peelies” and they are located on products in the store. Some couponers will head up the store, grab a bag and walk around taking them off all the items in the store. They will then use them at other stores or not at all depending on what the item is. I know that companies spend alot of time and money deciding which products in which stores need these coupons. To me that peelie is part of that product and by taking it you are stealing. My favorite thing in the world is when a peelie says it is invalid if removed by anyone besides the cashier.
Using Multiple Store Cards- This is another one that really annoys me. Many stores will have a limit of how many coupons you can use per day (in my area 20 is a common number). This rule exists so that people can not go into a store and wipe out the entire stock of a specific item. So for people who can’t be at the store at 6 a.m. there is still some stock left by their lunch break. I have seen people in the stores with five or six store cards. I realize that some of these people will be shopping for their neighbor or their mother and I have no problem with that. But some of them have numerous cards registered at fake addresses and multiple e-mails so they could buy 3, 4 or 5 times the amount of a product the store had intended. In most stores it is a violation of their card policy and bold cashiers will shut this down.
Buying Coupon Inserts– For reasons I can’t explain this one doesn’t bother me. Some people feel very passionate about it being wrong. Coupon fraud is pretty difficult to commit with an entire insert so likely if you are buying entire inserts and not just the individual coupons you are getting the real deal. That being said my local newspaper is only $1 and I can go grab the inserts on a Sunday instead of waiting for someone to ship them to me. So while I don’t buy them it doesn’t bother me when other people do. This is a very divisive issue for frugal bloggers as well- some go as far as to sell inserts themselves and some condemn it.
The Conclusion
If it feels bad don’t do it. Period. No amount of free product is worth compromising your morals. I know many couponers are generous people who donate the items they get to others who are in need. Don’t do the bad thing to get to do the good thing.
The more fraud, the more stealing and the more underhanded things that go on the harder it is for the rest of us trying to do the right thing. We want a world of happy couponers!