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**MSE Jenny** · 08-09-2008, 11:45 AM

This thread is specifically to discuss how to use supermarket coupons on product's they are not designed for, as explained in the

Supermarket Coupons

guide

Click reply to discuss

stebiz · 08-09-2008, 12:34 PM

On a personal note I started using coupons to buy shopping about 3 years ago. I'd always shopped a Tesco's and had often commented about the 'silly old ladies' with their coupons in front of me. That is until I read on here about the savings people made. I started using coupons even if I hadn't bought the product and could quite easily wipe 25-40% off my shop. At the same time I was still getting my clubcard points from Tesco. With 3 kids and my wife in our family the food bill would easily hit £4,000 a year. This saved me a good £1,500 a year. Well worth it.

Along with the coupon thread on here there are many other good sites with coupons on.
www.paidtoshop.co.uk and www.money-off-coupons.blogspot.com and www.couponnet.co.uk. The best thing is you can often print your own as well. Best advice I can give is not to be too greedy and test the water first.

Good Luck
Stebiz

**MSE Jenny** · 08-09-2008, 1:35 PM

Thanks very much for that. Any feedback from people who do it regularly is greatly appreciated!

teedy23 · 08-09-2008, 3:02 PM

I use coupons regularly but not excessively. I find that things are tightening up with regards to not buying the product but i still make a saving here and there. Since May 1st I have saved £229 and odds.

5and1e · 08-09-2008, 6:18 PM

I've only started doing it recently, and I would agree about not doing it to excess, Tesco will only allow a certain amount in MOC . I sort mine into expiry date order, so if they decide my limit has been reached I've used the ones that expire first.

loopylilo · 08-09-2008, 8:16 PM

I have become voucher obsessed! Every morning I go to the money saving forum to see what offers are in the newspapers e.g Daily Express giving a £1 off OK voucher. Today for example, I went to Tesco self scan and bought £33 worth of goods and paid just £18 - the rest was paid for in vouchers! This was in part due to the News of the world £5 voucher (when you spend £30) but I've now also discovered that even free yoghurts at Morrisons or fish oil tablets at Asda actually work! You just need to have the cheek of the devil!

elainemn · 08-09-2008, 8:29 PM

Please do not scan other supermarkets coupons. they do scan but Tescos can not get their money back on these. By doing this, you are risking them stopping coupon use so short term gain would lead to long term gain. They do accept total spend such as Sainsbury £2 off £20 etc, but this is their policy.
thanks,
Elaine

bylromarha · 08-09-2008, 8:48 PM

Get your coupons sorted before you get to the checkout. Most stores will only take 1 of each type of coupon if you've not bought the product, so you can be rooting around for some minutes trying to get different types out. I often sort them out in the car as there's surfaces to use and keep the little bulldog clips around so I can whip out a pre sorted pile at the checkout.

Also, I keep my coupons in an A5 plastic wallet that stays with the shopping bags that I take to Tesco. Means I'm less likely to forget to take them with me.

JoJoB · 08-09-2008, 9:39 PM

I got a £36 shop down to £23 in Tesco today with coupons. I used the following:

NoW £5 off a £30 spend
NoW free photostickers coupon (till took off 99p)
NoW money off bookbinder coupon (till took off £2)

So £8 in coupons just from one sunday paper. Also used:

£1 pedigree by nature
£1 Mitchum
4 x 35p vouchers (colgate etc) from couponnet
£1 off Huggies Little swimmers I found in an old bounty bag the other day.

If there is no NoW £5 voucher to encourage one big shop I have been known to do 2 or 3 smaller shops using different tills so that I can use vouchers that I have more than one of (e.g. the Mitchums and Marie-Claire and other pdf ones that can be printed without limit).

I save between £50 - £60 a month with coupons, and never try to get away with using coupons that I know the supermarket won't get its money back on.

littlemissjojo · 10-09-2008, 7:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loopylilo

I have become voucher obsessed! Every morning I go to the money saving forum to see what offers are in the newspapers e.g Daily Express giving a £1 off OK voucher. Today for example, I went to Tesco self scan and bought £33 worth of goods and paid just £18 - the rest was paid for in vouchers! This was in part due to the News of the world £5 voucher (when you spend £30) but I've now also discovered that even free yoghurts at Morrisons or fish oil tablets at Asda actually work! You just need to have the cheek of the devil!

For crying out loud, do you want to ruin it for everyone???? Dont use other supermarkets specific ones in the self scan!!! Thats the kind of thing that will get coupon usage stopped!!! Didnt you read any of the previous page???

Only use legitimate coupons, or there will be no coupons accepted in any Tescos.

pogoparadise · 10-09-2008, 7:28 AM

Please be aware that on this page: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/tip...market-coupons under the section "Coupons valid at any supermarket" there is a £2 off Huggies. It can only be used in Mothercare, I dont wanna see anyone getting in to trouble

matty17r · 10-09-2008, 11:28 AM

Be careful with this one - it says on back do not use with other coupons!

wildmantel · 10-09-2008, 11:57 AM

I have not used coupons for a long while, because I tend to hunt for special offers. (some do work out cheaper, but you have to do your homework).
I stopped using coupons after I got caught by the electronic system. I handed coupons to a checkout girl and was told that provided they sell the item they will take the coupon. There was one coupon for 75 pence of a product (cannot remember which one now it was some years ago) she scanned the coupons my bill went down by something like £4.50+ so I was pleased. But to my horror when I got home and looked closely at the receipt I found that at the time of scanning the coupons one of the items that I did not buy was now listed on as a purchase and then the coupon was deducted?? So I was charged for something I did not buy. I did not make a fuss but I never used coupons again.

Coupon-mad · 11-09-2008, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matty17r

Be careful with this one - it says on back do not use with other coupons!

Don't worry, it doesn't mean 'no other different coupons' though, in fact I think it says 'one voucher per transaction' or something? It simply means you can only use one NOTW fiver per transaction strictly speaking (although most cashiers would probably allow 2 if you spent £60+ as they would scan on each full £30 spent). Most stores will still allow some other coupons as well as the fiver IMHO.

Best advice I can give on coupon-use is:

1. Never use coupons the store cannot get money back on, even if they scan. E.g. no Sainsburys magazine MOCs in Tesco (nothing store-specific) and no out-of-date coupons. Abuse may not be noticed at the till but will be noticed later in the cash office...and the repercussions of a load of duff coupons bouncing back unpaid over a period of weeks could mean the end of couponing in your local.

2. Only use one of each type of coupon in Tesco (Waitrose will take some duplicates though).

3. Never argue if a Supervisor or till operator refuses a coupon. Keep it for next time if you are sure it should be OK to use.

4. Be aware that not all stores follow the same policy - many have a % maximum they will allow and others don't accept any internet-printed coupons. Get to know your local limit and stick to it, you'll still make some savings.

5. Remember that you can only use coupons without buying the right product in Tesco, Asda or Waitrose (store willing). Nowhere else that I know of allows this (but other stores, e.g. Sainsburys, will accept most coupons if you buy the correct product of course).

I've used coupons for years and save a few pennies here and there!

Coupon-mad · 11-09-2008, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildmantel

I have not used coupons for a long while, because I tend to hunt for special offers. (some do work out cheaper, but you have to do your homework).
I stopped using coupons after I got caught by the electronic system. I handed coupons to a checkout girl and was told that provided they sell the item they will take the coupon. There was one coupon for 75 pence of a product (cannot remember which one now it was some years ago) she scanned the coupons my bill went down by something like £4.50+ so I was pleased. But to my horror when I got home and looked closely at the receipt I found that at the time of scanning the coupons one of the items that I did not buy was now listed on as a purchase and then the coupon was deducted?? So I was charged for something I did not buy. I did not make a fuss but I never used coupons again.

This may happen with a coupon you have cut out from product packaging, where the product barcode is still on the back (Radox was a risk for this to happen last year, was it that one?).

Right now, there is a risk of the SA scanning the product barcode on 2 coupons I know of:

1. The Dylon £1 coupon (inside boxes of whitener) and

2. The Oasis £1 coupon (the one from the small Oasis bottles).

You just need to cross out the product barcode thoroughly at home after cutting the coupon out. Or with the cardboard Dylon MOC, just split the cardboard & gently tear the back layer partly off at the area of the product barcode (NOT the 99 barcode!).

What happened to you is not a reason to stop couponing...if you had gone to customer services (even days later) they would have refunded you as this does happen sometimes in error.

demon_princezz · 11-09-2008, 10:24 AM

My Tesco Extra has now stopped accepting internet printed coupons which is a bit of a pain - especially when it's for a product I actually want to buy! Apparently it's because people had been abusing it, which is a shame. I still went to Customer Services and kicked up a fuss though as I had bought the product, so they gave me the value of the coupon back.

flyingscotno1 · 11-09-2008, 12:35 PM

Safeway used to be good- 6 coupons per transaction, any product, any value, shame Morrisons haven't followed on.

But as others say, be honest in using coupons, conning supermarkets might seem a victimless crime but it hurts me and you in the long run.

keletubbie · 11-09-2008, 12:40 PM

I am disappointed to see people being encouraged to do this.

I used to work on a checkout in Tesco when I was a nipper, and somebody came through my till on a very busy Saturday. She had a handful of couppons for products she wasn't buying. When I questioned it, she thrust a letter into my hand saying that it was legit and she would be calling a supervisor if I didn't hurry up and scan her shopping.

I rang for a supervisor myself, but in the end I just let it go - she was wholly unpleasant.

Got called up in front of the store manager the next day - they wanted the money back off me! I of course refused, and the matter was dropped, but before you do this, bear in mind that the poor person behind the checkout will probably get it in the neck for it.

hnscott · 11-09-2008, 1:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keletubbie

I am disappointed to see people being encouraged to do this.

I used to work on a checkout in Tesco when I was a nipper, and somebody came through my till on a very busy Saturday. She had a handful of couppons for products she wasn't buying. When I questioned it, she thrust a letter into my hand saying that it was legit and she would be calling a supervisor if I didn't hurry up and scan her shopping.

I rang for a supervisor myself, but in the end I just let it go - she was wholly unpleasant.

Got called up in front of the store manager the next day - they wanted the money back off me! I of course refused, and the matter was dropped, but before you do this, bear in mind that the poor person behind the checkout will probably get it in the neck for it.

Just to set the record straight and to dispell your disappointment...

Please be aware that it is OFFICIAL Tesco policy to accept coupons without having to buy the product. This Policy (adopted by some stores, ignored by others) was sent to ALL stores on 3 June 2007. It clearly states what can and can't be used. There should be no question of a SA getting into trouble if management/cash office staff took notice of messages sent through from Head Office.

flyingscotno1 · 11-09-2008, 1:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keletubbie

I am disappointed to see people being encouraged to do this.

I used to work on a checkout in Tesco when I was a nipper, and somebody came through my till on a very busy Saturday. She had a handful of couppons for products she wasn't buying. When I questioned it, she thrust a letter into my hand saying that it was legit and she would be calling a supervisor if I didn't hurry up and scan her shopping.

I rang for a supervisor myself, but in the end I just let it go - she was wholly unpleasant.

Got called up in front of the store manager the next day - they wanted the money back off me! I of course refused, and the matter was dropped, but before you do this, bear in mind that the poor person behind the checkout will probably get it in the neck for it.

I'm an ex-checkout op myself. These policies are clearly made to cashiers on coupons, and as such it is O.K to ask for discounts it is up to individual operators to say yes or no, as they are a companies representatives.

I know supervisors were always busy, but I used to call them on the phone and check for anything suspect esp where the person was suspect- I didn't like the customer trying to get one over on me leaving me with the rap. Most of the people who were trying things were serial scammers, not honest folk trying to save a few quid with coupons.