How much do you save on your shopping using coupons?

WELSH-DRAGON_2

rozeepozee wrote:

Thanks Welshy and it looks as though that offer is available til the end of the year - great! And another seemingly stupid question from me (do bear with me): will they accept the printed off ones?

Hiya rozeepozee - re the printed vouchers - my store will not but others will, varies according to your local store policy, and who is on the till. Personally, I never bother with internet printed vouchers as I know they will get refused. BUT worth a tryto see if you can use them at your store.

Welshy x

Felicity

Well, my best saving EVER today!

Please remember this is an experiement and don't be nasty to me if you don't agree with it!

I went to Asda this morning and spent £47.90, handed the chashier a load of vouchers and asked her which ones she could take. She took them and said she could take as many as I had but was not sure about the Tesco specific ones so called a Supervisor over to check. The Supervisor said no to the Tesco ones and that the maximum they are allowed is 10%. The cashier said, no she had been talking to the manager and they were allowed any amount (so long a valid) and the Supervisor said 'oh, they are always changing the rules, I never know what to tell people'.

They took £46.70 off the shop and said if I had any more I had better use them quickly before the rules changed so I said OK, I would be back this afternoon.

Came home, gathered up all my vouchers and set off again. Spent £289.96 (really stocking up on none perishables) and went to the same check out girl. She said she had since been told on her break that they had changed the rules today and she could only accept 10%!!! EEK! The same supervisor as this morning came over and confirmed the change in rules but she would speak to the manager and ask him. The manager came over and told me the new rules but said that as I had been told to use them today by the cashier and supervisor then he would accept them against my shop, but 10% only in future. I used £289.50 vouchers so spent only 46p!!!!

The manager was a lovely chap and was examining the vouchers (mainly the Nice & Easy ones) and laughing asking how come I had got so many of them!!!!

Everybody was really good about it apart from a grumpy old man in the queue behind me. Unfortunately the cashier had to scan EVERY single voucher unlike in Sainsburys and Tesco where they can scan once and input how many of the vouchers they are. She also had to put a cross through each one so we were there a while!

Also did a smaller shop in Tesco (well I was passing and just couldn't resist it) and the cashier took 22% off a £62 spend in vouchers but said no more as they have been taking lots of vouchers recently (hmmmmm, wonder how many MSNers there were!).

As you can imagine my cupboards are absolutely bulging now and I'm only going to have to do minor top ups for the next year after this month is finished. I am hosting a party next month for 25 so well stocked up with nice wines, spirits etc.

I'm going to keep going to the end of the month though and will report my final figure at the month end!!!!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

my god what a lot of savings....but do you think you might be spoiling it for yourself ? i know my shop will take as many as you can give them, but i do not take all my vouchers, as i would rather the policy last a long while rather than get the managers back up by paying for neally all my shopping in vouchers....and then, the manager putting a stop to it all... please note this is my opinion, and i am not frawning on what you done, but just a thought..but well done.....also one last question, did you get all the vouchers for nothing, or did you have to buy some ?

Felicity

Yes, I do see your point and normally I would not use 100%.

The reason for doing so today is that the cashier had actually told me to use as many vouchers as possible due to the 10% coming in. The Manager said he wasn't bothered about coupon usage as they claim their money back from the manufacturers but he was having to bring it in as it is now Asda's policy nationwide.

All of the vouchers were free so it is 100% pure money saving which is great.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i must admit that was brill.....it came back on the manager as at the end of the day he did say use all your coupons....dont think he thought it would be that much.....at least it will be a talking point in their canteen for a while....i am off the tescos later with a pile of coupons money off and points...so i think i will put an extra pile in my bag.....and maybe split my shopping to 2 shops....see how it goes..... dont want to bite the hand that feeds... so to speak........
i must admit i would be totally lost if they stopped this policy again.....i used to do it about 11 years ago....when the kids were babies.....but then they stopped.....the policy, back then it was hard trying to find money off coupons in mags etc.... these days it is easier with the internet... to join clubs etc... and ebay....but still hard as some of the vouchers are only 1 per household. and there is only so many relatives you can rope in... so to speak.......

Felicity

Good luck for your shop later today and please post to let us know how you got on.

The Manager knew the total when he said to use all the vouchers. He said his clerks in the cashiers office would probably sulk (they must be the people who have to validate them and send them back), but he said if a member of his staff had told me this (and they were there to back up they did say that) then he must honour their word!

I am not one of these people who would go to lengths to argue with the staff as I do see it as a bonus, not a right but on this occassion I was only buying the shopping to get rid of my vouchers as I had been told to earlier this morning!

I still have a lot left though! LOL!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

felicity you are a very bad influance on me.... i went shopping with an extra pile of coupons in my bag.... and when the sa was taking my coupons.. and we were chatting, she said she loved taking money off coupons.. so i said would she take anymore.... to cut a very long story short my bill should have been £57.15. but by the time all the vouchers came off i ended up paying £2.25 the sa was chuft...and i think she would have taken more ...if i wasnt embarrased enough as the people behind me in the que were laughing at the amount that my bill was reduced by...so now i even know when she works so i can go to her check out.....i phoned my hubby in work and told him...and he said i can go shopping all day every day, if i get bargins like that.......but i will make that a one off ( or will i ) as i will get used to it.......plus neally all my vouchers are gone now........so i better go and make some tea with that very very very very very VERY... cheap shop that i done.......

WELSH-DRAGON_2

Just a warning about the Quick read vouchers of which I have probably around 850 x £1.00 vouchers left, my store is refusing to take them now and has said that any cashier taking them will be severely reprimanded, they have been threatened with the loss of their job !

Welshy x

pondie1

welshy is that a tesco/asda store,i only had one taken on tesco self scan last week

WELSH-DRAGON_2

Hiya Pondie 1 my local Asda took 4 this morning, it was my Tescos that refused them.