I posted on Shaw’s facebook page a few days ago about the confusion with the change of coupon policy on BOGO coupons. That post got tons of follows, so it can be hard to find the back and forth between Dan and me.
Here’s the cleaned up version so it’s easy to understand.
My original question:
Hi Dan, On the new coupon policy, it states “Coupons may be used on a BOGO Free item as long as all purchase requirements are met.” What exactly does that mean? Please say it means we can now apply a coupon on the “free” item like we used to be able to. My readers are anxiously waiting for your reply. Thanks! Oh, here is a copy of the policy I got in Sanford: https://darlenemichaud.com/print-coupons/coupon-policies/shaws-coupon-policy/
When I got no reply, I posted this:
Dan? Do you have any answer for us? I see you commented on other posts today, but you did not acknowledge this one. Maybe you didn’t see this post? Or maybe you don’t know the answer? Or maybe you choose not to answer? There are many here waiting for a reply. Please toss us a crumb when you can. Thanks!
Dan replied with this:
Hi Darlene, and EVERYONE else!!! I’m working with our operations team to get the most accurate answer for this question regarding coupons on BOGO Free items. I’m sorry for the delay, I’m not intentionally ignoring you. Thanks ~ Dan
I replied with this:
Thanks! We’ll all wait to hear back.
Dan replied with this:
Just as an update. Our retail team is doing some testing on coupons being applied to BOGO offers. I hope to have more information for you by tomorrow, or Monday the latest. I apologize again for the delay. ~ Dan
I replied with this:
Dan, please explain why coupon testing has to be done AFTER your policy comes out. Sorry, but this makes no sense. All we want to know is what the words mean. The policy was changed. Seems to me you can ask whoever changed it what they mean. lol Remember when I suggested numerous times that you should have a team of bloggers proof-read new policy to give our feedback before you print it? And you agreed and even told me that you were working on that! This would have been a good time to get help from your blogging friends. We would have told you straight up that line is confusing. So confusing that you can’t get us an answer for days. We’ll keep waiting!!! Thanks!
Then I got tired of waiting for an answer so I posted this:
Dan, just to let you know, I’m going to go ahead and post bogo deals using 2 coupons. I’m basing this on the fact that shaw’s took out the line that stated “Coupon may not be applied on a ‘free’ item.” And the new line that replaced that old policy is confusing, so I’m going with it meaning we can use 2 coupons. If you don’t want me to post deals that way, you need to get an answer ASAP cause I already posted a deal. I have no interest in waiting until possibly Monday as I’m a blogaholic and I’ve got a job to do. lol I will continue posting bogo deals that way until you tell me differently. There’s no reason why shaw’s should have to get a retail team testing coupons just to tell us what one line of your policy means. Either we can use 2 coupons or we can’t. Since you can’t tell us the answer, then I choose to say we can. Making us wait for an answer is unacceptable. It’s a simple question about a policy that shaw’s wrote, yet no one there knows what it means?
The above began on 10/14. On 10/17 he posted this:
Hi Everyone, in regards to Darlene’s question, you may only use one valid manufacturer coupon per BOGO free offer. I apologize for the confusion regarding the wording of the policy. Thank you ~ Dan
And I replied with this:
Then why did you take out the line about not being able to use a coupon on a free item? Why change the wording at all? And please, why on earth could you not have told us that right away? Who can we contact about this? I would like to know more about who is responsible for the wording of your policy and why it is so difficult to decipher. Do you remember saying you’d bring bloggers on board to help you? What happened to that plan? And with all the people here waiting for a reply, I think it would be awesome if you could elaborate on your answer and tell us WHY or WHY NOT you came to that conclusion. What about that “testing” your team was doing? What on earth was that all about and what were the results? Dan, you can’t treat us like this. It stinks.
And that’s where it stands so far. What bothers me the most is that I can never get an explanation from Dan. He is never willing to give me contacts that I can talk to. He does not answer any “tough” questions. I feel it’s disrespectful to us all.
I’ll update if there is more…
UPDATE:
Dan’s reply:
Hi Darlene – I want to apologize for the frustration and confusion caused by the policy update. We truly understand and admire how much time and effort goes into couponing and it has always been our goal to provide a policy that clearly presents the parameters to couponing at Shaw’s. I will certainly address the concern regarding the clarity of that line, as it was our goal to try to make the rule on BOGO free offers more clear. Also, I would like to explore having more open dialogue with our blogging network. Thank you ~ Dan
My reply back:
Dan, do you think it’s acceptable to make over 200 people wait for an answer about your very own policy? First, the policy should be simple enough to understand, even to a non-couponer. Second, Shaw’s should certainly understand their own policy. You always refuse to answer my questions. Like what was the testing you mentioned? And who can your devoted shoppers contact with their complaints and get real answers?
BE COOL -> Subscribe to my Youtube channel
Darlene please be yourself….I am tired of this people being mean to us couponers…
Thank you!
I really don’t understand what the confusion is here. You can’t use a coupon on an item you are not purchasing, plain and simple. Whether it’s stated in the policy or not, it’s just common sense and stated on the coupon itself. Limit one coupon per purchase. The only time you might be able to “get away with this” is if you have a $/2 coupon because it attaches to the item you are purchasing, but trying to use a single coupon on a single item you are not purchasing is wrong and should not be encouraged. I suspect there will be a lot more scrutiny of coupons used on BOGO sales, and don’t be surprised if they refuse to honor a $/2 coupon now that the red flag has been raised.
Diane, you are purchasing both items in a bogo sale. Both ring in. Then a discount is taken on the “free” one. That discount acts like a store coupon. If there is tax in your state, you pay tax on the “freebie” because it’s a purchase.
Since you are purchasing 2 items in a bogo, you are certainly allowed to attach a coupon to both. It’s not wrong and it’s not something anyone is trying to “get away with.” And Shaw’s used to have it in their policy but changed it in June 2011 and it caused an uproar. Most every other store accepts 2 coupons on a bogo sale.
Whether a store accepts 2 coupons on a bogo sale is up to each store. That’s my it’s important to have a policy that is clear. I issue is not with whether or not Shaw’s goes back to accepting 2 coupons on a bogo. My issue is that they recently revised the policy and it’s not clear. If anything, it leans more toward allowing 2 coupons. But Shaw’s is not able to decipher their own policy and give us a clear answer. That shows how confusing it is! lol
So that’s what the confusion is all about. We are trying to get them to write a clear policy that everyone can understand, including Shaw’s! lol
Why not remove all your Shaw’s posts? It would hurt Shaw’s sales more than you may know. I stopped going to Shaw’s here in Maine once Market Basket opened. Shaw’s is only worth it for couponed items, everything else is marked up. Try Shaw’s shopping without coupons. With a new supermarket in town (Market Basket), Shaw’s has done nothing to keep me as a customer. Now they are playing dumb and trying to trick us with new policies not even a lawyer could understand. Also, every single time I shop there I go right from the register to customer service because they always always always overcharge. I wonder why the stores always empty?
I would not want to hurt Shaw’s. If anything, I want to help them. If my readers can get them to see that they might benefit by making some changes, that will help them and in turn, that helps me!
I am so thankful that YOU are the blogger and not su or amanda… We would be sitting in the darkness for who knows how long, quietly and patiently (and cowardly) waiting for shaws to resolve the issue ‘in out favour’!
It’s time for me to come out of the woodwork and get a little aggressive with this. I know it will drive some people away, but it’s worth it if anyone expects Shaw’s to listen to their customers. And I’m not even asking or expecting shaw’s to do anything in our favor. All I ask is that they be honest and not give a runaround. I’d rather them say “we don’t know what we are talking about” then come up with bogus answers that make no sense. I won’t back down. And thank you for your support!
I just wanted to comment that I also have had communications with Shaws because last week at Waterville location I was told the coupons that say available at Walmart printed from coupons .com will not be valid, they consider them to be Walmart coupons? I was so upset when I left the store at the way I was treated I seriously considered contacting a layer for discrimination towards being a couponer. I know that sounds stupid but I’m just saying thats what crossed my mind bc I was treated so badly.
Polly, I’m upset about the logo coupons, not because they are refusing to accept them… that’s up to them. But because they keep giving ridiculous reasons as to why they have stopped accepting them (and they have now put that wording in their policy).
The main reason they give is because their clearing house is not getting reimbursed and that’s just not true. If it is true, then they need to have a conversation with their clearing house and the manufacturers because the manufacturers will indeed reimburse them. I have called several. And coupons.com says reimbursement is guaranteed.
But after repeated attempts to get Dan to give me specific examples or to even give me a contact to their clearing house, all I get is the runaround. He handed me over to Laurie Lima and after I asked her several questions, she flat out stopped replying to me. And others contacted her and never got a reply.
I’m very tired of the non-answers and runaround I get and what answers I do get are not true. And there’s more… but I’ll save it for later.
Thank you for speaking up for those of us that follow you! If they want us to follow the rules, which we are all very careful to do, they need to let us know what exactly the rules are. We all want to do the right thing, but if we don’t know what that seems to be…
Their policy is very confusing. And the fact that they can’t even decipher it proves that! lol I just want them to explain it.
Darlene I think you are doing an awesome job..and I thank you for that…I am so glad we have you to speak up!!
Thanks! I’m not one who usually speaks up because I know it ruffles feathers. But I think we all have the right to get answers.
Hi Darlene, first I want to say how much I appreciate your hard work every week in scanning in the flyers and finding the deals. It has been a HUGE help to me in my couponing since I found you. However, in reading the post going back and forth on this issue I am surprised at how you are coming across. I’m sure your just frustrated and don’t mean to but your posts are coming across (in my opinion) as rude and a little snarky. I do agree it’s frustrating but perhaps a little less all caps yelling might be better. I try my best to be “cool, calm and collected” at the stores I coupon at when I have issues so they will be more accommodating and willing to continue to be helpful in the future.
I exercise great amounts of staying cool, calm and collected every day as a blogger. And I have spent much time going back and forth with Dan via email, over many issues, over many months. So there is a back story that I won’t share. I don’t think I used many caps at all. And I am no angel. I’m human. I am frustrated and I mean for my posts to come across exactly as they did. Please don’t be surprised that I can be rude and snarky! lol I know it might not be professional, but I can’t be a fake. I gotta be me.
In my opinion, Shaw’s has only become worse with their changes to be better…I have shopped there less and less lately.
I shop there less and less too. Partly because my stockpile was so huge. But also because of some of the changes they made. Nothing lasts forever!
sorry english correction on my post “our registers are programmed” not “are registers”. can one edit one’s own post?
dan wrote:”Our retail team is doing some testing on coupons being applied to BOGO offers”
I conclude this means “Our policy is based on how are registers are programmmed ( not by what is the most logical policy)”
My suggestion- either reprogram the registers or as save 50cents on each when you buy 10 can be put in registers why not program b1g1 as save 50% when one buys 2 – that would allow the registers to accept 2 coupons.
Darlene, I appreciate all the work you do for us but I am a little concerned that your aggressive replies to dan might be detrimental. I think it will make it easier for him to take away the possiblity of 2 coupons(on b1g1) as opposed to supporting it.
My level of aggressiveness will have no impact on what Dan or corporate wants to do. Just like nothing they do or say to me will have any impact on me continuing to promote their store. They will do what they want. I will do what I want. I expect to come across as aggressive because that’s how I feel. I’ve been blogging around the clock for over 3 years now. And I always walk on egg shells because I know the minute I say a few things about the way I really feel, I get comments about how I should not do that. Please allow me to be myself. It feels good. 🙂