Darlene Michaud

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?

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