Drugstore/Grocery B&M Deals Index, Information, and Rules Thread (update 6/7/12)

Quote from The Raddish : I won't be stickying any more threads to the top, just this one. Multiple stickies makes a forum look cluttered.

THANKS! I love the fewer stickied threads. I can decide what I want to 'stick'

Quote from The Raddish : Whether the policy of the store is very loose and they take the coupon and apply it to either product, or the policy of the store is to strictly enforce that the item on the coupon is the only item to which the coupon is applied, it is still up to the store to enforce its own policy either way. It is not up to SD staff to decide. If the coupon were altered to state that it was for links instead of patties, or if the user violated our (yet to be) published coupon policies in some other fashion, the user would be warned as appropriate. Again, once we have published our coupon rules we can go from there.

I disagree and I really hope that you reconsider this sentiment.

Coupons are a deal between the consumer and the manufacturer...and also between the manufacturer and the store. The manufacturer is the one who pays the reimbursement and they're the ones who decide what items they want to generate a coupon for. It is their money and their choice... Whether a store will allow a coupon for an unintended item doesn't matter. They're not the ones paying for the reimbursement.

And I would gander that if a person got busted using the wrong coupon -- even if the cashier allowed it.. the cashier would NEVER admit they said it was okay to use it... and even if the cashier did admit it - it would still fall on the consumer's shoulders for committing coupon fraud.

It's a slippery slope & slayers really knew the ins & outs of coupons, so I am really sad to see him go. If people start posting about misuse of coupons & the posts don't get deleted.. then I think that would put SDs in jeopardy.

Wow just stumbled onto this, didn't even notice the post till I read the last comments and was like "wait, did I become unsubscribed to the thread?" I also had a bunch of multi-quotes till I read further and had to un-quote!

I luv the less stickies but the title might need some shanazing up to get peeps to realize what the thread is and what it can do for them, I was a huge fan of the old thread as I used it often on my phone, and away from my computer to get to my threads quickly!

I think the idea of universal colors for coupons sounds great but implementing this could be hard....I like color coded but only those versed in the advanced editor really use them and I know being forced to put in certain colors will add steps to the process that might deter newer wiki editors from even trying (It's hard enough to get some regulars to edit it with all the rules and sometimes fear they have). Also finding the exact color used would be a problem as there is no special buttons we could add just for it, you would have to drop down the box and match it up and I know some people are color blind.

A general coupon rules thread combined with the barcode thread would be nice, we do have to watch the abuse though.

I think a solicitation of feedback from some of the heavy contributors is called for as there are a few here that really do drive the deals, I know a lot do go in the BS thread so it might help if a mod maybe asks for their input.

IMHO the reason for the push for a little policing of coupon usage is that MANY don't just use this to get cheap stuff but use this to FEED their families and the loss of couponing would have a real impact on their financials so the need to be legitimate and follow the coupon wording ensures that coupon policies do not change or get restrictive and people can continue to get the needed savings.

Now a question............I set up a new Rite Aid FAQ thread and we included a lot of Slayer's decisions of legitimate coupon usage at RA, should we remove them for now or wait for the coupon ruling from the SD gods??? A lot of the rules are specific for RA only.

Also I know it was requested last year in the site problem.suggesting thread but a true coupon database system would be a greatly appreciate addition (I still you coupon thread maintainers) and would be a draw for this site instead of having us use other sites (HCW, AFC, or even some blogs now)

Quote from christel29 : I think you should sticky it again-we need some where obvious for the new couponers to ask their question in my opinion.

I agree. We have too many new q/sd users to have this hidden.

Quote from christel29 : I think you should sticky it again-we need some where obvious for the new couponers to ask their question in my opinion.

Quote from iamnotaduck : I agree. We have too many new q/sd users to have this hidden.

too. Have you read any of the thread? It is exactly what you want or need for this forum. If you want a warmer, fuzzier DS forum that thread is the key to just such a thing. It was a place that people could go to ask questions and be answered without their heads getting bitten off. And one of my favorite things was it became a collaborative effort of some wonderful DS SDers like MistyQ, KMA and many others who generously gave their time and knowledge to answer questions. It was stickied so that new folks could see if immediately. Two stickied threads isn't messy.

However, I'll add, that I don't mind the T thread being "elsewhere" it is quite a "different monster". I would prefer it where it is....

Dawn - You are always a great help over there too.
And we appreciate that you do help them, guide them and are patient with them. Because in some threads, they would just get yelled at. (Ya, you know who you are)

Quote from iamnotaduck : However, I'll add, that I don't mind the T thread being "elsewhere" it is quite a "different monster". I would prefer it where it is.... Dawn - You are always a great help over there too. And we appreciate that you do help them, guide them and are patient with them. Because in some threads, they would just get yelled at. (Ya, you know who you are)

Were you talking about me??

j/k but really I think the Target thread is a completely different beast of a thread then anything else in the DS forum. The issues alone with that thread and Q (ab)use is a daily walk on the wild side. If anything becomes YMMV on coupon coding and whatnot then I completely expect to see a C&D order fly out of nowhere. Things have been great in that thread for a while but it only take a second for someone to insinuate something "questionable" or start begging for MPP's. That's just my opinion though which probably isn't worth much

Quote from hawaiiandawn : Where did the "New Q Users" thread go? I thought that was very helpful.

Quote from christel29 : I think you should sticky it again-we need some where obvious for the new couponers to ask their question in my opinion.

Quote from hawaiiandawn : too. Have you read any of the thread? It is exactly what you want or need for this forum. If you want a warmer, fuzzier DS forum that thread is the key to just such a thing. It was a place that people could go to ask questions and be answered without their heads getting bitten off. And one of my favorite things was it became a collaborative effort of some wonderful DS DSers like MistyQ, KMA and many others who generously gave their time and knowledge to answer questions. It was stickied so that new folks could see if immediately. Two stickied threads isn't messy.

i agree also!

suggestion 1:
this thread we are in right now is one i "stumbled upon" right now. i have been a loyal (read: addicted) SD user since I joined in late 2009 and have been very active in the DS threads. most of the people who have posted here can attest to that.

when i discovered the index: one year after i joined!
what i did with it: looked it over, shut it and filed away for future mental reference that if need be i can work on finding "that index thread" again. referred one user to it because they specifically asked if there was some index.

when i discovered the "new q users read this first!" thread: my first day on SD!
what I did with it: sat and read it from first post to last in an all-night marathon of desperation (had never used qs before, needed to get going ASAP because of changing circumstances). referred to it frequently in following weeks and months. referred many users to it because they asked if there was some starting place to understand systems as a q user. most came back to tell me how helpful the thread was.

many of the DSF regular users/frequent drugstore shoppers often say that SD is a place where you find more "high level" deal talk vs simplistic stuff in blogs etc. well the truth is, in part because of that, the SD DS forum can be incredibly overwhelming when you first set foot, because people are discussing deals and you don't even know the basics of how to get coupons, keep coupons, look up coupons, use coupons etc.

so in my humble opinion, it is very helpful to have the new q users thread stickied to the top instead of buried, and then this index can be the second sticky.

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suggestion 2:
on a separate note, when it comes to store policy discussion, is there perhaps an in-between solution that may be acceptable to mods? i.e. on the one hand is the idea that you aggressively patrol it and on the other is that you don't police it at all. well what about just some very basic rules for each store chain, that we know are on the highest levels of their coupon abuse list and make promoting those punishable on SD?

i'm talking something as simple as "super-stacking" at CVS. when I first joined SD, i posted a scenario on a cvs thread that involved two different denomination $ off coupons. my friendly cashier accepted it: it was his first week there. i came and gleefully posted on SD what a great scenario I found: i was in my first few weeks here. I got a friendly zero point warning from slayers and we had a great PM exchange where he explained to me that what I had done was super stacking and that it had begun a fight in the thread between those who would do it and those who disapproved. he ended up having to delete a bunch of posts.

Soon after that, I found out the cashier had gotten in trouble, so I went and apologized to the manager and explained my ignorance. Cashier was pleased, mgr was happy, and that CVS came to be one of my fav stores. I never superstacked again. I never posted about it again.

for something like that, where SD has supposedly recd cease-and-desist letters from CVS about allegedly promoting super stacking, AND where we all know that it is not how the store intends the coupons to be used, AND where the coupons clearly state the restriction, would it not be reasonable to contend that if a user promotes such use on an SD thread then on their first time they should get a friendly warning (whether by mods or users on that thread), but that any repeat of that amounts to promoting fraud, and thus that users should be getting a hefty warning for it? don't know it once - you've been told. brag about it/tell others to do it after being told otherwise - you get punished. to me that's not about SD being the police, to me that's about SD protecting its own integrity, because silence is/can be assent.

if you count the most active stores in the DS forum, there are only a handful - wags, cvs, RA, walmart, (if Target gets included then them, too), kohls and kmart. right?
are there any grocery threads that match these in volume of users/posts? (i know the ones i frequent shaws, sns, market basket and whole foods are small in terms of users/posters and heavily self-policed). but any rate, it's just a few chains for which there would just have to be A FEW (not all) ultra-basic rules/high fraud rules/hot button rules that could be taken into consideration.

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suggestion 3: all users on drugstore/grocery threads should get a 4 point warning for incorrectly spelling vegetable or fruit names, even if such misspelling is in their SD names, and that rule should particularly apply to radishes.



i plan on submitting this post as my PhD thesis once I enter a PhD program. Have a good weekend all. And slayers750, wherever you are in the SD universe: , good luck, and thanks for all you did for all of us!

Quote from hidnprncss : Were you talking about me?? j/k but really I think the Target thread is a completely different beast of a thread then anything else in the DS forum. The issues alone with that thread and Q (ab)use is a daily walk on the wild side. If anything becomes YMMV on coupon coding and whatnot then I completely expect to see a C&D order fly out of nowhere. Things have been great in that thread for a while but it only take a second for someone to insinuate something "questionable" or start begging for MPP's. That's just my opinion though which probably isn't worth much

Hiya hidn!

I guess I've never understood why the Target thread isn't located here as well. With the issues you noted with the coupon coding and mpp begging, that's exactly why having it in this thread makes sense to a lot of people. It has Q issues, just like we're talking about with these threads. Target has their own coupons and rules for engagement - just like CVS, Wags, RA. Seems like we're always fielding questions from folks who cannot find the Target thread.

Maybe the forum name doesn't work for everything covered here anymore? If I'm going out grocery shopping, Target is one of my main choices. Needed advil last week, hit Target. Maybe it's just in the way I look at it, but Drugstore/Grocery Deals for Walmart, CVS, Wags, etc....and Deal Talk for Target. Just a bit odd.

Edited to add: Good Lord I hope I don't have to turn in my Target deals membership now! Love that thread and the massive work put into it!

Quote from bailey327 : Hiya hidn! I guess I've never understood why the Target thread isn't located here as well. With the issues you noted with the coupon coding and mpp begging, that's exactly why having it in this thread makes sense to a lot of people. It has Q issues, just like we're talking about with these threads. Target has their own coupons and rules for engagement - just like CVS, Wags, RA. Seems like we're always fielding questions from folks who cannot find the Target thread. Maybe the forum name doesn't work for everything covered here anymore? If I'm going out grocery shopping, Target is one of my main choices. Needed advil last week, hit Target. Maybe it's just in the way I look at it, but Drugstore/Grocery Deals for Walmart, CVS, Wags, etc....and Deal Talk for Target. Just a bit odd. Edited to add: Good Lord I hope I don't have to turn in my Target deals membership now! Love that thread and the massive work put into it!

no target for you!





well, okay maybe if you consider doing recaps 7 days a week for the rest of the year.
yo slowtechhhhh, i think you might just have a great volunteer (indentured servitude?) here.

Quote from hawaiiandawn : too. Have you read any of the thread? It is exactly what you want or need for this forum. If you want a warmer, fuzzier DS forum that thread is the key to just such a thing. It was a place that people could go to ask questions and be answered without their heads getting bitten off. And one of my favorite things was it became a collaborative effort of some wonderful DS SDers like MistyQ, KMA and many others who generously gave their time and knowledge to answer questions. It was stickied so that new folks could see if immediately. Two stickied threads isn't messy.

Very sweet of you to say HD, but you were the driving force behind that thread. You put a lot of time and effort into creating it to help new people. It really is a great place for new members to get the info they need, and it should remain easy to find.

Quote from reg036 : ......IMHO the reason for the push for a little policing of coupon usage is that MANY don't just use this to get cheap stuff but use this to FEED their families and the loss of couponing would have a real impact on their financials so the need to be legitimate and follow the coupon wording ensures that coupon policies do not change or get restrictive and people can continue to get the needed savings......

Bingo, you've put your finger on it!

Unlike getting deals on hard drives or TVs, when we q shop for groceries and toiletries we are buying necessities, and being able to q is the way many of us survive. If coupon usage is curtailed because of mass incorrect use of qs encouraged by major sites like this, it hurts us all where it really matters. It will affect the ability of people to put food on the table, and afford things like shampoo, toilet paper, toothpaste, OTC meds, you name it.

Those of us out in the q trenches have already felt the effects of the new TLC Extreme Couponing show, and it hasn't been good.

Also, let's not forget that Bud from the CIC [cents-off.com] is lurking here just waiting for any instance of what he calls "coupon misredemption" so he can go running back to his group of high profile customers like Colgate-Palmolive, and justify the CIC's existence. (His great claim to fame was getting the Aetna Colgate pdf q declared illegal). We've already seen the language on P&G qs changed to 'limit of four like qs per shopping trip'. We really don't need any more of these kinds of restrictions, but we will get them if we aid and abet using qs in a way the mf. did not intend.

This from the CIC's website:


"The CIC is a not-for-profit association of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to fighting coupon misredemption and fraud.

The CIC and its members have worked with Federal, State and local Law Enforcement officials on every significant coupon fraud case since CIC began operations in 1986.

As of this time, CIC has not lost a single case."

Quote from serra : no problem, we can do this and i agree. let me inform the op of the target deals thread as a courtesy first. i'm sure there wouldn't be a problem since target now sells grocery as opposed to several years ago when not all of them did.

I asked for the move when I was the OP of the T thread and it fell on deaf ears so to speak. I agree it should be in this forum. A lot of peeps are not gonna like it in this forum

-I would like the KMart and Target thread moved as well. Much prefer to have all the store threads in same forum.

-With the exception of the printables thread, I see no reason for some Wikis to be dictated over. They are either there for people to add information or not. I don't even bother adding anything to a Wiki anywhere because of the dictatorship.

-A coupon usage forum or rules is an excellent idea. Sometimes it's not a matter of intentionall trying to mis-use as oppose to someone just not understanding. .....and stacking can get confusing.