Retailers trying to block coupon misuse and abuse
of ConsumerAffairs
In these recessionary times consumers need all of the help they can get when it comes to saving a few bucks, and couponing has become quite the go-to for consumers wishing to maximize thier hard earned dollars.
Just ask the self proclaimed "Coupon Diva" Jamie Kirlew who was featured on TLC's "Extreme Couponing", but was heavily criticized by coupon experts for her questionable money saving tactics.
After the widespread backlash, Kirlew decided it was time to shift her ways and approach couponing a bit differently. "I have learned a lot," she said. "I don't want this to follow me and haunt me, and I'm moving forward.
She may not have a choice but to move forward, as coupon publishers, along with product makers and grocery stores have stepped up their technological efforts in diminishing mis-use of coupons.
Kirlew was accused of of misusing her coupons after she posted two videos of her shopping at Target, using $4 coupons for Schick Razors on Schick shaving gel, which is a big no-no in the couponing realm.
Until now, it has been nearly impossible for grocers to catch this common misuse, but new technology including anti-fraud software, along with new barcodes will keep a watchful eye on those customers who are use to the current laxed couponing system.
Some of the most common misuses of coupons include using them for different products other than what the coupons say. For example, a coupon that reads '$2 off for a two liter of coke, is often used towards all of Coca-Cola's two liter products like Sprite or Canada Dry Gingerale.
Other misuses include printing conterfeit coupons, that are not from the actual product makers.
"First of, there's counterfeiting, they could be stolen, and we've never seen a good resolution of it," said Bud Miller in a statement, who is the director of the Coupon Information Corp.
"It's a violation of the terms and conditions printed right there on the coupon," he added.
Other consumers who actually use coupons in the proper way, also feel the impact of fraudlent coupon use, as many of the products they're looking for are gone, which is a result of using counterfit coupons, and using coupons for the wrong product.
Some of the new technology to thwart this misuse will include two strips of bar codes on the coupon itself, that will fish out the specifics of a coupon deal and make sure the coupon is from the manufacturer, and is being used for the right product.
Since the TLC show aired, Kirlew has changed her couponing ways, and will choose to use better coupon practices, but she is not done with couponing by a longshot.
"I was doing extreme couponing for two years, so I can live off my stockpile for a while," she said. "But still, I just went to Harris Teeter and got $151 worth of groceries for 78 cents."