I hate you Dr. Phil...

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

...for you have just created a new legion of SCs.

Today's episode was on "How to negotiate" in just about every scenario, mostly relating to business transactions.

One of his guests was a woman who recommended going to stores and trying to get them to honor coupons that have been expired for 1 or 2 years.

Oy.

[bainsidhe]

And I'm sure the stores will have no problem with it...so long as the customer first negotiates with the manufacturer to reimburse the store for the coupons. Ooooh, they missed that little detail, didn't they.

[sweetj82]

why the hell would a store honor a coupon that is expired??

[underemployeed]

We have a policy to take RECENTLY expired coupons especially those issued by our rewards program. But it depends on who you are, someone I like I give plenty of slack, some guy being a dick but im sorry we can't take expired coupons.

"Well the other store does!!!!", then please go there.

The thing is happy customers tell a few friends, pissed off customers tell everyone they meet for the next several months along with all their current friends and family. So it is better to have someone happy even if it costs a little bit of money because that "cost" is less than potential lost sales. Believe me I talk anyone out of buying xbox point cards I can after what they did to my brother because someone else claimed his card, and they claim he must have lost the card that sat in our basement for a month unscratched and couldn't tell me where it was claimed to even humor me

[RestaurantDude]

Dr Phil is a douche bag.

Coupons have an expiry date for a reason. There really should be an idiot fee that can be charged to the sort of people that try to pull that crap.

[bhskittykatt]

Certain things are acceptable to negotiate, like when buying houses or cars. A grocery store coupon from two years ago? F*ck no!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I'll be so glad when Oprah Winfrey is off the air, just because that means she won't be spawning any more Dr Phils.

At the swamp, anybody trying to use a coupon that expired years ago would be laughed out of the place. Unless the cashier was stupid enough to take it. There's been an emphasis placed on checking expiration dates on coupons.

Not too long ago, there was a memo on the bulletin board, along with photocopies of six or so expired coupons that had been taken, telling cashiers to check the expiration dates.

[BrenDAnn]

Irv, you do realize she's starting her own NETWORK, right? Or, so the rumors are. **sigh** Y'know, I knew Dr. Phil was full of BS, but this...This just takes the cake!

[ThirdGenRetail]

And this is why I check everything with my head cashiers! Competitor coupon? No problem, just let me check with my head cashier or a manager, whichever is more convenient to get a hold of! Don't like waiting? I'm at the bottom of the food chain, I have 0 power, so I am consulting the Powers that Be.

Seriously, has Dr. Phil and everyone like him that says "negotiate" ever worked retail?

[Department stores *sigh*]

Where I work once a coupon expires its done. Over. No deal. In the 3 years I have worked here I have seen management bend maybe 2 or 3 times. Ever.



I love it

[jjllbb]

We have a policy to take RECENTLY expired coupons especially those issued by our rewards program.

We used to do that.

But about a month ago this corporate policy came down the food chain basically screaming at every store not to take old coupons or accept coupons on things that aren't included in their promotions.

Plus they've been emailing weekly communications reminding us not to push coupons and whining about how the company loses money because of it (boo hoo).

Kind of sucks since pushing a day old coupon here or there has kept people from screaming at us in the past. Oh well.

[lobo94]

I can't stand obnoxious discount hounds. I oh so want to tell them, if you want to make a deal, go on a game show.

[MergedLoki]

There's a saying from dr phil's hometown. it goes like this.

"I am not a dr" :P

although... anyone who watches that show and heeds his 'advice' deserve to have their life screwed up immensly.

[malmalthekiller]

People don't seem to understand how businesses work. The company cannot be reimbursed for expired coupons, so therefore they are losing a lot of money if they take them everyday.

[Lace Neil Singer]

We never take expired coupons where I work. Doesn't matter if it only expired yesterday; we've had a till upgrade which means that they don't go thru the till if they're out of date.

It's great being able to demonstrate to SCs exactly why we can't take expired coupons. XD As for "retaining customers" well, firstly the kind of people who throw a bitchfit over an expired coupon are not necessarily the sort of customer you want to retain. Would you want to keep someone who turns into a screaming harriden over say, two pounds fifty? As for them telling friends and family, if they regularly throw bitchfits over minor events, their friends and family are used to rolling their eyes and ignoring them.

Like someone I know; her aunt is always doing that, telling the world and his wife not to shop at such and such a store, or not to eat at such and such a restaurant, cuz she had terrible service. In reality, said aunt is a total bitch to shop assistants and wait staff, and everyone knows it, so they just ignore her.