This is the second part of LMKIA’s guidelines for the “Couponer’s Golden Rule.”  Be sure to read Part 1 as well!

What is the Couponer’s Golden Rule?

Do Unto Other Shoppers as You’d Have Shoppers Do Unto You.

6. Do not alter or cut and paste a printable coupon. Even cutting and pasting a coupon to make it more efficient on paper use is considered altering by the manufacturers, as it alters the original form of the coupon.

7. Do not buy something with a coupon with the intent of returning it for full value. This is considered fraud and will have you marked with a red flag by the store.

8. Do not yell or insult the store employees. No matter how much they might deserve it, it will never serve to improve your case. A store manager’s first instinct is to protect his employees. A corporate office will back a manager who says you were rude almost 100% of the time, regardless of how ‘right’ you are. Always be calm, polite and reasonable. Meet rude with polite and your case will go much further.

9. Do not use expired coupons without the express permission of your store manager. They may not beep, but that doesn’t mean the store will get reimbursed for them. When its recently expired, it pays to stop and ask–if you’re a good customer that has built a rapport with your store, quite often they’ll be happy to accomodate you.

10. Just because it doesn’t beep doesn’t make it right. Many fraudsters know all of the rules, and what goes around the rules. We’re finding more and more that coupon fraud hurts honest couponers by putting them under suspicion too.

Photo by ninjapoodles

Little Miss Know It All is a stay-at-home mom from Florence, KY. A former political hack, LMKIA turned her skills to living frugal so that she could spend all day with the two most adorable monkeys ever. She is passionate about teaching others to get maximum benefit out of every penny!