Dealing With Discouragement

Good post!

I have never had a bad experience in the store. What I have had are bad experiences talking about couponing with my friends and family. They act like I am a charity case. I don't need to coupon or budget for things, but why spend money when you don't need to? My co workers yesterday actually laughed at me!I posted all about this on my own blog:http://fromsuburbia.blogspot.com/2009/04/glazed-look.html

What can we do to prepare for the disappointing days that happen in our lives? Things so bad you just want to stay in bed with your head below the sheets. Hide away in front of the TV watching other fictional lives flash before you? Escape in food you know you shouldn’t be eating? By being determined to get the best deal possible to save money and not let that new cashier or manager get in your way to your financial goal of saving money. You know that the coupon is valid and that you are an honest shopper. Asking the question “is this a new store policy” will get that manager to thinking that you will be contacting the corporate office and ask them the same question with the local manager’s name. Worse case you will walk away come back another day or go to another store to save money.The best advice my 99 year old grandmother give me for dealing with disappointment is to “grit your teeth and smile, because you know you are right and they just don’t know it yet”.

Great post Rachel. I have recently been having problems with a certain drugstore that has great deals every week. Their cashiers have absolutely no idea of their own coupon policy and sometimes the managers don't either. I have been going up the food chain trying to get some answers. I think that is the best advice. Always be polite and if you don't get the answers you need ask for the next person in the chain of command. Eventually you will get somewhere.

Thanks for the post! It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear (or read :). Last night I went to Publix and walked away paying $39 and SAVED over $144!!! Then, when I got home I realized I got the wrong chips and paid full price instead of half for 2 bags AND paid twice what I thought for some roses I bought! I paid $10.01 MORE than I "thought" I should have. It WAS my fault, as I didn't pay close attention to the sizes (should have been the half-dozen roses). I have been beating myself up all night after last night and now I realize, it's silly and I am doing so good with all my coupons and savings, one mess-up isn't the "end of the world"!! Thank you so much for all your hard work to help us save money!Michelle

Oh yeah, happens here and there. When you coupon as much as some of us do, things are bound to creep up!My latest disappointment was from the WAGS I shop at. They stopped producing RRs if ANY RR is used to pay for the purchase. Well, now I know....

I had a discouraging time at kroger today and left kinda upset, but then I thought of the 85% I saved at three other stores and quickly got over it! Thanks for your advice and tips!

Thanks for #2. GREAT tip! I am fairly new to couponing, and I still screw up now and again by forgetting coupons or doing deals out of order, so sometimes I have more OOP and more RR to deal with. All in all I look at it like this: I am still saving money overall, plus I get to try new things (products and saving strategies).

I don't have any magic tips...just wanted to thank you for posting that. We all have bad days, the cashiers, the managers...feels like we're never getting the "perfect deal".i just take it...and hope that next time I SCORE the big one!a little savings is better than none at all.I'm not the best oop couponer yet...so bar isn't set too high.thanks for encouraging us all!!!kathy

You are so cute "remember he good times!" Love it!It can be hard, and after working retail for years, I know, and try to remeber that poor training usually is the issue. It may be a poorly trained cashier, or a poorly trained manager. I have seen people with little or no experience managing, be promoted to manager, because they need someone so badly. Anyway I try to keep that in mind, and think of how embarressed I would be, if I were the manager on duty and dint know the coupon policy better than the coustomer. A lot of these folks are just thrown to the wolves.

I am very new at this and trying hard not to get discourged. Last week I tried to use internet coupon at CVS to get the 3m deal, but I printed them in greyscale and they would not scan. The cashier accused me of making photo copies of the coupons, but I assured her that I printed them out and they were the exact same coupons the lady before me used (because she did the same 3m deal). The cashier rudely said that if it doesn't scan, they can't take them. It was still a good experience for me because I learned 2 things. One, you can purchase things for "free" (because the lady in front of me did) and two, never print in grey scale! :)

Last week there was a new manager - yes, manager. My cashier needed the typical over ride and when he saw my internet coupons, he said that I could only use two (total). I kindly went on to explain the coupon policy...2 of given product and he doubted me. He called over the other manager who quickly informed him that I know the coupon policy better than anyone who works there. LOL....tip...go in with confidence. :) Yes, it was discouraging and I didn't want to get on the wrong foot with the new manager. :)

The times I have been discouraged have all been due to cashiers who don't know what they're doing. Poor training I guess. Just finish the rest of the transactions and try with another cashier later.

Hi,this was exactly what i went through last week being the first time i was doing it, when i goofed up with my Coupons and the store not having enough items for me to go through it smoothly as i had planned... eeer... but then i again have started this week and it went through smooothly.. so am back on track... :-)