There's no crying in couponing!

Or guilt either for that matter.

I have been debating on writing this post after my not so overly successful last two trips to my local Walgreens. I think I will file this under the "What I have learned" section even though it is not in the same format.

I am far from a veteran couponer, having only done this for the last 6 months. I have, however had the benefit of coupons in two different states and many different locations of quite a few different stores, so I think I have seen just about everything at this point with the exception of the fantasy land store that takes expired coupons , and I can tell you one thing...

We are at war people!!!

Well not really, because honestly I have run into more coupon friendly cashiers than I have encountered the non coupon friendly ones. Sometimes, though you will walk into a store with a smile on your face and walk out with a frown, or maybe even on a really bad day you might just walk out close to tears. There are many places I have found that have tips on how to address a "bad" cashier on the technical aspects, what order to run your coupons to get the most out of them (because it really does matter in some places). I will provide a list of some of those places below.

I'm here today to talk to you about the emotional side of couponing. Most of the time you will walk into a store with your coupons and walk out with way more items than the cashier or fellow shoppers would ever expect. You will do this without a hassle from the cashier or at least (if need be) the manager will be accepting. Other times, however you will find yourself with that unenlightened frustrated poor soul who considers a loss for the store a personal attack. They are the same ones who will run after and tackle a shoplifter risking their safety when the store would rather keep their employee alive than a .75 cent pack of gum. I have encountered strong opposition at Target when I started in California and recently I am pretty sure I have become public enemy #1 at my local Walgreens. I even got some of the dreaded "These coupons are getting really out of control" This statement by the way after I tried to use their register rewards in a fairly straightforward deal with none of the usual extreme savings we're all used to.

But I digress...couponing is not for the faint of heart. You get looks, huffs, sighs, comments, and even the occasional refusal, often with the explanation that there is no way you can expect to get something for nothing, or even really really cheap. Stores get emotional, so you can't afford to join them! Steel yourself to expect the worst hassles on your shopping trip, but walk in with a smile, acknowledge the people who are eyeing you as soon as you set foot inside and even sometimes a little humility and self deprecating humor can smooth the way. They know you are planning to walk in with as little money as possible and to walk out with as much as you can, and so do you, so why hide it? No sense in looking suspicious.

But no matter what don't let them get to you. There's no crying in couponing unless you want to cry over that deal you botched and there shouldn't be any guilt either. The next time you get hassled for trying to save a few cents (and we all know those cents add up) remember that those pennies that people get so frustrated with you trying to keep are just as important to a big store or corporation as they are to you. Probably more so. Most of us take some of our abundance and donate it to others and those change jars aren't filled by cashiers, but almost no grocery store is going to let you walk out a few cents short so why shouldn't you protect those few cents when it's your money saved? Don't let anyone make you feel guilty, sad or ashamed for wanting to use the money you have to its best possible benefit to you.

Ok I'm stepping off my soap box now.

Here are some great places if you want help with Combating Cashier Confusion:

Walgreens 101
CVS 101
Making CVS Work
curtosy of Money Saving Mom

And before you decide that maybe it's not worth the aggravation, maybe you can get by without using coupons and "working" the stores...MKTK reminds us why stockpiling saves more than money.

Now it's your turn...does anyone have any venting stories or bad experiences they had that they handled with class and grace? Or not...Surely I can't be the only one with overly protective store employees. How did you handle a legitimate deal being rejected?