I know I’m a savvy grocery shopper. I never leave my house without grabbing a fistful of coupons, reviewing sales circulars, and taking my list to keep me on budget.
Well, the other morning I met my match. Before coming to work, I stopped by my local supermarket. I watched as the cashier finished ringing up a sale. It was coupon time. It’s like a sport for me: How much was that shopper going to save in coupons?
The cashier started deducting, and deducting, and deducting. I couldn’t believe it. The woman’s basket of food, paper goods, and pet supplies came to a minus 16 cents. The cashier called the office to get an override and gave her the change. That has never happened to me.
She went shopping without having to pay a dime and in turn, the store, in fact, gave her money. They paid her to shop!
I had to find out her secret, and she was very happy to share. Her strategy? She checked items for expiration dates. The store has a policy that if a customer finds an expired item and brings it to the customer service desk, they will be issued a $1 credit coupon that can be used at the register. She had a whole stack of coupons.
Now I’m now on a mission—to see how many expired items I can find on my next shopping visit. I hope I get there before she does. She’s good.
I’m not sure if every store has this kind of policy, but it’s certainly worth asking!
