Every week I’ll pose a question for you to share your experiences and tips. If you have a question that you’d like me to post, I’d love to hear from you!
On the Deal Seeking Mom Facebook page, Janet asked:
I’d love to know how you keep track of “scanned” coupons! I’m finding more and more coupons were not scanned at the store, but of course [not until] I get home! I just realized that $6 of q’s were not given to me at Meijers todayhttps://dealseekingmom.com/https://dealseekingmom.com/and I really thought I was watching the cashier!!! I need a better system to follow.
I know I have trouble with this too, especially when I’m trying to keep track of five kids while watching to make sure everything rings up properly. And some stores’ receipts (ahem…Target) are nearly impossible to decipher after the fact.
So do you have a system for making sure that all of your coupons are properly scanned? How do you check them? What do you do if you discover that one wasn’t scanned?
Join the discussion — add your two cents to previous Ask DSM Readers questions too!
Kristina
I have problems with this too! Great question and I will check back to hear about some solutions. I have also found by checking my receipt more closely that things are being rung up twice.
Chrissy J
I count how many I have and then count them as they scan them.
Mariah
I generally hand the cashier 2 coupons at a time to make sure all of them are scanned.
brenda
The first thing I do is count how many coupons I am handing to the cashier and write it down. How many coupons I decide to use usually changes based on what I find at the store. I write down how many coupons I am using and then I try to count them as the cashier scans them. Or I at least try to count the “beeps” I hear. And then I double check my receipt before I leave the store. I also always make a list before I go to the store and I write the sale prices next to the item then the coupon value i have and then how much i should actually be paying for it. so when i go back and look at my receipt I can see if I paid the price i was expecting to pay.
shannon
I do exactly the same thing too. And handing them 2 at a time or even 1 coupon doesn’t always work. I was handing them 1 at a time at walmart and imagine this they still didn’t get $6.00 in coupons to come off. So I went back for it and got a refund. Therefore handing them one at a time is still too hard for them to comprehend. They are coupons not time machines. Can’t be that hard to figure out. But still always count the coupons before and on the receipt when you leave.
Ana
I do the same thing…. make a list of what I’m buying, what the price should be, and what coupons I’m using. This only works for small trips, though. The prices that I write on my list are the advertised prices… so that when I’m getting something off the shelf, I know which item/price to get, which coupon to use, and what I’ll pay OOP for the item. I also keep track of what my total should be, so that way, if the total isn’t what I expected, I can solve it right there at the checkout before I even pay.
Jodi
I count the coupons i have before handing them to the cashier. and then before i pay i count the ones scanned on the screen. when they start to triple it can be harder… but if i hand him/her 14 coupons (and 4 of them are doubled lets say) then i should have 18 coupons scanned. if i have a ton i am useing and i have time i will place each coupon on the item and asked that they be scanned at that time. :) I have never had a cashier tell me know to this… In fact if there is free items they can do it then and not have to look it up… I know the pain of not haven your coupons taken off. For me i have to watch walmart. :(
Hope that helps. :)
The Tight-Fisted Penny
I count the coupons and hand the cashier the coupons for one item at a time. For instance: If the item has 2 Publix coupons, 2 manfacturer coupons and 2 competitor coupons, I had over those 6 coupons only. That way I can count the beeps, watch what she/he is doing and check the monitor before moving to the next item. I got burned too much and find this works for me. I have clipped all of the coupons for each item together so the cashier must take the paper clip off before scanning. I always forget the clips though:-)
Rachel @ Surviving The Stores
I’m sure I drive the cashiers insane with this, but if I have a lot of coupons (and especially at Target) I hand the coupons to the cashier one at a time. I’m pretty fast at it and I just let the cashier know that I want to make sure they all scan.
Mandy
I had this problem earlier today! I am babysitting a little boy so I had him in addition to my very stubborn 2 year old. By the end I had 2 bags of smooshed hot dog buns and Eggos so, I figured with everything else I had that wasn’t too bad :) The cashier was very patient with me with all of my price matches and coupons and even checked on a couple of things for me. When she went to ring in the last coupon (the BOGO Jello) she thought it was ringing up as $1 off and voided it, then rescanned the Jello coupon and entered it as .50. After getting outside and getting everyone settled, I scanned thru my receipt and noticed I was short a $1 Q and that the bar code numbers were different for the voided one and the Jello one. So, she deleted the good Q thinking it was the Jello Q. So irritating but she was so patient with me I can’t get too upset about it and it is only a $1 after all. I ended up going and buying a $1 sweet tea at McDonalds right after without even thinking about the money I spent on it.
Kristine
I just watch very carefully. I’m able to shop where 99% of the time I can unload the cart and have plenty of time to watch while they scan the coupons. Most times I catch them missing multiple coupons for the same items. I don’t stack coupons so it’s MUCH easier. If anything, I get credit because I miscounted a coupon and they override to accept it. I think it all works out evenly. :^ )
Kate O.
One thing I do (when I remember) is count the dollar value of the coupons that scan and ensure the right $ comes off at the end by checking pre coupon total and post coupon total. Occasionally this is off b/c some that I expect to double don’t b/c of do not double statements. I also listen for the beeps and watch the register screen closely. Usually the cashier keeps the coupons out until they are done with all so I might ask about something while they are scanning.
Chriscia
This is how I do it, but because I am in the land of no doubles (except albies, but only 3 per order) I dont have to worry about doubles messing me up.
Michelle
OMG ~ I have such a problem with this ~ if you don’t pay attention your bound to not get all the coupons off! Target last week ~ I ended up going back and making them pull the coupons from the girls register ~ There were over $9.00 worth that she didn’t scan! I was sooo mad!!
Joy
This is much easier to do at say Target and Walmart or any place that doesn’t double Qs. But at the grocery store when Qs double or it’s B1G1 free deals it is much harder to keep track. Sorry, I don’t have an answer either. I do count and add up my Qs before I checkout at Target or Walmart though.
The problem with Target Qs is that it automatically adjusts the item price on your receipt. The Target Qs never show up as $1.00- like a manufacturer Q does. So say you have a $1 off Target Q and the item is on sale for $3. Your price on your receipt will show $2 for that item not $3 minus Q. It gets very confusing because you think that they didn’t take off for the Target Q when they actually did.
Then, you have manufacturer Qs then take off the price off a different item instead of the one you wanted it to. Or, the Qs randomly come off at bottom instead of by each item. Crazy.
Dona
Do you think that Target intentionally makes their receipts so hard to decipher? I always get a “grand total” and then I know if the items actually scanned correctly, but still I cannot understand their receipts. Once I knew she didn’t deduct the coupon, but the receipt was so confusing I didn’t even know how to dispute it!! I don’t find Target to be coupon friendly. Bad for them, I generally use any Target coupon at Publix!
Kristina
Whenever possible I self check so I can check my prices and scan coupons myself before giving them to cashier. I don’t care how many items I have, I always prefer to self check so I can make sure items ring up the right price. I have gotten quite a few items at my Ingles grocery store by doing that( they guarantee price or it’s free, but you have to ask for it to be free). If I have to have someone else scan them I give them one at a time and watch the register.
Kells
I always know before how much my total should be before coupons and after coupons and how many coupons I am going to use. It is good to know your total before coupons in case something ring up incorrectly you can catch it before you hand over the coupons. Now tax is hard to calculate but if it’s off a dollar or two I will pay it. If it is way off I just tell them that is not right I have to figure out what I did wrong can you void my order. I might get the look but no biggie. Also, before I walk out the door I always go to the side or something and check how many coupons were scanned. If I am missing any then I will go back in tell them but if it is around my calculations I just review the receipt at home. I have found it very helpful when I have lots of the same coupons I hand them seperately and look at the machine which keeps track of your total. EX: My total is $26 I hand 10 $1 coupons my total should n ow say $16 then I hand over more coupons say 6 /.50 coupons now my total should be $13 and keep going. If it does not look right I know at least where it started going wrong.
Debbie
On my grocery list as I mark off an item I have a coupon for, I write the amount of the coupon beside the item. Then before going through the checkout I add them up to know how much should be taken off!
Tara Kuczykowski
I forgot to mention one of my own tips! I often find that my printable coupons stick together, especially when I stack them and cut several at once. So I take each coupon and crinkle it a little bit so it doesn’t lay completely flat. I’ve found this helps immensely.
Jessie
I also have found that the same type of paper might stick, and if you have 2 of the same coupon in a row, the cashier might miss one thinking it was already scanned. My solution is to alternate printed and newspaper coupons, and make sure that no 2 of the same are together.
Mindy
I do the same thing….crinkle my printed coupons, and stagger same coupons throughout my stack. There is inevitably one or two that don’t ring up right, but I figure what I am saving makes up for it. Transactions don’t always go perfectly and I’ve decided that I’m ok with that.
Carol @ Carol's Critter Corner
Great idea, I’ll need to use that one!
norma
Ok – like others I count them all before I hand them over. HOWEVER, at Target I count the manufacturer coupons, and target coupons separately, as they will look different on my receipt. Target store coupons will usually reduce the price of the item on the receipt, (so if an item is $3.94, after a $1.00 off target coupon, the item will more than likely be listed as $2.94 on the receipt, so count how many items were reduced= number of target coupons) ) THEN count the number of manufacture coupons that scanned on the recieipt. THE BEST THING TO DO THOUGH, IS: have your calculator everytime you go shopping with coupons, and as you place the items in your cart enter the amount you would pay for each item AFTER coupon so when you are finally done your total should be the SAME AS THE SUBTOTAL (before taxes) ON YOUR RECEIPT. When purchasing drinks just add the CRV to your calculated amount and that should match SUBTOTAL on your receipt. IF YOU ARE OFF BY MORE THAN A FEW CENTS, this means your were overcharged. I would say 7 times out of 10 I have discovered a mistake at the register and each time the cashier thinks I don’t know what I’m talking about. I don’t waste my time with the cashiers, I go straight to guest services and get my money back. SIMPLE MATH!
Melissa Belle
I’m fairly new to using coupons and while the cashiers don’t want to scan the coupons until the end it makes it more difficult to keep track of and I noticed at Target a lot of my buy a certain item and get an item free was not actually taking the item off but only working like a $1.00 off coupon.
Abbygail
It’s funny you say Target has bad receipts…I was just thinking how much I LOVED that they put the coupons right after each item…maybe that’s just in central IN??
I usually just count the number of coupons I have and make sure they all ring up. If they don’t all ring, and I don’t catch it until after I’ve paid, more often than not, I can remember what coupons I used and I cross items off the list for each coupon. It’s NOT time effective and depending on how much the error is, usually not worth my time to haul the kids back in and have cs change it.
I would love to see the suggestions!!
Melissa Williams
As I place each item on the belt at the register I add up ( in my head ) what each item is going to cost me after the coupons. That way if the total amount isn’t around what figure I came up with I know they didn’t deduct all of the coupons. I always double check the receipt before I leave the store anyways just to make sure. ( well I try to as long as my 20 month old isn’t acting up!! )
Sandy
I think I do all of the above and watch them like a hawk but one or two always slip by. I never give up my coupons till everything is bagged. If they ask for coupons, I say I have them and to just give me a minute as “I am so unorganized”! (which I’m not at all) When I hand them over I tell the cashier to make sure everything gets scanned as it took me a lot of time to cut these out and I’m on a budget. Believe it or not, it usually does the trick!
Dona
I do that same thing! When you act frustrated (when actually you aren’t) and act like it is a “do-or-die” if they all get scanned, the cashiers seem to be a lot friendlier! I also try and find the same cashiers that I have used in the past, they remember the scatter-brained woman with LOTS of coupons. I find it all funny!! If I were that scatter-brained I wouldn’t have the common sense to even use coupons!!
Janice
I always total up the dollar amount of all my coupons and then verify the amount matches the manufacturer coupon amount on the receipt (if given) this is the easiest way to make sure the cashier didn’t miss any. Otherwise you just have to try and watch closely. I agree that Target receipts are terrible to decipher after the fact. Also, if I am using a coupon for just about every item I purchase, which I do quite a bit, I try to keep the order under 20 items to make it easier for everybody.
Sarah
This happens to me ALL THE TIME! So frustrating! I try to check the receipts before I leave a store to make sure all the coupons scanned. I’ve had to get numerous refunds for ones not scanned in. Sometimes though, I have taken some huge losses. :( I also crinkle the printed coupons so they don’t stick together. But counting the “beeps” is a great idea, I’ll try it.
Rose
Here’s how I deal with coupons that did not scanned. I always look at my reciept before I leave the stores that way I can go right back to customer service desk & have them take care of it.
I shop knowing what items have coupons to go with them, then I try my best to keep eyes on the person running me up but if I find a missing coupon I go to customer service desk & tell them, they go back to the cash register get the coupon bag & pick out my coupons, once the coupon I’m reporting is found on the top of the bag I get a refund for it, that’s how it works where I live.
BUT KEEP IN MIND YOU HAVE TO CHECK YOUR RECIEPT BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE STORE.
The sooner you find the problem the easier it is to correct it.
Debra @ A Frugal Friend
Oh, deciphering after the fact drives me crazy! That’s why I try to do my shopping in short trips. :-)
erin w
i count how many coupons i’m giving the cashier, and count while she is scanning them. then, i park my cart near the registers before i leave the store and do a last double check. that way i can make sure it’s all squared away before i leave.
if i happen to be using a lot of coupons (10 or more) i write down the increments or what they were for too>
like (3) .50/1 cheerios
(6) .25/1 hunts
(1) bogo eggs
on a little piece of scrap paper. makes it a lot easier to check or to find the mistake. if you go to customer service and it was my mistake and not theirs, then i always feel stupid. best to double check before you get there imo.
Patricia
It does get quite confusing and fortunately my shopping lists aren’t huge, so often times I mentally keep track of the amount and make sure that the totals add up, but if I think the cashier needs to do extra effort like key something in and my husband is with me, I divide up the load, give him the easy coupons to make a purchase and I’ll take the complicated ones (like the stacked ones or gift card q’s). It makes it that much easier to look over the receipt after we’re all totalled up and bagged. He goes along with this because he HATES to make a fuss and gets embarassed when I have to point out a mistake at the register…(ex: if the coupon says ANY size and the cashier is telling me that it’s not valid on trial sizes)….his solution is to just say that’s fine and pay for it all without argument…
Debbie
I’m finding I can’t even get Walmart to take most coupons, even when I have a print out of the store policy. And Target, they just pull the item off the shelf until the coupons have expired so you can’t even buy the item, I’ve been looking for a few common items they carry for several months now…it’s just not been stocked. Right after the coupon expires, amazing how it’s suddenly back on the shelf that night or the next day.
Darla
sounds like you might have to report them to the BBB or write a letter to the manager with CC to the corporate headquarters,,, and possibly a note that you will be writing a letter to the editor.
Gwen
I ask for a subtotal before the q’s are scanned so that I can check the total coupon $ amt. (by subtracting it from the subtotal and making sure the final total matches) and then quickly double check the receipt before walking out. This method works at Target, since you can’t really scan the receipt for total # of coupons there like you can at WM.
k. goins
I have an active 4 year old so it’s hard to watch the cashier as the coupons are being scanned. I go to the car and review my receipt. The other day I had to go into Target twice — a manufacturer’s coupon took off the wrong free item. Also, I had a Target coupon for a free $5 gift card with a certain purchase– the cashier charged me for the gift card instead of giving it to me for free. From now on, I doing my free gift card transactions separately.
Katie
I do many of the things others have mentioned. However one of the most effective things I have done, especially at Target, is to break down a really large transaction into several smaller ones. I know this can be a pain for some – because you either have to go back through the line, or go back to the store another time. But I’ve found over and over that fewer coupons get missed this way.