Ask I Heart Publix 11/14 – What Does That Wording Really Mean?
November 14, 2012
Okie dokie guys – instead of answering several questions in the Ask I Heart Publix segment this week, we are going to just tackle one big one.
Jennifer wants to know: I have a question for your I Heart Publix segment. I have noticed that more and more coupons lately, especially the Proctor and Gamble ones, in the fine print it says “void if transferred, sold, auctioned”, etc. Does this really mean anything? When you buy inserts or individual coupons online, aren’t they being auctioned or sold? If so, how in the world would they really track this? Just curious.
If you look at the wording from a black and white standpoint. The wording seems to indicate that if you take a coupon from your Sunday paper and give it to your grandmother you have transferred that coupon and it is now void. If you are waiting in line and have an extra diaper coupon that you offer to the lady behind you – you have transferred that coupon and it is now void. Ultimately this is not the company’s intent with that wording. In my opinion this is coupon sharing or trading and not really a big coupon transfer scheme – tee hee.
The wording on the coupons help protect the company from abuse. I think we can all agree that without some limitations in place – people would just go nuts and abuse the system. Heck, even with limitations in place – there are folks who still abuse the system….that is a story for another day.
Now, I know some of you are asking how ebay and clipping sites can still offer coupons without getting into trouble. Well, they insist that you are paying for their clipping service, mailing efforts and the like and NOT paying for the coupons. Is this a work around the wording…yes – it probably is. Should you avoid clipping sites and auction sites? That is something you will have to decided for yourself.
I think by understanding the rationale for the wording on the coupon you will be able to decide what this means for you. Companies put out a ton of coupons. Generally they only expect a small percentage of those coupons to be redeemed. Think about how many inserts are available each week. Now think about how many people never even look at them and toss them out once they have finished reading the comics on Sunday. The companies who offer the products expect that the majority will go in the trash and never be redeemed. With the rise of extreme couponers – companies have seen many more coupons redeemed. The wording is their attempt to help deter abuse.
Remember, coupons are really just a form of advertising. The companies want to get that product out there. By offering an incentive (discount) they are hoping that you will use it to try their products. Ultimately hoping you like it and choose to buy it again. This is one of the many ways a company can get some attention to the product they are selling. The coupon itself is a great way to get that product seen and noticed.
Ok, back to the question. Does this wording mean anything to us as couponers. Yes, it means that once the retailer submits the coupon the company can choose to not reimburse that retailer if they feel that the coupon terms were violated.
While it would be impossible to track all those coupons that are technically voided through transfer, auction, selling and the like – it is not impossible. A few examples include:
- Printable coupons – each contain information that allows the coupon to be tracked
- Coupons that are gang cut (piles of similar coupons stacked and cut at once)
So what does all this wording mean for most of us? Probably not a whole lot. I feel that the wording is put in place for those that choose to take things to the extreme. Now – please be aware that I am not saying it is OK to sell coupons or to use coupons incorrectly or use them in any way contrary to the wording on the coupon. I am just saying that I don’t feel that companies put the wording on the coupon as a way to prohibit us from offering a coupon to our grandmother or giving a diaper coupon to the lady at checkout.
Please know that I am sharing MY opinion and I do not claim to have all the right answers. I think if I were to stand on my soapbox saying that you guys should never share a coupon with a friend or trade a Dove coupon for a Tide coupon – you would know that I was full of crud (hello…I give away coupons every week as part of FREE Coupon Friday!)
I know this may be a hot topic and everyone will have an opinion. So feel free to share yours in the comments (just keep it nice!)
Thanks for posting this since it can be so confusing. Especially lately with all the word changes, etc. I agree-I think it’s ok to share coupons.I think the wording is to prevent fraud from the extreme cases.
Doesn’t it say right in the Ebay terms of use that sellers are not allowed to sell their time to clip. Ebay states that if you buy a coupon-you are doing just that-buying a coupon and not the time to clip. I do not buy coupons from any source as I believe that it is a clear violation of the coupon terms. Buying “time to clip” is a bunch of boloney!
I do want to ad that I think that sharing a coupon is fine.
The prohibition on coupons against transfers does not refer to trading or sharing coupons. Here is a good explanation written in a column by Jill Cataldo, who writes a nationally-syndicated newspaper column about coupon use. She works closely with the Coupon Information Center.
Coupon Queen: Is trading coupons ever against the law?
March 31, 2010 12:00 am • By JILL CATALDO
Q: “I’ve been using coupons all my life, and I’ve had one question for nearly that long. Many coupons bear the message, ‘Not transferable.’ I have always assumed this means that only the first, intended recipient of the coupon can use it. However, I hear about coupon clubs and exchanges that trade or share coupons. Isn’t this unethical or illegal if the coupon says it is not transferable?”
A: There’s a lot of fine print on coupons. Instructions for usage, redemption and terms abound in the tiny text at the bottom of each one. And yes, on many coupons you see the ominous warning, “Coupon may be void if copied, transferred, reproduced, sold or exchanged.”
What does this mean? First of all, it’s not illegal to share or trade coupons. There are no laws that govern coupon trading. The “non-transferable” statement is one of the terms of redemption that the manufacturer issuing a coupon sets. Through these terms, the manufacturer reserves the right to deem the coupon void if it has been transferred against its wishes.
But what does that mean? Does it mean I can’t share cat food coupons with my sister, or trade coupons with other moms at my kids’ play group? Will the coupon police knock on my door if I mail some of my extra coffee coupons to my aunt? No. While the wording seems loaded with consequence, it’s simply a statement by the manufacturer notifying consumers that it reserves the right to declare a coupon void if it determines that the coupon is circulating via fraudulent means.
It would be very difficult for anyone to police the activities of millions of coupon shoppers. As you point out, coupon clubs and swaps abound across the country. And manufacturers themselves sponsor coupon networks to encourage the use of coupons. Procter & Gamble’s Vocalpoint (www.vocalpoint.com) and General Mills’ Pssst (pssst.generalmills.com) invite shoppers to register to receive product samples and coupons in exchange for providing personal information — including name, age, gender, address, number of and ages of members of your household and your attitudes about buying new products and sharing opinions with friends and family, among other information. The companies invite “members” to share coupons with friends and post opinions of their products online.
One Vocalpoint mailing included five $10 coupons for a popular brand of skincare products. While the mailer’s printed instructions encouraged me to share the coupons with friends, each coupon contained the wording: “Void if transferred to any person, firm or group prior to store redemption.” Why would a manufacturer put this wording on coupons that it explicitly encouraged me to give away to other people?
Transferring a coupon, from a legal standpoint, refers to much more than simply handing one to a friend. The transfer manufacturers seek to prevent involves three areas: duplication, distribution and compensation. If I photocopy a coupon or I scan a coupon into my computer and then print my scan of the original coupon, I am transferring that coupon from one medium to another. This duplication is prohibited. And, if I took my (now illegally transferred) copies of the original coupon and started using them or sharing copies with friends, I would be distributing an illegally transferred coupon. And if I went one step further and decided to sell those (illegally transferred) copies of coupons, I would be receiving compensation for transferring them.
If you’re not doing any of these things (and you shouldn’t be) you’re not illegally transferring coupons. Feel free to swap, trade and share your coupons with others. Manufacturers do not prohibit this and, in fact, many of them are delighted if you do.
Next week, we’ll discuss another question that often goes hand in hand with this one: Is it illegal to sell a coupon?
© CTW Features
Jill Cataldo, a coupon workshop instructor, writer and mother of three, never passes up a good deal. Learn more about couponing at her Web site, http://www.supercouponing.com. E-mail your own couponing victories and questions to jill@ctwfeatures.com
She goes on in the follow up article and says that you should never buy or sell coupons.
I was about to ask!
Love, love, love Jill Cataldo! She loves to save, but definitely strives and encourages doing it the right way. Funny thing is when you make a post on a couple of HUGE coupon blogs I frequent (though not near as much as this one), your comment goes to moderation and never posted on either site, even though there was nothing wrong whatsoever with my comment referencing her site (that happened twice on one site and once on the other, don’t know if it will again, I haven’t tried, just figured they blackballed her honesty) Michelle does a great job covering my two favorite grocery stores-Publix and Kroger. Thanks Michelle for sharing your opinion-many of us do value your opinion greatly!
I really feel that sharing coupons is fine and it gives me such a great feeling to help a friend or family member save money. Even if it is not a friend and I am simply being a “coupon angel” throughout the store as I shop I feel that the mere act of “sharing” could inspire someone else to coupon and pay the good deed forward.
As far as buying coupons online- I have never personally purchased any coupon and feel that it is not my place to pass judgement on others if that is a path they are choosing to take. Wrong or right…karma, good or bad, is always swift and just and the universe will determine that..not me!
Happy couponing!!!
For me, I wouldn’t buy coupons from any site that goes on the value of the coupon. Meaning, they “say” the money is for their time, and yet, if it’s a hot coupon, the price goes up, i.e. most eBay sellers. Is “their time” suddenly more valuable when it’s a hot coupon? Are those harder to cut out and ship? I feel this is outright selling of coupons and I would never buy from them.
As far as sites that sell inserts or so many of each coupon for a flat rate regardless of what the coupon is, I believe them when they say the price is for their time and the shipping costs, etc. There are just so many of them these days, out in plain view, that if this were illegal, wouldn’t they all be shut down by now, after a couple years of the extreme couponing craze?
I’ve seen many eBay retailers come & go. I assume some of them were shut down because they were outright “selling coupons” not a service. I see no harm in buying from a legitimate insert or clipping “service.” Just my 2 cents
” The companies want to get that product out there. By offering an incentive (discount) they are hoping that you will use it to try their products.”
We are told that coupons are a form of payment, not a discount, when trying to use $off $$ store coupons before MC are subtracted.
What is wrong with stacking same coupons to cut all at once gang stacking? If ibrought my coupons from newspaper it save time. My husband wants to buy me a paper cutter so ican spend less time cutting spend more time with him. Plus ihave carptunnel in my wrist. Sometimes i wonder if coupons mfc come up with alot of excuse not to reinburse stores because so many people are using cpns now more than ever and in return store might decide to stop taking them. Ihave my grandkids help
Hey there. I wasn’t sure where to post this question, but I was wondering if the winners of the gatorade SEC giveaway has been announced. thanks