Not trying to sound cheap, but...

Yup.

but again, that is impossible.

Why?

I understand it would be difficult. I understand it could be a logistical nightmare. I don't think it's impossible, though.

I agree, though, they should either give you the $3 or a coupon worth $3.

Most big retailers' systems wouldn't profit from the coupon that was, in the end, not used. They have to produce the bill (electronically) related to use of the coupon - that bill will (electronically) show the return of the product. They cannot claim for the value of the coupon in cases like this.

The retailer will eat the cost of giving Chai the $3, plus the cost of tossing the product which they've already paid the manufacturer for.

Ok, this I can get on board with. Getting the coupon back. Or maybe a $3 credit towards the next purchase with the store.

wrong

they can't use the coupon

chai2 needs to find something to do, perhaps clean her refrigerator.

I kind of agree with Drewdad. You should only have gotten $15 back, since that was what you paid, but you essentially lost $3 worth of free merchandise from the manufacturer since you had the coupon. I don't know why they can't give you that back (they probably have a drawer full of them).

I understand why they can't give you a store credit since the coupon was for a specific item from the manufacturer of the product and not a general store coupon (there, the store would lose the money, not the manufacturer), but if they can, they should certainly refund your coupon, not that you're going to use it, mind you.

Getting a coupon from say Kleenex entitles you to money off Kleenex items, not off Kraft items. So if you're not buying Kleenex products, you essentially have no coupon. Comprends?

Yeah, I referenced what you had said a while back in my OP.

But c'mon, let's be realistic.

That coupon was turned in and they were/are going to be reimbursed for it.
Like I said using the selling of 800 boxes of kleenex example.

How in the world is a store going to practically figure out how many of the items they are sending in coupons for reimbursement, were actually returned, and they aren't owed anything?

It's nice in theory, but that's not how in works IRL.

If that was to have worked, the manager at the Walgreens on Anderson Lane would have had to pick up the phone, or emailed or otherwise communicated to the store on S. Lamar, 10 miles away that "I've got a customer here that is returning a box of Blotto. She bought it 3 days ago (or 2 weeks ago, or 10 days ago) at your store, and used a $3 coupon.
Then, that store would have to search for that coupon, and destroy it.

Or, they would have to convey that message somehow to the clearing house, asking them to find at least the same type coupon in their system, coded as handed in to that particular store, and destroy it, so they don't accidently get paid for money they are not owed.

Do you really think that happens ehbeth? Really?

but...but... this is philosophy dys!

The discussion of right and wrong, morals, ethics

so i have a manufacturer's coupon for $100 off a computer that is selling for $600 in a store .
i go to the store pay $500 plus the coupon .
take the computer to my car ... but now i decide i really don't want the computer .
i take it back inside , still in its box .
how much should i get back ???

$500 plus your coupon, in case you wish to buy something else from the computer manufacturer.

In modern inventory/financial systems, it is almost exactly like that.

I see (at neighbouring desks) the resulting law suits when retailers and manufacturers disagree about stuff like this. Just listened to one about a premium car and a discount that had been in effect when the vehicle was purchased.

Yeah, they should return your coupon, not give you cash back in exchange.

Cycloptichorn

I was just looking at this at the HP site

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/questions.do



a smart retailer is going to have this in their fine print on just about everything

crying - bahhhhh - keep yer coupon and give hunnert bucks , ok ?

yes

~~~

on the philosophy side of the question, attempting to extort more from a retailer is ethically suspect

~~~

on a larger scale, this is called fraud in our jurisdiction

I am with you on this one. As an avid couponer who runs a couponing blog....let me give my two "cents"...
A coupon (to us who use them) is like cash... I spend much time clipping, sorting, and matching... to get the most I can from each and every coupon - and maximimze my savings. That being said - stores get not only reimbursed from your coupon at face value - but plus some. I hate it when cashiers look at you like you are taking from the store - hello they get reimbursed... anyway - when I go to a store and use that coupon - I am handing them $.08 just by using my coupon. If I return it - I can not get that coupon back to use again (it was my "cash") - AND they are getting the full face value of the coupon back - SO YES - I want my full price back - and I have never had a problem with it - My Wags doesn't even question it - because they know that is the case... anyone who argues with that... is silly - it's not trying to profit off of the store - the store has already profited off us using the coupon in the first place.... It's rare that you use a coupon on something and then need to return it anyway - but it does happen...

In that case, the store is still holding that $100 coupon.

They can easily reach into the drawer and pull it out, and destroy it.

If it was some time later, a couple of weeks/ a month, within the return time, the store has already handed that coupon in, and gotten that $100.

If I come back to the store, no I wouldn't expect to get a $100, but I would expect the manufacturer to get back THEIR hundred dollars that they gave to the store.

ok people....I am not talking about ME getting back the $3, or $100, per se....Someone though is out the money, if the coupon has already been reimbursed.

ehbeth, you mean to tell me that the cash register, receipt system is so sophisticated that it can track every 50 cents, every 25 cent off coupon, communicate it acurately on a daily basis from the store to the clearinghouse, so they can, on a daily basis credit the manufacturer for each 25 cents that came out of their product, and charge it back to that particular store?

I can't get the company that supplies my office with bottle of drinking water to understand that we only want 3 cases this month, and not 4. How is something else this massive carried out?

Are you saying every cash register in every store is networked with the clearinghouse system, and accurate transactions are continually updated?

Whoever accomplished that should be working on solving our national debt.

I am with you on this one. As an avid couponer who runs a couponing blog....let me give my two "cents"...
A coupon (to us who use them) is like cash... I spend much time clipping, sorting, and matching... to get the most I can from each and every coupon - and maximimze my savings. That being said - stores get not only reimbursed from your coupon at face value - but plus some. I hate it when cashiers look at you like you are taking from the store - hello they get reimbursed... anyway - when I go to a store and use that coupon - I am handing them $.08 just by using my coupon. If I return it - I can not get that coupon back to use again (it was my "cash") - AND they are getting the full face value of the coupon back - SO YES - I want my full price back - and I have never had a problem with it - My Wags doesn't even question it - because they know that is the case... anyone who argues with that... is silly - it's not trying to profit off of the store - the store has already profited off us using the coupon in the first place.... It's rare that you use a coupon on something and then need to return it anyway - but it does happen...