TIP~ Don't Be In A Big Hurry!

So I was shopping yesterday with my Mom, hoping to show her the ropes of this whole couponing thing, and it was going decently. We had ordered our coupons and made a tentative plan of attack. First one store to scoop up a few goodies, and then off to the other store for their sales.

But then I realized time got away from me! It was 12:30 one minute, and then all of a sudden it was time to get the kids out of school!

So I rushed over to the self-check lane, leaving Mom to her grocery cart and praying I could get out the door and on my way to pick up the kiddos at school. Scanned my shopper's card, all my items, and all of my coupons. Swiped my card. Waited. Why isn't this transaction over with yet???

"Ma'am, these 2 coupons are past our allowed expiration, I'll have to take them off your ticket."

Uggggghhhhhh. Fine. Do it. (I didn't say this out loud. I am polite and calm.)

So she proceeds to remove the coupons and my total goes up $2.00. I pay and leave.

Then I realize that she was incorrect, and in fact, my coupons were EXACTLY TO THE DATE allowable. 2 weeks. Excatly. That is this particular store's policy. But I was in a hurry, so I didn't catch it in time to politely discuss with her. Lesson learned, right?

On to today's shopping experience...
I went to the other store that I don't particularly love for two specific deals. Of course, like any trip to this store, you cannot leave with only the items you came there for.
Again, I am a little rushed. Not because I need to be somewhere immediately, but because this store is overrun with people for some unknown reason at 2:00 in the afternoon.
She scans my items. I hand her my coupons, and she studies them. And then she scans them, oddly making 3 piles of my coupons on her register... I pay, I collect my items (oddly enough you CAN fit 15 heavy items into ONE plastic bag!)
and I look at my reciept.

Hmmm... what happened to those 7 coupons I handed her???

1, 2, 3, 4, nope. Not 7.

So 3 of my coupons went into a pile on her register. No big deal, right? It's just a couple of coupons, right?

Nope. That's $4.50.

You bet I asked her about them. She was a bit shocked, I believe.

"Well, they are right here."

And she hands me the coupons.So I fan them out to show her all 7 of the one coupon. Instead of holding up the whole line (If you were in that line, you are welcome!) I took my coupons and left. At least I wasn't getting to pay full price AND lose the coupons. I could have gone to the service desk and gotten it fixed, but you can guess what that line looked like.

There are times when I let it fly, but not today. I really didn't care if it held the line up a little bit. I am not giving away my time and energy to make these deals work to let someone's inability to do their job affect me.

So, the morals of my long-winded story are...

Don't be in a hurry.

Count your coupons and watch the screen for them. All of them. 

Know what the policies are. (She also doubted me on the store's new policy regarding Catalinas)

Stay polite.