"It's Like Getting It For Free"

This post goes along with the Ronco pasta post I just made.....

"It's Like Getting It For Free" is one of my least favorite things to hear out of a cashiers mouth.  Another thing I loathe is "it's like stealing".  In most situations, I don't think the cashier realizes she has just insulted you by making these comments.  The implication is that you are getting a product without paying for it because you did not hand over any $cash$ for the purchase.  But, you are in fact paying for the product.  Your coupon is your currency. 

We live in the backwoods of couponing (as I like to think of it) and there is a misunderstanding of coupons.  My coupon is every bit as valuable as a dollar bill issued by the United States Treasury.  In fact, most coupons are more valuable to a store than an old fashioned dollar bill.  Manufacturers routinely reimburse the store for the face value of the coupon, plus a handling fee (usually 8-cents), and on top of that they reimburse the cost of shipping, too.  Coupons have been around for over a hundred years.  If it wasn't profitable to accept coupons, no store would accept them. 

Thanks again, and happy couponing!
--The Hopkins County Coupner (7/16/2011)