SAVINGS, SAVINGS, SAVINGS.....at a Price

Oh boy!  I sure did it this time.  I have angered the great and powerful WalMart.

I have been trying to get into couponing for a couple of years now.  It's been pretty off and on, but I have been trying to pick back up on it....my OCD needs and outlet and I am DESPERATELY trying NOT to bake myself to death.  Who do I think I'm kidding....my neighbors love it when I get stressed....they get really well fed.

Regardless, thanks to Extreme Couponing, the show about couponers who have more time than I have EVER thought about having in my ENTIRE LIFE, I decided I could do that. I didn't do nearly as well as them, but hey, 60% off of my groceries ain't half bad.  BUT.....it was a smidge  more of an adventure than I thought.

So due to some time constraints and unforeseeable adventures, I waited until the last day of the sales (TODAY) that I wanted to hit.  Last week, I took the circulars, decided what I want and ordered my coupons so I could scoop 'em up.   I didn't want to go to 4 different stores, so I decided to take WalMart up on their price matching policy.   Ayyyyyy!

I know I looked like at loon with my 24 boxes of oatmeal....but it was flavored!  And once I was done, $.67/box....yes sixty seven cents....usually about 2.70....AWESOME.   I had a whole bunch of other goodies like that...mostly stocking up on school lunch supplies and snacks....but my cart did look a little obnoxious.  Unfortunately, I do have to tell you about the 60 candy bars.....NO I am not going to eat them all....today.  But the candy bars will become very important later on in this adventure.

I very methodically unloaded my cart.  12 cans of Progresso, 24 boxes of oatmeal, 20 bags of chex mix, 24 packages (packages....that means x4 cups) of pudding, 4 boxes of Special K, 36 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, 24 Skor bars AND a box of Alka Seltzer.  Yes, I am that crazy....you either love me or you don't....deal with it.

I count everything as I am waiting for my turn.  I looked at the lady behind me and made a general announcement to the poor suckers....I mean innocent bystanders behind me, "I am price matching and then doing coupons."  The lady directly behind me said, "No worries."  Awesome, I didn't have to worry about her.

Then I realize who the checker is.  I don't like this lady on a good day.  Sigh....should have paid more attention.  Oh well....I already unloaded.

Sooooooo, there were sign all over the store announcing WalMarts policy of price matching.  That means there was more than one.  So I was thinking this would be a piece of cake.  WRONG!!!!!!

I had place everything on the belt in order.  I had everything that needed to be price matched together.  I explain it to her, take out my first ad and she says.  This doesn't have a date.  I can't use the ad.  Ummmmmm.....here's the date.  She rolled her eyes.  SHE ROLLED HER EYES!!!!  Then she looks at my item and says, you bought the wrong size....I can't use the ad.  Ummmmmmm.....here is the RANGE for sizes.  My products fall in the RANGE.  She rolls her eyes.  AGAIN!

Needless to say, the checker argued over every single price match.  EVERY SINGLE ONE!   But I'm stubborn....that sucked for her.   Especially at coupon time.

We finally made it through my products....now it was time for coupons.  The pregnant lady a couple of patrons back was looking wistfully at the bathroom....I felt bad about that, but I was getting too close to done to stop now.

I decided to hand over my 30 coupons for the Reeses PB cups/Hershey candy bars.  I price matched down to .50, then had a Buy One Get One free coupon....so each candy bar was .25.  Unless of course you were the checker from Aytch EEEEE Double Hockey Sticks.  She looks at the coupon and says, "You can't use these.  They are for Reeses, Kit Kats or Hershey Bars."  My reply was, "No, it says Reeses, Kit Kats or ANY Hershey Bars."  She said, "No it doesn't."  I said, "Yes, it does."  She said, "No it doesn't"  I said, "When you put the letters A, N and Y together in this order is spells ANY."  She used the coupons.  I offered to help write in the amount.  She said, "You have already handed me the coupons, you CANNOT touch them again."   Crabby.

Then we get through the soup coupons, cereal coupons, chex coupons.....then the lady behind me said, "Do you have any more coupons?"  I showed her my stack and she said, "This is ridiculous, you are ruining my day.  I can't believe this is happening."  I told her, "I'm not ruining your day."  She packed up her stuff and went to another lane....BYE!  At which point the checker went into a tizzy.  Every time someone tried to get in line behind me she would yell (and I'm not exaggerating....she was yelling), "We have a TON of coupons, you are going to have to go somewhere else."  I'm pretty sure there was one guy that was going to start crying.

Near the end of the adventure I looked at the checker and said, "are my pudding coupons in that stack?  I had them with those ones."  She said, "I don't know where they went."  Until I looked down and saw they were tucked away under the little shelf.  SHE WAS HIDING MY COUPONS.....for RUDE!  But I caught her, and she scanned them.

When all was said and done, I bought about $212 worth of groceries and I paid about $90.

We were FINALLY done.  Then as I was walking out of the store, perusing my purchases and receipt, I realized she charged me for 29 boxes of oatmeal and I only had 24.  I don't think so!  So I got to turn around and go to the customer service representative.  I WANT MY $8 DOLLARS!  (Better Off Dead anyone?)

I explained what happened to the customer service person and told her she could count my oatmeal and she looked at the receipt, looked at my cart, looked at me and said, "Ummmm, I'll take your word for it."

Lessons Learned
1.  I did buy 4 more boxes of oatmeal than I had coupons for....I won't make that mistake again.  MUST COUNT BETTER.
2.  There really is a high when you realize that you are doing more with less.
3.  WalMart needs to change the bottom of their receipt from "We will GLADLY accept manufacturer and internet coupons." to "We will accept coupons and price matching only if you make us and we can be jerks about it."
4.  It was kind of fun.  I think I'm going to buy Peanut Butter next week.
5.  I don't want to go overboard, but my OCD might like this game.