More on Extreme Couponing Fraud

If you are interested in the potential coupon fraud issue that I've mentioned a couple of times regarding one of the participants of the Extreme Couponing show, you may be interested in checking out Mr.Coupon's blog on WeUseCoupons.  Mr. Coupon (aka Nathan Engels) was featured on the first episode of Extreme Couponing and is one of the biggest advocates I've seen for coupon ethics.  While other coupon/deal sites are more than happy to let you discuss anything you want to, WUC does more than just discourage the discussion of unethical couponing practices.

In his blog, Mr. Coupon breaks down J'aime Kirlew's segment minute by minute and creates a timeline to help you dissect the potential for coupon misuse and abuse, pointing out what coupons were available at the time of filming in comparison to what she bought, as well as other limits that were clearly stated on coupons she used, that were bypassed for this shopping trip.

Coupon Misuse may not seem like a big deal, but it's really the same as shoplifting. It steals from the store. If coupons are not used properly, the manufacturer does not have to reimburse the store for their use.  This can lead to a few different things:

1. Stores can choose to no longer accept coupons
2. Stores can and will raise prices to cover their losses.
3. Manufacturers will enforce stricter limits on their coupons (we've already seen this with many coupons now stating per transaction limits).

Don't be the reason any of these things happen, use your coupons correctly. It's really not that hard. Heck, it's a LOT harder to use them incorrectly.

Oh, and one more thing. If you missed Nathan on the first episode of Extreme Couponing, he'll be back again next week with a whole new trip.