Many of you have trouble with stores not allowing you to use a B1G1 coupon with a money off coupon.
First, I want to say that using a B1G1 coupon along with a money off coupon on a non FREE item is perfectly acceptable coupon use. Not all, but many stores will allow it without trouble. You aren’t doing anything wrong by attempting to use coupons this way as long as they do not include any instructions on the coupon to the contrary. Many of you are able to use coupons in this manner at your stores without issues as well. So why does it work at some stores and not others?
Human Issues
The computer systems may have no trouble accepting the coupons. It will be a cashier or manager who prevents you from using both coupons. Because this is not addressed in most coupon policies, you are at the mercy of the store’s individual policy.
Computer Issues
At some stores, the registers are set up so that when you present a B1G1 coupon, that coupon will attach to both items: the FREE item and the non FREE item. When you hand over your money off coupon for the non FREE item, the computer doesn’t have an item for that coupon to attach to. This will be the same issue no matter which coupon you hand over first. If you hand the money off one first, when the B1G1 is scanned, the computer is looking for 2 items to attach to, and because it can’t find two, it will also deny the coupon. Here is where a cashier or manager will have to manually push the coupon through and either will or won’t.
New POS System
Target has a new point of sale system in place. This new register software has an upside, but like all computer software, it’s not perfect, and in this case, it will matter the order you hand your coupons over. With this system, when a coupon comes up and says item not found, the cashier will be able to enter into another screen and see all the items you are buying and choose one to attach the coupon to.
Things to Try:
- Ask to see a manager. Maybe he or she has a different outlook than the cashier.
- Carry around a coupon that prohibits the use of using both coupons as an example. If you can show a cashier or manager the type of wording that a company would use if they wanted to prevent you from using both coupons, it may help.
- You can try calling corporate about these issues as well. It will depend on who you talk to at corporate and communication between corporate and your store on whether or not they will modify their particular policy of how they allow these coupons to be redeemed.
