# Coupons stacking?



## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Hey guys, 

I recently started to collect and even stack some coupons of goods and services I might need in the future. I watched that Ultimate Couponing on TV and really thought these people were freaks... until I realized the potential behind the whole idea...

As a result, I did some research and found out that the only retailer in Canada that allows coupons stacking is London Drugs. After consulting the website www.groceryalerts.ca, I tried the experience and it felt soooo good to save money. 

As you might know, London Drugs has a matching price policy. Therefore, when I saw that Superstore had a special on its Jergen's lotion for $4.99 instead of $7.99, I found out that by printing different coupons and with the price matching, I could get the lotion for..... ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Since we have three kids at home, my wife sent me twice to get a total of 12 bottles of lotion. I know this might sound ridiculous, but it feels so good to save hardly earned money as this was something we needed to buy and now I stacked enough for a solid 2 years. 

Have you guys experience couponing / extreme couponing? In my mind, a dollar saved = 2 gross dollars of earned income. So, I saved $96 on Jergen's lotion, which also means $192 of gross income... not bad. 

Any experiences/hints/comments to share?


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## I'm Howard (Oct 13, 2010)

You ae 100% correct, here in Florida, they take it to new levels, for many it becomes a bit of a game as to how much they save.

People who have coupons they can't use leave it at the appropriate site for people who might make use of them.

I get routine postings from these sites, and we make use of them, not because we have to, but , what the heck, $30 saved, one more bottle of Glen fiddich.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

The last extreme thing I did was this:

Shoppers had a thing where if 10 people shop and everyone spends like $30, everyone gets like $20 back in shopper's points. 

So, I did this. In my $30 spent, I bought a $12.00 razor that I had a mail in rebate for. I also had a coupon for the razor, $3.00 off. 

So, I shopped and purchased the razor, used the coupon, and filled up the remaining $20 worth of purchases with things like food items, especially if they were on sale. (Sugar, milk, soup etc)

Then I did the mail in rebate and got the full $12.00 back for the razor, even though is costed me $9.00 with the coupon. 

So I made $3.00 income for getting the razor. Because I bought this in the shoppers promotion, I got $10 back from the mail in rebate and $20 in free shopper's points. 

So I got $30 of goods for free and pocketed $3 income from it.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Maybe I'm missing the point but I just can never seem to accomplish anything useful with coupons. The trouble is that I have my own brands of things I prefer and they are rarely on sale. If they are, it's via on-shelf discounts available to everyone with no coupon required. And the few times I've tried to use the coupon they say 'cannot be combined with any other offer' so basically I can just get a quarter off a product that is packaged in a lesser quantity than I normally by. And if the deals are that great, when I reach the shelf it is bare.

So I don't get it. Hats off to those who can succeed at this game though.


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Jungle said:


> The last extreme thing I did was this:
> 
> Shoppers had a thing where if 10 people shop and everyone spends like $30, everyone gets like $20 back in shopper's points.
> 
> ...


The kind of stuff that makes you feel good... buying goods while being paid for it!


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> Maybe I'm missing the point but I just can never seem to accomplish anything useful with coupons. The trouble is that I have my own brands of things I prefer and they are rarely on sale. If they are, it's via on-shelf discounts available to everyone with no coupon required. And the few times I've tried to use the coupon they say 'cannot be combined with any other offer' so basically I can just get a quarter off a product that is packaged in a lesser quantity than I normally by. And if the deals are that great, when I reach the shelf it is bare.
> 
> So I don't get it. Hats off to those who can succeed at this game though.



You may not be looking in the right places. Check out gocoupons.ca websaver.ca and save.ca 

Get coupons from these places, then wait for your items to go on sale, then use the coupon for the item. Double wammy.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

carllecat said:


> The kind of stuff that makes you feel good... buying goods while being paid for it!


I really value a dollar and see nothing wrong with taking advantage of a deal as long as it's legal and ethical to do so. Some people would say I'm cheap, but I am not ashamed to save money and usually watch them waste it. 

To take it even further, take the money you saved, and would have otherwise spent (like grocery costs) and pay debt or invest it. 

Then the return grows more.


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> Maybe I'm missing the point but I just can never seem to accomplish anything useful with coupons. The trouble is that I have my own brands of things I prefer and they are rarely on sale. If they are, it's via on-shelf discounts available to everyone with no coupon required. And the few times I've tried to use the coupon they say 'cannot be combined with any other offer' so basically I can just get a quarter off a product that is packaged in a lesser quantity than I normally by. And if the deals are that great, when I reach the shelf it is bare.
> 
> So I don't get it. Hats off to those who can succeed at this game though.


That is what I also thought until I started looking for coupons. There is actually a website (smartcanucks.ca) that has a big database of coupons that you can order or print. Now I get brand name products for cheaper than the no name one!


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

jungle said:


> you may not be looking in the right places. Check out gocoupons.ca websaver.ca and save.ca
> 
> get coupons from these places, then wait for your items to go on sale, then use the coupon for the item. Double wammy.


amen!


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

While I was pregnant I had a lot of extra time on my hands...I would save anywhere from 10 to 15% on groceries with coupons. 

For those brazen individuals like myself another great way to save is the scanning code of practice. If an item is priced higher at the cash than at the shelf, you get...the item free or 10$ off whichever is less. 

The Metro near me had mispriced baby food on, the expensive stew kind I used to like to have on hand for crazy days...well I went there and I picked up one of each different kind for days. They never changed the price and everyday I was walking out of there with 15$ worth of baby food. 

You'll see this happen too often to be a coincidence once you start looking for this. Zellers had a sale on 4 jars of baby food for 1$ but when you went to the cash it still rang through at 1$. Zellers doesn't follow SCOP so I didn't get it free but stores do this stuff all the time. 

Unfortunately...my husband will no longer go grocery shopping with me.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Jungle said:


> You may not be looking in the right places. Check out gocoupons.ca websaver.ca and save.ca
> 
> Get coupons from these places, then wait for your items to go on sale, then use the coupon for the item. Double wammy.


Very interesting. I checked out those sites and thought that was a pretty neat idea. So I guess they mail you the coupons you choose? How do they make money? Do they sell your address to junk mailers?

Not to take away from your excellent post but there were no products useful to me at this time. I'll keep checking though. Thanks!


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Jungle said:


> I really value a dollar and see nothing wrong with taking advantage of a deal as long as it's legal and ethical to do so. Some people would say I'm cheap, but I am not ashamed to save money and usually watch them waste it.
> 
> To take it even further, take the money you saved, and would have otherwise spent (like grocery costs) and pay debt or invest it.
> 
> Then the return grows more.


AMEN x2! I do not feel cheap, I work hard for my money and I like to know where it is going and if I can save on what I buy, then why not. 

My wife needed some lipbalm today and I saw that it was on special at Shoppers for $1.99 (regular $4.59). I went on www.groceryalerts.ca and saw that there was a coupons for $2 off the purchase of that lipbalm... I went to Shoppers and got 10 of these, than would normally have retailed for $45.90 and I paid... $0!

I also went to London Drugs to price match some Sensodyne toothpaste usually retailing at $5.50. In the Superstore flyer, the special was $3.79, so London Drugs matched the price and I used 2 different coupons for additional savings of $1.50. I ended up paying $2.29 for such a good quality toothpaste. 

I guess it's not bad as I needed to buy these anyway... maybe not 10 of these... but it was free!


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Berubeland said:


> While I was pregnant I had a lot of extra time on my hands...I would save anywhere from 10 to 15% on groceries with coupons.
> 
> For those brazen individuals like myself another great way to save is the scanning code of practice. If an item is priced higher at the cash than at the shelf, you get...the item free or 10$ off whichever is less.
> 
> ...


Do you know exactly which stores do not follow the Scanning Code of Practice? It happens often that the price is wrong at Wal-Mart and they reduce the price to what it is supposed to be (I often have to argue with them that the price is scanned vs the shelf price is wrong) and I often get 'the look' from the cashier. Is there anything we can do to enforce or the retailers just follow the practice without negative consequences if not applied?


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## groceryalerts (May 5, 2009)

carllecat said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I recently started to collect and even stack some coupons of goods and services I might need in the future. I watched that Ultimate Couponing on TV and really thought these people were freaks... until I realized the potential behind the whole idea...
> 
> ...


Thanks for mentioning groceryalerts! 

Things like lotion are great to pair up in gift baskets for friends and events. We are doing to this to help our fellow Canadians save money and help those less fortunate with the free products we often find (before taxes).


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> Very interesting. I checked out those sites and thought that was a pretty neat idea. So I guess they mail you the coupons you choose? How do they make money? Do they sell your address to junk mailers?
> 
> Not to take away from your excellent post but there were no products useful to me at this time. I'll keep checking though. Thanks!


I don't get any spam mail or email, and yes they get mailed out to you within a few days. 

As for how they make money, I'm not sure.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

carllecat said:


> Do you know exactly which stores do not follow the Scanning Code of Practice? It happens often that the price is wrong at Wal-Mart and they reduce the price to what it is supposed to be (I often have to argue with them that the price is scanned vs the shelf price is wrong) and I often get 'the look' from the cashier. Is there anything we can do to enforce or the retailers just follow the practice without negative consequences if not applied?



I read a lot of SCOP experiences on RFD in this thread :

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/reminder-code-practice-scanner-price-accuracy-173091/26/

And yes everyone gets that look from the cashier and resistance or denial. More than likely you have to tell them to call the manager to the cashier and get them to read the SCOP label on the counter. 

Once they read it aloud, they can't really disagree with it, especially if the company has agreed to participate in it. 

I believe Future Shop, Walmart, Shopper's Drug Mart all participate in SCOP. There is a 1800 number on the label you can call to complain about a retailer refusing to honour SCOP. 

I read a lot of stories about stubbron casheir's and duty manager's at Shopper's refusing SCOP. However, if you call their customer service number, they will give you back the difference in points and follow up with the management. 

I'm not an expert on SCOP, but I know that you can't switch items on the shelf and expect them to give you the lower price. There is a grey area here. However people on RFD know SCOp very well. 


I missed SCOP last time at Shopper's. The had advertised Christie cookies in their flyer for $0.99 cents. I went to stock up, they all rang up at like $2/peice. I could have got SCOP but forgot to mention it... however I ended up getting them from $0.99 bag since it was posted on sale in the flyer..the store had made a mistake in their POS system to list the proper sale price when scanned.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

carllecat said:


> AMEN x2! I do not feel cheap, I work hard for my money and I like to know where it is going and if I can save on what I buy, then why not.
> 
> My wife needed some lipbalm today and I saw that it was on special at Shoppers for $1.99 (regular $4.59). I went on www.groceryalerts.ca and saw that there was a coupons for $2 off the purchase of that lipbalm... I went to Shoppers and got 10 of these, than would normally have retailed for $45.90 and I paid... $0!
> 
> ...


Well done, you would make RFD's proud!


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Found this Excellent post on SCOP from RFD: I decided to post it here: (all credit goes to the poster on RFD from this post.

Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) F.A.Q.
=============================

1 - What is the “Scanning Code of Practice" (SCOP)?

The SCOP ("the Code") is a policy that some stores in Canada have agreed to follow. The main feature of the SCOP is the “Item Free Scanner Policy” [SCOP 1].

2 - What is the “Item Free Scanner Policy”?

When the "correct" price (i.e., the advertised or displayed price) is lower than the price that is scanned at the checkout, the customer gets the item for free, as long as the item costs $10 or less [SCOP 1.1(a)]. If the correct (i.e., lowest) price is more than $10, the customer gets $10 off the lowest price [SCOP 1.1(b)]. 

3 - What is the "Correct" price for an item in a store?

By law, the lowest advertised or displayed price is the "correct" price [Facts for Cashiers]. The exception is when the retailer has published or displayed a correction notice stating that the advertised or displayed price is an error. In that case, the "correct" price is the one given in the notice. [SCOP 2.2]

Note: all retailers in Canada are obligated by law to honour the "correct" price, whether or not they follow the Code.

4 - Which stores follow the Code?

In Quebec, all stores are required to follow a law that is similar to the Code. Outside of Quebec, many major Canadian retailers have agreed to follow the Code. This includes Canadian Tire, Future Shop, Costco, Loblaws, Rona, Sobeys, Metro, Pharmasave, Home Depot, Shopper's Drug Mart, and Wal-Mart. For the full list, see the "RCC" link at the end of this FAQ.

5 - What items are covered?

The code applies to merchandise with a UPC bar code. One exception is prescription drugs. Another is a “price ticketed item", which is one that has a price affixed to it [Pamphlet]. 

6 - I bought multiple, identical items. Does the Item Free Scanner Policy apply to all of them?

The Item Free Scanner Policy only applies to the first item [SCOP 1.2]. The "correct" (lowest) price applies to the remaining identical items.

7 - Is the Item Free Scanner Policy applied to the regular (scanned) price, or the lower, "correct" price?

The policy is applied to the lower, “correct” price [SCOP 1.1(b)].

8 - I pointed out an error, but I was offered the corrected price, and not the Item Free Scanner Policy.
9 - The cashier did not think they were allowed to apply the Item Free Scanner Policy.
10 - The cashier did not know about the Item Free Scanner Policy, and did not want to apply it.

The cashier should know about and have been authorized to offer the Item Free Scanner Policy [SCOP 7.1]. There may be a valid reason why the cashier did not agree to apply the policy. Often the Customer Service department can clarify the issue, or apply the Item Free Scanner Policy for you. You may also wish to bring this situation to the attention of the store manager, who may be unaware that the cashier needs further training.

11 - The store manager also refused to honour the Code. What should I do now?

There may be a valid reason why the manager did not agree to apply the policy. You can get information and assistance by contacting the Scanner Price Accuracy Committee at 1-866-499-4599.

12 - Can the Scanner Price Accuracy Committee do anything for me?

The committee may contact the retailer on your behalf to resolve the issue. The Committee also tracks complaints, and creates an annual report (see link below). 

13 - The bar code and description don't match the item I bought, but it looks like the picture in the flier/ad.
14 - I found the item in a bin that was marked with a lower price, but the UPC doesn't match.

The code won't apply if item does not match the barcode and description on a sign or in a flyer, even if it was found in the wrong bin.

15 - I don't think the store has corrected the price, yet. If I get another one, will the Item Free Scanner Policy apply to it?

The limit of one free item only applies to a single transaction [SCOP 1.2]. When a new transaction is performed, if the error has not been corrected, the Item Free Scanner Policy should be applied again to this new transaction, and the item should be free.

16 - Does Zellers follow the Code?

No, Zellers does not follow the Code. We will have to see what happens when they are bought out by Target. However, it is still important to make a note of the advertised/displayed price, to catch errors and get the lower price. If the scanned price at Zellers is higher than an advertised or displayed price, the customer is entitled to the lowest price (unless there is a correction notice). However, if the scanner shows a higher price, Zellers does not have to follow the Item Free Scanner Policy.

17 - An item has a bar code, but also a price written on it, or a price sticker. Does the SCOP apply?

No, the SCOP does not apply to an item with a price on it, even if it also has a bar code [Pamphlet].

18 - An item scanned at a lower price. Does the Item Free Scanner Policy apply?

No, the Item Free Scanner Policy only applies when the scanned price is higher than the correct price [SCOP 1.1].

19 - I paid for the item, then found the error. The manager said the Code only applies if I point out the error BEFORE I pay.
20 - I pointed out the error before I paid. The manager said the Code only applies if I point out the error AFTER I pay.

The policy applies any time a scanning error occurrs, and the scanned price is higher. This is true regardless of when the error was pointed out, or when payment occurred. However, it is wise to point out the error as soon as possible.

21 - The manager said the Code doesn’t apply, because “head office” updated the database.
22 - The manager said the sign was left over from last week’s sale, so the Code doesn’t apply.
23 - The manager said that the sign was wrong, not the scanner, so the Code doesn't apply.

The reason for the scanning not matching the lowest price does not matter; the SCOP and Item Free Scanner Policy still apply.

24 - The manager said the sign was put up in error, so the Code doesn’t apply.
25 - The manager said the advertised/displayed price is just wrong, so the Code doesn’t apply.

The "correct" price is the advertised or displayed price, and the SCOP applies until the price is corrected.

26 - When the scanned price was wrong, I pointed out the sign. The manager pulled the sign down, and said the Code no longer applies to me.

The manager did not know about the sign until you pointed it out, so the SCOP still applies.

27 - The manager said they can’t honour the Code, because they’d lose money on the transaction.

The purpose of the Item Free Scanner Policy is to motivate the retailer to have scanner accuracy, not to protect them from financial losses.

28 - The manager said it’s a “voluntary” code, or is only a “guideline”, and refuses to honour the Code.

The store is a signatory to the Code, and cannot refuse to honour it, unless they formally do so through the Scanner Price Accuracy Committee.

29 - The manager said that the Item Free Scanner Policy only applies to items that cost less than $10. Mine cost more than $10.

You don't get the item for free, but you do get $10 off the lowest price [SCOP 1.1b].

30 - I saw a lower price on the sign, but after an employee "checked", a higher price had been substituted.

One option is to retrieve the sign from the shelf after paying, but before going to Customer Service to point out the error. Another idea is to use a cell phone or camera to take a picgture of the low-priced sign. You may wish to report an incident like this to the Scanner Price Accuracy Committee at 1-866-499-4599.

31 - Why do some retailers volunteer to follow the code?

The official answer is to “Visibly demonstrate retailer commitment to scanner price accuracy” [SCOP Purpose].

The unofficial answer is to prevent the Code from becoming law in all of Canada, as it did in Quebec.

-----

References:

Retail Council of Canada (RCC): http://www.retailcouncil.org/advocac...racy02_eng.asp

CACDS (Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores) Pamphlet: http://www.cacds.com/LinkClick.aspx?...c=&tabid=264

CACDS, Facts for Cashiers: http://www.cacds.com/onrecord/docume...r2007Final.pdf

CB (Competition Bureau): http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/e...eng/01262.html

Annual Report (2010): http://www.cfig.ca/docs/feature_scanner_accuracy.pdf


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

What is the cashier did not scan, but manually punched the price for celery (reg. $1.49) but there was a special and it should have been pricedbto $0.99? Since nothing was scanned, anything I can do???


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

This SCOP angle is very interesting. Marketplace did an excellent story on it a couple of years ago and I have a story of my own to contribute. They had USB sticks on sale so I decided to buy a couple. I think the sale price was $5-10 (can't remember exactly) and the regular price was $15. I bought two and when they rang up at cash asked me for like $32 so I politely said 'wtf' and they sent me to customer svc. I didn't understand why and was in a bit of a hurry. But I braved a 2nd lineup and did it anyway and gave me a lot of money back. It ended up that my sticks only cost me a couple of dollars (or perhaps were free, my math is poor at this hour) and I walked away with a ton of cash in my hand. At the time I couldn't figure out why they gave me all that money but they were busy and seemingly annoyed, so I just walked away. It was only later that I learned about SCOP.


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## sprocket1200 (Aug 21, 2009)

maybe I am old fashioned, but I just ask for a discount...


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I have used the SCOP many many times. 

I know the following stores have it:

Superstore, Safeway, Coop, - actually almost all grocery stores that I have been too
Walmart - but they are really difficult to get to complie
Canadian Tire, Toys R Us
Shoppers, 
Target in the US

Mostly the larger stores. 

The HBC, Bay, Zellars, do NOT comply. Rexall is also not included. 

I actually have a list that I got from calling the SCOP organization, but can't seem to find it right now. 

Look around the till to see if there is a little sign indicating the policy. 

Usually you have to get a manager there, and have to ask for it.

It is voluntary, but if you know your stuff, they usually will comply. One time, a manager told me that they were not a part of it. I looked up the policy on my Blackberry, they still wouldn't give it to me. So then I dialled the complaint line while I was in the store, with everyone waiting, asked for the managers first name, last name, and if there was a store number, and proceeded to leave a message. The manager gave me the $10 (it was more than $10). 

I find with walmart, I have to make sure they scan the item in, then I argue with them. There was one time, the item I had was had a different price on the box, than on the display model. It was about $20 less on the display than on the box. The UPC was the same though. After getting the manager and argueing for a long time, they agree it scanned wrong, and were going to give me the $20 less. At that point, then I reminded them about the SCOP, they gave me another $10.  They were pretty mad. The people behind me actually congratulated me.

It does not apply if the clerk manually enters the price wrong. Only if there is a lable of the specific item that scans (usually nothing by the weight). It also does not apply if there is a date of the specil. 

I actually go through the grocery store, and scan to see if there are things that are ringing up at a different price. There are things that I have found tend to scan wrong.

For example, if I see the item located in 2 places, with two different prices. Sometimes, if there one sign that is a different price from all of the rest of the other flavors.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

In terms of couponing, I have found that Canada does not have the same deals as the US. When were living in the US for a little bit, I was able to many items for free using the internet and coupons.

Here, I do scan coupons, and try to stack, but don't have as much time as I used too. 

I have gotton many items for free, and I find Superstore and Walmart is the best place to do this with. When I'm actually at other groceries, I look for coupons in the aisles that I may use. I find they are more expensive there, so then I grab the coupons and use it at Superstore. Sometimes there are similar promotions that go on. So I will try to buy a sale item, with manufactuer coupon, and a store coupon at the same time. Some deals I've gotten are the big boxes of diapers (reg $37 box), on sale, then with a store coupon, and then maybe 2 DIFFERENT manufactuer coupons, and it ended up to be about being about $12. This is pretty rare though.

I usually get cereal really cheap, there was on time, they ended up PAYING ME $.50 a box. I was only able to 15 boxes, but I was pretty impressed with that.

I also try to combine these deals for when they have those free gc deals (buy $250 get $25). I found if I get them to do the subtotal BEFORE and give me the gift card, THEN have them do my price matches from other stores, and thenI scan in all my coupons, I do really well. (Order really matters) The best I was able to do was my grocery bill was about $260, and I got it for $180 plus a $25 gift card. My total grocery costs (retail value with out sales) well over $350. That was when we both weren't working, so had the time to look for the sales, and track this.


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> I have used the SCOP many many times.
> 
> I know the following stores have it:
> 
> ...


So if the price on the shelf is let's say $100 and it scans for $80... You will not get the $100 - $10, but the $80 - $10? The lowest price between the price tag on the shelf or the scanned price will prevail?

Is that right?


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> In terms of couponing, I have found that Canada does not have the same deals as the US. When were living in the US for a little bit, I was able to many items for free using the internet and coupons.
> 
> Here, I do scan coupons, and try to stack, but don't have as much time as I used too.
> 
> ...


You guys need some London Drugs in Eastern Canada!!! You can stack coupons and they also price match... 

*GroceryAlerts*, is there a reason why London Drugs is the only retailer in Canada that allows stacking???


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

carllecat said:


> So if the price on the shelf is let's say $100 and it scans for $80... You will not get the $100 - $10, but the $80 - $10? The lowest price between the price tag on the shelf or the scanned price will prevail?
> 
> Is that right?


Correct. HOWEVER, I have found you must get them to agree that the item scaned incorrectly first, then tell them about the the SCOP. This does not apply for %off sales.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

carllecat said:


> You guys need some London Drugs in Eastern Canada!!! You can stack coupons and they also price match...
> 
> *GroceryAlerts*, is there a reason why London Drugs is the only retailer in Canada that allows stacking???


I forgot to add London Drugs is also a part of SCOP. I am in the West. 

Other retailers allow stacking, but you have to read the coupon terms. Some say multiple coupons can be combined, others say not.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

I love how this thread has brought out my fellow coupon and price match / scop whores. 

Now self scanning items to see if you can got a SCOP, can't say I've done that!


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Just did it again. There was a whole bunch of Valentines candy that had different prices. It rang up at none of the prices but the highest. So I told them I would just take the one - for free. Person didn't know what I was talking about, so I showed them their sign. Manager came, gave it to me.


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> Just did it again. There was a whole bunch of Valentines candy that had different prices. It rang up at none of the prices but the highest. So I told them I would just take the one - for free. Person didn't know what I was talking about, so I showed them their sign. Manager came, gave it to me.


On a weekly basis, I have to tell the cashier at Walmart that 2-3 items usually worth around $25 total did not scan at the right price. As of now, I will wait until the end, pay and then go directly to the customers service to claim my prize!


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I find it a bit unusual that big business would agree to something like the SCOP. What's in it for them? Seems to me they won't be very profitable if the masses continue getting free product. Did the gov't force this through once upon a time?


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

It's to convince and have retailers agree and be accountable for price accuracy when things are scanned in at the cash. 

Most people could care less and do not pay attention, therefor it's taking advantage of customers overpaying who don't know any better, or trust that retailers are always accurate or correct. You could look at this as an ethical business agreement to insure customers are not getting ripped off. 

Joining the SCOP business practice is voluntary and SCOP was created as an alternative policy to prevent it from becoming law on Ontario. For example, this practice is already law in Quebec.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

carllecat said:


> On a weekly basis, I have to tell the cashier at Walmart that 2-3 items usually worth around $25 total did not scan at the right price. As of now, I will wait until the end, pay and then go directly to the customers service to claim my prize!


You can tell them right there, but right after they have corrected the price. The problem is they will need a manager each time. I'll do that depending on the lines.


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## Rico (Jan 27, 2011)

carllecat said:


> So if the price on the shelf is let's say $100 and it scans for $80... You will not get the $100 - $10, but the $80 - $10? The lowest price between the price tag on the shelf or the scanned price will prevail?
> 
> Is that right?



From the post about the SCOP, it appears you'd only get the $80 price.

"18 - An item scanned at a lower price. Does the Item Free Scanner Policy apply?

No, the Item Free Scanner Policy only applies when the scanned price is higher than the correct price [SCOP 1.1]."


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Rico said:


> From the post about the SCOP, it appears you'd only get the $80 price.
> 
> "18 - An item scanned at a lower price. Does the Item Free Scanner Policy apply?
> 
> No, the Item Free Scanner Policy only applies when the scanned price is higher than the correct price [SCOP 1.1]."


Sorry I read it wrong. If it the scanned price was $80, and the marked price is $100, you get it for $80, no additional discount.

If the scanned price is $100, the marked price is $80, you get the $80 then get $10 more off for it scanning wrong.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

And if the reg price was scanned at $15 and the sale price was $10, then that makes the item...free?


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## Pigzfly (Dec 2, 2010)

I love getting deals.
The first time I used/found out about the SCOP was 3 weeks ago or so. My partner warned me that I wasn't going to like the price of Kiwi cloths for shoe shining, so I actually looked at the price when I found them. For some reason I looked at my receipt at home and was pretty confident that I was over charged... the end result was $10.50 refunded to me 
Apparently, what I should have done was go back the next day to see if I could exploit the system.

When you find yourself with the opportunity to get goods for a ridiculously low price, but think to yourself "personally, I dont need a dozen lotion bottles," consider amassing them for charity. There are a myriad ofplaces whch would be very grateful for such a donation. Women's Shelter, men's shelter, women's center, christmas hampers, food bank, arts council, salvation army, soup kitchen, church/mosque/temple programs, etc etc. 
There is a good thread here:
http://freebiesdealsandrewards.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36927


A friend of mine once taught me to always buy a good for the food bank bin, whenever you get groceries. I have not been very good at doing so, but whenever I find a sweet deal, I will often do so. ie when there was a whole bin of toothpaste, expiring in about 2 months. It was 14 cents or so I think, I bought a ton of it for the food bank.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

the-royal-mail said:


> And if the reg price was scanned at $15 and the sale price was $10, then that makes the item...free?


Correct.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Indeed, some retailers have a price matching policy. If a competitor cuts their prices by a penny, the retailer will match this price but not bother to print tens of thousands of new shelf labels to reflect the change in price. So it scans through at the lower price, and the SCOP does not apply.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Pigzfly said:


> I love getting deals.
> The first time I used/found out about the SCOP was 3 weeks ago or so. My partner warned me that I wasn't going to like the price of Kiwi cloths for shoe shining, so I actually looked at the price when I found them. For some reason I looked at my receipt at home and was pretty confident that I was over charged... the end result was $10.50 refunded to me
> Apparently, what I should have done was go back the next day to see if I could exploit the system.
> 
> ...


Doesn't the SCOP only stipulate that the penalty is paid on the first item and each subsequent item will be sold at the correct (lower) price?


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

andrewf said:


> Doesn't the SCOP only stipulate that the penalty is paid on the first item and each subsequent item will be sold at the correct (lower) price?


It does. The whole point of the store voluntarily doing this, is that they are then supposed to go and change the price in the system or on the shelf so they match. If they don't by the next day, then you could technically go through again, however, if they recognize you, then they do not have to honor it.

You cannot through again the same shop.


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## Pigzfly (Dec 2, 2010)

I was refunded $10.50 because that was the full value of the first one (free) and the difference so that the second one was the shelf price.


I haven't returned the next day to see if the prices is the same, but I hear many, many stories of that happening, even in this thread.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

It's only voluntary for a retailer to sign up with SCOP. Once they have made an agreement and committed to this practice, they must follow the policy of SCOP. 

The the retailer decides they do not want to participate anymore, the must apply to cancel the agreement with the SCOP committee, then remove their SCOP stickers from the cash. 

Beware of Manager's claiming to have discretionary control in denying you SCOP, when the the company has already committed to an agreement of participation. (as long as you case is legit)

This is why there is a 1800 number to complain. They will then call the head office and the manager who denied you, will be followed up with, by their head office.


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

ameliawalker said:


> That is a good tip. True that we would like to save in anyway we can. It can be very rewarding at the end. Who would think that as simple as the discrepancy form shelf price to the cash register would already give good discounts! That is just one way. Find others and make discounting fun!


I was at Walmart today and a Great Value bag of chips was scanned at $1.50 when it should have been $1.00. I tell the cashier, an older woman who did not seem very excited about life in general, and she said that the scanned price is right. I argue and argue and tell her to call someone to verify the price.... She called customer service and asked the employee what was the price... Without verifying, the employee said $1.50... I told her to tell the employee to go have a look... It took around 5 minutes for the employee to get back and in the meantime, the cashier asked me if I want to void and pay since the lineup is getting bigger. I politely replied no with the best smile I had to offer for the occasion! The employee supposedly went and came back to tell us that the price tag was $1.50. I finally decided to pay for everything and went with the employee in order to show her the pricetag... Surprise...! I was sooo right! She told me I could go to customers service and get it for $1, at which time I told her 'according to the Scanning Code of Practice'... You guys should have seen her face, that was priceless!

Shame on you Walmart for this poor customer service! The cashier wanted to make me feel bad and put pressure on me, but I was the one who was right and... I got chips for free!


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

carllecat said:


> I was at Walmart today and a Great Value bag of chips was scanned at $1.50 when it should have been $1.00. I tell the cashier, an older woman who did not seem very excited about life in general, and she said that the scanned price is right. I argue and argue and tell her to call someone to verify the price.... She called customer service and asked the employee what was the price... Without verifying, the employee said $1.50... I told her to tell the employee to go have a look... It took around 5 minutes for the employee to get back and in the meantime, the cashier asked me if I want to void and pay since the lineup is getting bigger. I politely replied no with the best smile I had to offer for the occasion! The employee supposedly went and came back to tell us that the price tag was $1.50. I finally decided to pay for everything and went with the employee in order to show her the pricetag... Surprise...! I was sooo right! She told me I could go to customers service and get it for $1, at which time I told her 'according to the Scanning Code of Practice'... You guys should have seen her face, that was priceless!
> 
> Shame on you Walmart for this poor customer service! The cashier wanted to make me feel bad and put pressure on me, but I was the one who was right and... I got chips for free!


Good job. Maybe us cheap ones shoud all meet up one day and have a SCOP party. I'll bring some coupons. lol


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Sadly, the ones who are suffering the most are all those people standing in line while this type of argument takes place. Not the stores.

The best approach I saw was with my earlier story. As soon as I said the price was wrong the cashier immediately said I MUST go to customer service, no discussion and I was outta there quick. At least that way there was no fellow customers being inconvenienced.

Just saying.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

I like that approch. But have you seen the line up at Customer service at Wal Mart? 

You have to then wait, again, because of their screw up and ill -trained staff.


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## carllecat (Aug 3, 2010)

Jungle said:


> Good job. Maybe us cheap ones shoud all meet up one day and have a SCOP party. I'll bring some coupons. lol


Had the cashier been nice and courteous, I would have offered to void and I would have reported to CS. However, the cashier was arrogant enough for me to decide to shut my mouth and let her do her homework... I did not like being told that the scanned price was exact in order for me to swallow the pill. 

The other time at Walmart, the cashier screwed up when I paid and he wanted me to unpack everything so he could start from scratch. I had grocery for the entire week for a family of 4... So he did everything again by himself and at the end, the new total was not balancing with the one he previously had... He then called CS to get some help and they wanted to do it over again. I am not joking, I probably lost 20 minutes of my time because of such a stupidity. At one point, I told the cashier of dissatisfied I was loosing my time for a $5 difference... 

The day Walmart will decide to improve its CS, it will bring even more loyal customers. Many people refrain from going to Walmart because the service and the shopping experience in general is deficient! 

I love Walmart, even more since I heard about that SCOP!

Cheers!


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