Using Coupons for Purchasing Gifts
Tonight I was posed with an interesting dilemma relating to gift-giving etiquette.
I was buying some presents from a registry in a store that is known for its coupons This store allows you to use many of their coupons all at once, even if they are expired. Normally, I wouldn’t think twice about doing this but if the recipient decided to return anything, this person may receive the value of the item minus the discount I received in purchasing it.
In the end, I decided to use as many coupons as the store let me get away with because it meant I was able to give more bang for the buck, so to speak. This resulted in a 27% savings from using five coupons, which is a significant discount.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only person in the whole world who contemplates little things like whether it’s a gift-giving faux pas to use coupons.
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September 4th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Why would the recipient get a refund for the discounted price? I would assume that as in most coupon cases, the coupons are redeemed by the store for a cash value from the issuer. Therefore if the store is getting their money, why would they also try to recoup that from the consumer/recipient?
September 7th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Store coupons are eaten by the store whereas manufacturer coupons are reimbursed by the manufacturer. Most places where registries are would probably only have store coupons available for use. I can’t think of anyplace that would be different. Maybe a Home Depot where they sell lightbulbs. I sometimes see those coupons.
September 7th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
My wife had a good point. If the concern is that you might be considered cheap (something “I” would know nothing about…), the use of coupons could easily be masked as having purchased the item on sale. When you buy it on sale it has the same effect, you only get a refund for the discounted price. You usually don’t have a choice when it comes to a sale, the price is what the price is. So just tell them you hit an awesome sale!
September 7th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
True. That is a good point. It’s not the being cheap aspect so much as the feeling like I’m ripping off the gift recipient. I probably wouldn’t think twice about this if it was a sale.
I’m weird, I know. I’m probably the only person in the whole, wide world to feel bad about using a coupon. Heh.
September 26th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
I’ve run into this a few times, but I’ve never thought of it in terms of what the recipient will get as a returned item. When I get a good deal on something, I’ll usually add another gift to total what I expected to spend in total. Other times, I’ll buy up from what I would have spent because the price is equivalent after the discount.