Archived Fraudulent Coupons and Recalls

[RedisRad]

I remember reading a communication when the pick item first started rolling out that we weren't to adjust the value of a manufacturer's coupon because Target was still getting reimbursed for the full value. I haven't had it come up where it would have made a transactions negative, however.

You are correct. This has been the policy for a while now. At least 6 months, if I had to guess. Probably longer.

Is this even for states with stricter coupon laws? I just want to make sure. Even my ETLAP is unsure, and no one else seems to know. You guys are my best bet for a solid answer at this point. What triggers the pick item screen in the first place?

 

[mrknownothing]

What triggers the pick item screen in the first place?

Free items or BOGOs. These coupons used to always ask "how much is the coupon?", but now they make you pick the item and the value is wrong no matter what. As others have said, instead of scanning the coupon and doing that, key the coupon manually (K4 for Discounts, K2 for Manufacturer's Coupon) and make sure the value is written on the coupon. The coupon won't be tied to the item like it's supposed to be, but at least the value will be correct that way.

 

[OrangeJuice]

According to the Accepting Coupons - Best Practice guide (it is on Workbench), you are not supposed to adjust the manufacturer coupon amount because Target gets reimbursed for the full amount. Nor are you supposed to adjust if they return the items, the guest is supposed to get the full value back minus any Target coupon. It also says if the coupon value is higher than the item value, the overage is to be applied to other merchandise in the transaction (and again, not adjusted with the K2). POS will only adjust the total to zero if the resulting total is negative (coupon policy is that we can't give cash back for overage). K2 is only supposed to be used if the coupon isn't scanning, like some of the double stacked coupon barcodes or bottle caps.

But find me a GSTL/GSA that allows that... :mosking:

And recalls can be a pain when guests bring in certain items *coughcribstrollerscough* that have been out of the system for a while.

 

[Barcode]

According to the Accepting Coupons - Best Practice guide (it is on Workbench), you are not supposed to adjust the manufacturer coupon amount because Target gets reimbursed for the full amount. Nor are you supposed to adjust if they return the items, the guest is supposed to get the full value back minus any Target coupon. It also says if the coupon value is higher than the item value, the overage is to be applied to other merchandise in the transaction (and again, not adjusted with the K2). POS will only adjust the total to zero if the resulting total is negative (coupon policy is that we can't give cash back for overage). K2 is only supposed to be used if the coupon isn't scanning, like some of the double stacked coupon barcodes or bottle caps.

But find me a GSTL/GSA that allows that... :mosking:

And recalls can be a pain when guests bring in certain items *coughcribstrollerscough* that have been out of the system for a while.

The coupon policy also gives stores discretion with coupons I may add...

 

[OrangeJuice]

Definitely, that blanket statement could potentially allow stores to turn away any coupons. Especially since it doesn't mention there has to be a reason they can refuse a coupon, just that they have the right to.

Just all those bad coupon guests out there that make it hard for the other guests legitimately using coupons to save a bit on their purchases.

 

[HardlinesFour]

There are NO $20 DVD Coupons in existence. Nor are there any Coupons (high value & rarely of any value) for Gift Cards, Flash Drives, Anything really Electronics.

Most Coupons are issued for Food, HBA, and Kitchen stuff. Rarely will you ever encounter a fake Target web coupon, but Guests will sometimes try to throw them in without purchasing any of the items.

I know Disney & Fox will sometimes offer $3-$5 coupons for new release titles, but never for 70% or more Value..


Almost any Free item Coupon, will have a Holagram. If something seems Fishy, always call over your GSTL/GSA, and make sure AP knows the situation.

There ARE NO PRINTABLE, FREE ITEM COUPONS. THESE ARE FRAUDULENT, AND TARGET WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED FOR THE PURCHASE.

You'd be surprised the things "Guests" try to get away with. Free Xbox Games, iPods, even a PS3.. Nah, we don't accept those. Your welcome to try Walmart down the street though.

 

[HardlinesFour]

Just try to keep in mind, most Coupons are not issued with the intention of giving away Merchandise. Otherwise, Companies simply would go out of business.

Most coupons are 25% - 30% off the product price, rarely more then that.

More Advice from Other Members.

They're internet coupons.

Coupon must be whole.

Each Internet coupon needs to be scannable.

Cannot be copied/scanned, please note you cannot determine this by print quality. Some people have ****ty printers.

Most Internet coupons (manufac) have a serial barcode with numbers below it. This is the unique coupon identifier... If multiple coupons have the same serial, they are fraudulent. It's not the same barcode you scan.

Fraudulent coupons will usually have poor grammar or mistakes in the wording.

If the coupons are over $10, verify with gstl.

I've printed Target coupons that won't scan...they were perfectly legit, but my printer was running out of ink. I was told to use my best judgment on this one

ALL coupons have a serial barcode on it, but not all are unique. I've printed multiple coupons off websites (even Target.com-"legitimately", you are allowed to print 2) that have printed with the same serial number

So do some on Target.com, although it's been a while since I've seen one with improper grammar

I was told $5, but I'm sure that varies by store...

Another "dead giveaway" is the "any item FREE" or "on any *BRAND* item". Most manufacturer coupons are for *specific* items or at the very least a specific "type" of product by that brand. Popular ones are for batteries, "Kraft" brand items, "Coke" brand items, baby items. You can go http://www.couponinformationcenter.com/psa-list.php to see a list of fraudulent ones...

I would write more on this, but I gotta go to work. I'll write some more later.

 

[Barcode]

Some coupons give freebies. I've seen it often enough.

 

[3LetterDevil]

Some coupons give freebies. I've seen it often enough.

Very few printable ones will give a "free" item without a purchase of another. While it does happen every once in a while, it's rare. If it does, it's usually a "new" item. One that I've seen recently is the "new" frosting "add-ins" (the name is escaping me right now, but it's basically a flavoring that you put in a can of frosting to make it a different flavor).....usually with something like this, it will be "free with purchase of frosting"...