There has been a lot of buzz in the past year about bloggers promoting printable coupons (and specifically printable grocery coupons) and there should be: these coupons help you stay within your budget while still getting the things you want and need.
Every successful blogger that I’ve seen who writes about couponing is not only extremely smart, but also extremely savvy. They know that there are a couple of things you can do to “cheat the system”, but they don’t promote them.
Why not? Well, beyond the legal issues (after all, fraud IS illegal), there are a few more:
1. Coupon Fraud hurts your local grocery store. I know you may be thinking that the grocery store you go to most frequently is a big chain, but even small instances of theft (because technically, that’s what this is) do add up. They lose money because the coupon providers won’t accept the coupon they’ve sent in… even though it may have scanned when you were at the register. And if you do shop at a locally-owned store, you’re hurting people you know and damaging their livelihood.
2. Coupon Fraud hurts your neighbors… and you! Sure, you’re getting a good deal, but the money that the grocery store just lost has to come from somewhere. So, prices go up, amenities go down and the overall environment will decrease in quality. Plus, jobs could be cut to make up for the loss in revenue. I know it sounds extreme to you – and that just your actions can’t do all this – but it adds up fast if we don’t all hold ourselves accountable.
3. The couponing community loses respect. I’ve heard some horror stories about shoppers getting berated by cashiers when they use coupons and, while I’ve never experienced it personally, a lot of the anger comes from people thinking that the couponer is “cheating” to save money. Those of us who aren’t doing anything wrong get punished for crimes they didn’t commit, making it harder and harder to convince people of the great benefits of coupons!
Ultimately, you need to come to your own decision on this one… after all, it’s your conscience and while it may be a short-term benefit to your wallet, the long-term effects can be extremely destructive. Don’t believe me? Here’s what Crystal over at MoneySavingMom.com said last year about copying coupons:
Unless a coupon is a PDF hosted on the manufacturer’s website, it is *ALWAYS* unethical and illegal to copy a coupon.
Each of these coupons has a unique barcode and the store will only be reimbursed for coupons with a unique barcode. So if you copy them, the store will not be reimbursed and you will also be committing coupon fraud.
Not only could this get you into serious trouble, but this also means that stores will be less likely to accept internet printed coupons–which is the last thing any of us want.
Happy Shopping!
