[JaimeDae]

[itsthebman]

thanks!

[jap631]

When I was a teenager, I worked in a supermarket (and waitressed). Now as a professional with a Masters degree... and heavy couponer who hopes to quit her job after baby #2 comes in 2010 (thanks to sites like this, I can feed and hygienize --if that's a word--my family for $50 per week)-- I've been on both ends of it. I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. Not that I don't have an off day (and I did as a cashier / waitress too).

Until you've walked in their shoes, you can't pass judgment.

thanks for this post!

[esquala]

Originally Posted by rachellynn

Great post. I totally agree. I normally don't even read the rants about "my awful day at Wags". We all have those every so often. It happens.

Rachellynn will be speaking for me today. If a title has the phrase "horrible trip", I move on.

In 6 months of couponing, I've never experienced something so horrible I felt compelled to complain about it (well, except those horrid-tasting broccoli-cheese GG steamers....and that was another forum and hopefully none of you guys saw it ). I come here to chat, share, make people laugh, and, on occasion, tell someone like it is. If anyone sees me whining, you have my express permission to slap me upside the head.

Put things in perspective, people! We get all these fabulous deals that most people only dream of getting - like making money on shopping.....focus on that, because it really is fabulous.

I heart AFC!

[allana'smom]

i was initially attracted to this sight because of the intelligence and kindness of the posters. i am totally guilty of being a wag grinch from time to time on my postings. i am going through a very hard time with both my dh and dd becoming disabled in the last year and sometimes a mean cashier just puts me over the edge and makes me want to cry. i am just trying to get shampoo and toothpaste at the best price as i am the only breadwinner right now. sometimes they act like i am a stay at home princess who just shops for fun and not a frazzled mom who is trying to keep my family together. most people are nice given the chance and i have even tried saying a prayer for one unusually grumpy cashier and lo and behold sher was a doll the next trip. thanks for the reminder.

[LuLuBee]

Thanks for posting and the reminder to be more sensitive to others when posting. I think this not only applies to online content but also good to keep in mind during our day to day dealings with employees in the retail/service sector.

However, just from a newbies perspective...

While I totally agree with the OP that there is no need for rude, obnoxious, thoughtless, careless, disrespectful, and petty complaints but sometimes bad things happen to good couponers. So I respectfully disagree that folks shouldn't be allowed to have an environment to vent to those who understand us the most....our fellow couponing sisters and brothers.

Not to mention this can be an excellent teaching tool not only for the person posting, but also to all those who read the posts. Especially if they misunderstood store policy or tried to use a coupon incorrectly. And vice versa; if a store was in the wrong there are soooo many knowledgable folks on this site that can help set us straight. I know I have personally learned a great deal from such posts where I thought, "I never want to encounter that so let me keep reading to see how to avoid/handle such situations if I ever find myself in these shoes"

I too have had GREAT frustration over the inconsistent policy at Wags with the "you can't get RRs if you use coupons" and various other impromptu policies that each store seems to pull out of thin air. I chose not to post because the employees were in their minds just doing their jobs and never made me feel disrespected. But I was relieved that others are also encountering this so it's not just me.

I have though posted about a situation in which I was humilated by an employee to the point I was in tears. Nobody in my circle of family/friends are couponers so I came to the one place I knew would understand and help me sort it out...AFC! I immediately felt better and was given lots of great suggestions on how to proceed. It all worked out in the end but I'm sooooooo thankful I had AFC to turn to.

Again, I totally agree that we should be mindful of others and try to put ourselves in their shoes. Bearing in mind that in order to get respect, you must first give respect. I just feel that you should be able to post these type of things freely as long as you're being mature about it. And like other posters have stated, if they are not in the mood to read about a negative experience then they have the option of not reading.

Just my 2cents and will close by saying I do love this site!!! I greatly appreciate all the MANY helpful members who embrace us newbies to show us the ropes to great savings!

[VintageTink]

Thanks for the reminder! I know sometimes we all have our moments where we just want to scream at the troubles we have at the checkout with cashiers or managers etc that are not as well informed as we are about coupons and its hard to just move on from it but remember that if you were in their shoes how you would feel to see things said about you out on a public forum?

I was a waitress and i heard many many things said to me to my face and overheard behind my back and it was not fun let me tell you.

Thanks for understanding that everyone has a bad day and that you can vent but everyone does have feelings and feelings should be considered in whatever you say and do!

[bowers4kids]

I also agree with everyone. This is a great place to discuss and share deals. I view this site like a couponers support group. It is nice to get stuff off your chest if you are having bad feelings about a trip, but there is a forum for that the gripes, groans, and rants forum. However, I do think name calling should be left out and maybe we could focus more on the problem, what went wrong, and if it can be fixed. We all need encouragement and a shoulder to lean on from time to time. This couponing stuff is hard work and I'm sure we all have felt discouraged at times. We all have different reasons for couponing and there is a very diverse crowd on this site. We all have different personalities and opinions. Some people are very sarcastic by nature, but in type you can't hear the different tones in their voices and see their facial expressions. People might take the words they type very differently then how they were intended. Some people on here are very happy and positive all the time. Some people on here just like to push other peoples buttons and bring up things they know are going to cause drama, because we all do have very strong opinions on certain subjects. I would like to take this time to make a friendly reminder also and say lets all take a moment to reread our posts before we hit that post reply button. And if we think it might offend anyone or start drama lets revise it before posting. And yes I say we, because I'm reminding myself of this also. It only takes a moment and we can keep things moving in a positive direction and get back to focusing on what we can all agree on. We want to save some money!

[joshmamabear]

Originally Posted by esquala

I come here to chat, share, make people laugh, and, on occasion, tell someone like it is. If anyone sees me whining, you have my express permission to slap me upside the head.

I know its wishful thinking but if we tell someone like it is and hopefully, they take it graciously rather than whine even louder, we will probably see less of unreasonable whining. Its fine to sulk in a corner and get over it after a while. I understand if people are just venting because of bad hair days, we all have that.

BUT when one is complaining about cashiers/other store personnel and asking for advice, I cannot comprehend why most responses are call corporate, get the %&*$^ fired or something that drastic when all it takes is civil conversation to straighten it out. It is not okay to take our angst on these people. Its one thing to talk about our not so good experiences once in a while, BUT for those who've done couponing for a while who give drastic advice or encourage rude behavior to those just starting is a bit disturbing.

[mom2cc]

I haven't been using coupons for long so I have yet to have a really bad experience. On the few times there has been some problem and the transaction didn't go as planned, I figure if that's the worst thing I have to complain about then I'm pretty lucky. It helps to keep things in perspective.

Though I do agree with the poster who said some of these posts can be a learning experience for newbies, even if it's in what not to do.

[carmended]

Originally Posted by AshPriest

Thank you for the reminder, KellyMarie. Let's keep AFC the friendliest place on the web

[momkjchs]

I loved the comment about "being ridiculous". that was too funny. I found that when I started being ridiculous just because I could I started to get bad vibes from my cashiers. Since then, I am moderate with my purchases and have no problems at all. There will always be another sale coming up. People are more important than things, and cashiers and managers are people. Hadn't been here for months because it got so nasty. Glad to see things might be turning around?

[Chesney]

Thanks for the reminder KellyMarie!

[lalabella]

Thanks for the post! I have read many disturbing posts and really people want to come here and look for deals people are finding or post a deal they got. Not read pages and pages of negativity or read posts between AFC's arguing cause one got deals and the other didnt etc!!! Its really quite annoying.

[mr6347]

Thank you for this reminder. I really appreciate it when things go smoothly during check out and maybe now when they get a little off I will remember this message and take a deep breath and smile. (Which will always go much farther than any other response)

[bjbby1]

I totally agree with all that has been said. Sometime I also wish he could be mindful of the way we respond to other peoples post. I have seen several times where someone respond in a way that was totally uncalled for. Although they are usually removed (thanks) but that's not right away. That makes me apprehensive about posting something. I Love this site and tell all my friend about it,they ask me EVERY week whats going on, and I find out from here.
Just a thought

[Dachshunds4]

I want to "bump" this thread up. I'm not sure everyone got the opportunity to read it.

I think we should apply this post to not JUST the WAGs cashiers/managers/employees, but we should also apply it to each other HERE on this AFC site. I've recently seen a couple of "replies" to things that, if I were the OP, I would be hurt/offended. I guess it's the old, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." Sometimes your tongue may bleed from biting it so hard, but at least you didn't say something to offend another.

.....And that's just M2C!!

[imatmiftm]

Originally Posted by jmtfirewife

If we are patient, pleasant and kind we will win and legitimate coupon use will become much easier. It all happens one cashier at a time, and it only takes one rude customer to turn a cashier off to us all.

So true. Cashiers/managers DO remember certain customers. It's so easy to get huffy when they aren't "coupon savvy", but it will make it so much harder to win them over if we're rude.
This really hit home to me when I found out that my Wags actually had names for different couponers. There was the "grouchy older lady" and the "nice brunette", etc. I'm just glad I was the nice brunette .

[javaaddict]

Originally Posted by KellyMarie

I feel as though one of the greatest things AFC has going is the friendliness of the site For over five years, AFC has been my internet home and I look forward to logging on each morning and being welcomed by happy, friendly AFC'ers like me. But lately I have been troubled by a growing trend here, and that is the thoughtlessness of some that feel the need to post derogatory remarks about cashiers and store employees. There are numerous AFC'ers that work as cashiers and store managers...imagine how they must feel every time they read a post calling them stupid, ignorant, uninformed? The AFC team would like to remind everyone to please be mindful of your comments......our moderators will remove any offensive remarks towards others
Thank you
KellyMarie

Thanks.

On a side note, how did you get all of those pumpkins?!

[KellyMarie]

Originally Posted by javaaddict

Thanks.

On a side note, how did you get all of those pumpkins?!

[javaaddict]

Originally Posted by KellyMarie

Soooooo KellyMarie......

Wannna trade me some q's for a few of those pumpkins?!

[ChristineV]

I totally agree! There is no need to get rude with a cashier or manager or speak of them bad. There will be another deal or another store another day.....yes we love our savings and good deals but we have to remember that these are people and they deserve some common curtesy!

[laurakeith22]

Hey! I totally agree with you, working with the public is the hardest job in the world and managers or even staff in general are just doing their job (and trying to please the customer at the same time). I'm kinda new to the AFC, i posted a question on whether anyone had seen any 11/01 free after rebates but i think i did it wrong because i have 41 views and no replies nor comments. HELP!!!!! PLEASE!!

[julieandricky]

I agree...
I come on her to get excited about the great deals..
Our life has had enough upset in the last few years...to many deaths and heart aches..
I just want to believe that life has a bigger meaning than everyone complaining ..It's way to short and our loved ones can be taken at anytime.
just smile..
walk away..
and pray for a better way of doing things..

[lallyy]

I come to AFC because of the "family atmosphere", the kindness extended and users being ever mindful of others. It is never necessary to bash or "throw down" on anyone...especially those doing service work to the shopper. I wouldn't want someone coming to my register with an attitude and a fist full of coupons. I think we sometimes get what we sow...I know we do. We've all (or most) had nightmare experiences but in the grand scheme of things, just how important is it that you'd give up your "Inner peace"????