I have recently caught the price matching and couponing bug that is all the rage right now! It seems to make perfect sense to try and save some money while we are a single income family. And what a great way to save time, going to one store and getting all the prices that are advertised all over the place. Little did I know that my nerves might not be cut out for such an extensive project.
So far, I have "price matched" twice. My first experience was pretty good; I made a list, I took Zack to the store and I organized my cart according to flyer. The only real trouble came at the cash. Being a fairly non-confrontational person, I found it stressful to justify each purchase but the cashier was patient and we got through it. And the savings were undeniable - almost $40! How could I go wrong?!
Today's experience was a little different. To combat the large load I anticipated, I brought my sister to help entertain Zack and so I could use 2 carts. The same amount of prep and planning went into the trip and this time I thought I'd throw coupons into the mix. I found the shopping a little chaotic. Since I write my list by flyer it takes me to all different departments and I find myself back-tracking more then I would like. But I digress, this was all in the name of savings so I persevered. Zack started to meltdown but still I powered on. My trouble started at the cash. I should've known as soon as I put my first flyer down this cashier was not going to work with me.
I know price matching can not be as enjoyable for the cashier as it is for the consumer but seriously? This is something the store as arranged to do so I think cashiers should try harder to get on board! I was careful to choose items that were the same brand and size as advertised in the flyer but this cashier picked apart my entire order. She wouldn't let me get one of my frozen juices for the sale price because the ad had a picture of fruit punch but said "frozen punch" and I had one fruit punch and one citrus punch - still punch! I was trying to purchase paper towels that were one sale, an 8 pack for about $4 but the store only had (same brand) 6 packs. I was willing to take LESS (the 6's) for the same price but they said they couldn't match because it wasn't the exact same - darn it! And any produce I had was vetoed because the pictures showed certain brand names even though the description just said "US produce" - ugh, so frustrating! It's a good thing I didn't attempt any meat that had complicated "per pound" pricing!
I left the store a little discouraged. This was supposed to be so easy but I felt like I had done something wrong (maybe because the people waiting in line behind me were cursing about how long I was taking). The cashiers I have encountered have not made me feel good about trying to save my family money - they've made me feel guilty for giving them extra work and self-conscience of my flyers and lists. I'm beginning to wonder if I wouldn't save myself some stress by simply traveling around from store to store for the deals. I have the time in theory to do this even though it would mean dragging my son all over town and lugging him in and out of the car. Is the physical work worth the stress reduction? I think this calls for an experiment, results to follow!
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