Monday, July 22, 2013

Coupon Fail

Last week, I noticed I needed to buy toilet paper. Not something you really want to run out of! With just a roll to spare, I picked up a 12 pack at Safeway. I would have preferred to wait for a better sale, but who knew how long that one roll would last us! I couldn't risk it.

The 12 pack was marked down a few dollars and I had a $1.00 off coupon which made it a reasonable purchase, but not great. (With toilet paper, I really try to spend $.50 or less per roll.) The very next day, the Target ad came out advertising the same brand but in the 18 pack and for only $1.50 more. It still was a little over $.50 per roll but I thought it was a much better deal. So, I drove to Target (rather, I made Chris drive me to Target on the way to the movies . . . I don't think  I need to mix shopping with date night any time soon).

I was feeling really good about this purchase and returned the original package to Safeway (where I spent nearly 15 minutes waiting for their customer service attendant . . . argh). But wait, there's more. As I was leaving the store, I noticed that the toilet paper I just returned was on an even better sale than Target . . . if I had saved my $1.00 coupon, the toilet paper would have been the desired $.50/roll. But I wasn't going to waste anymore of my time.

And then I got home and found another $1 off coupon that I could have used at Target or Safeway . . . I give up. It's toilet paper.

Sometimes the effort it takes to save a buck isn't worth it. And I was reminded of that over and over again in this situation.

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