MA Residents Will Have A Hard Time Redeeming Coupons @ Wal Mart

Attention Massachusetts shoppers: It was a good ride while it lasted! Walmart may not have digital, store or double coupons, but they were once considered one of the coupon-friendliest retailers with fewer limits and restrictions than most other stores.

But that is NO longer the case as new policy changes have been implemented that brought Walmart in alignment with other retail competitors, in eliminating overage, imposing like-coupon limits, and declining to override the register if a coupon is rejected.

Walmart has made no revisions of their coupon policy in almost six years, as the practice to save shoppers some money went largely unnoticed as the announcement was made on their website which introduced some massive changes. People started noticing after an image of internal memos began circulating in online couponing groups, notifying associates that register software would be updated this week to automatically enforce these new policies.

Among the most notable change is the elimination of overage. Walmart was among a number of retailers that would honor a coupon's full value, no matter the actual price of the product. If the coupon was worth more than the product you used it on, customers would get cash back or receive the difference applied to their transaction. Not anymore.

The new policy states that “Walmart does not give cash back nor will any overages apply to the remaining items in the transaction if the value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item.”

They have also implemented a new “limit of 4 identical coupons per household, per day.” If it is over the limit, a hard stop will occur at the register. There goes a major opportunity to save while shopping. My uncle Gus was a die-hard coupon cutter who actually shopped at the supermarket and it paid dividends when checking out. He was always watchful on what he spent. This practice would give Wal Mart his stamp of disapproval from up above.

The most controversial change: no more overrides. The register will determines whether a coupon is valid, and will have final determination during checkout. The old coupon policy stated that “in select circumstances a register prompt will occur during coupon transactions that require a CSM or Management to validate the manufacturer coupon.” That provision has been removed. A in-house memo elaborates “if the paper manufacturer coupon does not scan it should not be accepted,” and warns cashiers that “the Vendor Coupon (override) key should not be used, as using this key may result in a financial impact to the store.” 

But the elimination of overage will be a disappointment to shoppers who eagerly sought out deals where a high-value coupon could be used on a lower-priced product to get cash back. The company states some people abused this privilege. You can thank those deemed as "scammers" who would show up with high-value counterfeit or mismatched coupons. As The Osmonds stated in 1971: "It takes one bad apple to spoil the whole show". In one word: "Pitiful!"

The like-coupon limit is similar to what other retailers implemented years ago, which discourages "shelf-clearing". Translation: If you show up at with a hundred identical coupons to fill up your shopping cart with freebies, this practice has now been eliminated. Say goodbye to being a "pack rat".

But the “no override” provision is a newer rule which has been implemented by other retailers as practice has seen some progress. Walmart’s old coupon policy already states that “paper manufacturer coupons must scan at the register” and validated to Walmart’s master file”. The new policy indicates coupons that don’t scan will be automatically declined. Even if it’s legitimate, you’re out of luck.

There are a few minor tweaks. The old policy states “Walmart reserves the right to not accept UPC-A coupon barcodes,” If you plan to redeem ancient coupons with longer or no expiration dates, don’t try to use them at Walmart. They WILL accept paper based coupons for in store purchases only, but will NOT be valid on pick-up or delivery orders. Two words: "Buyer Beware!"

But there is one practice that leans in favor of the customer. The old policy states  returns of items purchased using Manufacturer Coupons WILL include the coupon value returned to the customer. For example, if you buy an item with a coupon and decide to make a return, you WILL get the intact full value back. However, some shoppers have a habit to buy items with coupons and they get cash by bringing items back for a full refund. Walmart is still looking into this practice as modifications need to be made.

BOTTOM LINE: Truly, times have really changed in this "so-called" 21st century. Enough said! Consumers have a right to save some money, but that option is NOT being looked at and that's a crying shame, if you ask me!

(Some information obtained in this article courtesy of https://couponsinthenews.com/2023/10/25/walmart-cracks-down-on-coupons-no-more-overage-or-overrides/)