This had to be the WORST experience I've had at any grocery store in my LIFE!!!! The nearest HT is 45 minutes from my house. I usually don't shop there because of this. However, I figured that since they had the General Mills promotion and the Pillsbury promotion going, that I could "handle" the trip. I took both boys with me. One was buying stuff for himself and the other was buying stuff for my parents. As I was walking through the store with my list and coupons, I was approached by a lady asking if I had any problems with them taking my coupons at this store. I explained that I only go to HT on very RARE occasions. She proceeded to tell me that this particular store was the WORST for accepting coupons because they don't seem to follow HT's coupon policy.
Things started going downhill when one of the boys got Duncan Hines Cake Mix instead of Betty Crocker because they were all mixed in together. That triggered the "floating" Customer Service person to come over. She then proceeded to go through everything in the buggy and the coupons that had already been scanned. She ended up voiding some of the coupons off because they weren't supposed to be taken. She said that they are only allowed to take 1 coupon on BOGO items. I explained that some of the items I got were not BOGO items. She proceeded to tell me that all their sale items were BOGO items. I KNOW I paid too much for that order.
The other son checked out and was handed coupons back because if the coupon doubling was more than the amount of the item, she said the coupon couldn't be used. For example....the Keebler Cookies were $1.75 (after the BOGO). He had one package. The coupon was for $1.00. The coupon wasn't accepted because it (after the doubling) would be more than the amount of the cookies. The same thing happened with the Best Life Butter...It was $1.18 and I had a coupon for $1.00. I (the other son) was handed the coupon back and was told he couldn't use it. I KNOW I paid too much for this order also.
When it came time for me to check out, the "floater woman" stood over the cashier's shoulder the entire time. She told me that I was only allowed to use 20 coupons TOTAL per day. I told her that I had not used any at all - that this was my first trip checking out. She mumbled something under her breath. (I should've pointed out to her that HT's policy is to only double 20 coupons per day, but that I could use as many as I wanted after that at face value!) She grabbed the coupons from the cashier. She said that she wanted to make sure that I didn't have any BOGO coupons for anything that was on sale for BOGO. I told her that I didn't have any BOGO coupons at all. She said, "I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to her." At the end of the transaction, I was not handed my $3.00 off your next transaction catalina. I asked about it before walking away from the counter. The cashier apologized for forgetting to give it to me. The "floater woman" said, "She's got it. You don't have to over-react." Again, I KNOW I paid too much for this transaction because I also had one of the Best Life butters.
As soon as I got home, I filled out a LONG complaint on the Harris Teeter website. I thought it was interesting that this message appeared at the top of the form: We are experiencing a very high volume of emails. We will respond as soon as we possibly can. Thank you for your patience.
Here's a summary of what we got. I can't even begin to list what coupons were used because I don't know. All I know is that my stack of coupons that were given back to me seem a lot thicker than my stack of coupons that were use.
(2) Kahiki Orange Chicken = $4.18
(2) Kahiki General Tso Chicken = $4.18
(4) Keebler Fudge Shoppe Coconut = $7.00
(8) Progresso Soups = $11.16
(6) Campbell's Chunky Soup = $9.50
(18) Green Giant Vegetables = $17.82
(10) Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Cookies = $25.00
(4) Betty Crocker Icings = $6.00
(4) Betty Crocker Cake Mixes = $4.00
(4) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls = $7.40
(3) Best Life Butter = $3.52
(2) Totino's Pizza Rolls = $6.00
(10) Totino's Pizzas = $12.50
(6) Pillsbury Grands = $6.00
(4) Pillsbury French Bread = $6.67
(1) Harris Teeter Shredded Cheese = $.97 (e-Vic item)
Total Amount Before Coupons: $131.90
Total OOP After Taxes & Coupons: $48.24
Total Savings (Coupons & VIC): $168.48 = 78%
I don't have a Harris Teeter, but I am interested to know what their response to you is. Please post about that when you hear back. I wonder why that "floater" lady was so worried about it. Did she think the money was coming out of her paycheck?
ReplyDeleteShannon, I really don't know what her problem was. I did some rough calculations this morning. I spent at least $21 too much on my transactions. I printed off the General Mills promotion items and listed what coupons (denominations and whether it was an internet or manufacturer coupon) next to them. I compared that list to what coupons I had left and the stack of coupons I was given back.
ReplyDeleteI know their policy about only taking 2 of the same internet coupons and only taking 3 of the same manufacturer coupons. That's why I mixed the coupons to make sure I didn't go over their limits. It was a mess!!
I think I'm going to stick with Publix from now on!!
They need to learn some customer service from Publix! Wow! Please let us know the response you get!
ReplyDeleteHere's the resposne I received from HT Customer Service. IMO, it's a standard/form response with just the city of the store added in.
ReplyDeletePlease allow me to apologize for the breakdown in service you experienced in our Mount Pleasant store. We regret to learn that we have failed to deliver the level of service our customers have come to expect from Harris Teeter.
We appreciate you taking the time to write to us, as hearing from our customers is the best way for us to improve. We want to serve your shopping needs and hope you'll give us another try.
Sincerely,
Loren
Harris Teeter Customer Relations