I have been using coupons at Costco since they started sending them. The first couple of times I used them I dutifully cut them out like I do at our other grocery store. Each time I tried to hand them over the cashiers waived me off; they didn't need the coupons and would either punch in some unknown code or scan the coupon booklet (bar code near my address). The coupons would then be deducted for all the items I purchased. Great, I thought. Modern technology at work. I continued to use coupons and after the second or third time stopped cutting them out - why bother? I would show them the booklet, tell them I had coupons and they would do the rest. Well, tonight at 8:30 as the store was closing and there were a number of people waiting in line behind me the cashier ("Sharon") tells me I have to tear them out. I asked if she was kidding. No, she was not. I think I asked her 3 or 4 more times. Was she serious? It's 8:30 at night. The store is closing. There are people lined up behind me and she is going to insist I page through the booklet to tear each one out? I protested, told her I had been coming to Costco for years and never had to cut out coupons before. She then essentially accused me of lying saying they have only had coupons for a little more than a year. Note that I said I had come to Costco for years not that I had used coupons for years. We continued the back and forth, openly arguing, me threatening to complain to the manager, her saying she IS the manager. I was angry and told her so but kept my cool even though I was so mad I was shaking. I dutifully paged through the booklet and started to tear out each coupon one at a time - while people continued to wait behind me in line. Then she keeps telling me the amount due and I notice that it's not changing. She registered all the valid coupons even before I gave them to her, just as they always had.in the end I didn't even give her all the coupons. She was essentially making me jump through these hoops just to go on some kind of power trip. She claimed they needed the coupons because vendors are accusing them of registering coupons falsely. There were a number of different ways she could have dealt with the situation including (1) saying please do it next time and taking the whole booklet which would have provided them with the coupons they needed for the vendors. (2) Continued to insist that I provide the teared out versions but offered to help me tear them out thereby minimizing the conflict and saving everyone including all the other customers in line time, (3) registering the booklet and then suggesting I go the the service desk where someone would help me tear the coupons out (4) Still insisted that I tear them out to satisfy the store policy but do so apologetically, recognizing that I had not tore them out because my expectations had been set by multiple previous experiences in the same store. I know they do a lot of business and my money may not mean much to them, but I spend almost $300 that day and I have never been treated so poorly when spending that kind of money as I was this time. I will call corporate tomorrow and demand a refund on my executive membership. If I want to be treated like dirt I'll shop somewhere where I don't pay for the privilege.
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