Tips to use coupons most effectively
Here are some best practices to make sure you stay coupon considerate:
• Know the policies of your store. Stores list their coupon policies on their websites.
• Read the coupons. Understand size limitations and expiration dates.
• Printable coupons have become very sophisticated. Do not attempt to photocopy printable coupons. This is actually a criminal offense.
• Stealing newspapers is theft. Whether you are grabbing your neighbor’s paper or taking more than one paper from the newspaper box, you are stealing. Dumpster or recycling bin diving is also illegal if you are trespassing. If you are attempting to get multiple copies, share what you don’t use with friends and family.
• Be nice. Cashiers are not on commission. In fact, a few are incentivized to provide great customer service. Make the checkout as easy as possible. Have coupons all turned the same way and if you see an error, politely ask.
• My No. 1 coupon pet peeve: shelf clearing. This is when shoppers sweep up every one of an item on sale. It’s greedy. Leave a few for others!
• Coupons in the store are to be shared. Peelies (coupons you find stuck on items) should only be used when you are purchasing the item. Do not remove peelies and save them for later.
• If you are planning a big coupon trip, don’t go at 5:30 p.m. on a weekday. Go when staff can properly process your coupons.
— Tara McAlister
Charlotte Observer
Hints from Heloise:
Include receipt with gift card
Taylor in Fort Worth, Texas, writes: “Whenever I purchase a gift card, I always enclose a receipt with it. I once gave one to my friend, and when she tried to use it, she was told that it was not good. Thankfully, I had the receipt, and the store issued a new one. I was glad I didn’t lose the money I’d spent on it.”
— King Features
Napa winery does aging in the ocean
Mira Winery in Napa Valley is conducting an aquatic experiment: It’s aging 48 bottles of its 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon in the Atlantic Ocean.
The winery said bottles of wine recovered from shipwrecks have a remarkable and unique flavor. Thus, the winemaker believes aging the 2009 Cabernet in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor will affect the red wine’s taste.
“The ocean has similar ideal elements that impact aging — temperature, pressure, humidity, pressure, motion, light — or lack thereof — and oxygen,” said Gustavo Gonzalez, Mira Winery’s winemaker, in a statement.
The bottles were placed in specially designed cages and left on the sea floor for three months beginning Feb. 20.
Once the wine finishes aging, local sommeliers will compare the vintage with an identical batch aged conventionally in a warehouse.
Updates will be posted on Twitter and Facebook.
— Ricardo Lopez
Los Angeles Times