When it comes to coupons, the rules of the game are pretty clear.
Heres what you gotta know.
Go past that date, and youre stuck paying full price.
Here are a few stores known to accept their own coupons after they have expired.
Michaels:Never throw an expired Michaels coupon in the recycle bintheyre often are still usable.
My wife is a loyal Michaels shopper and on several occasions shes been able to use an expired coupon.
Instead of throwing it in the trash, I decided on a whim to try and use it anyways.
CVS:Certain CVS locations have also been known to accept expired coupons.
Your key takeaway should be: if you have an expired coupon, dont throw it away.
No matter what store youre going to, bring the coupon and plead your case in a friendly way.
Also, when using expired manufacturer coupons, always have a go at slip them in when checking out.
The grace period might be a week, or could be as long as a month.
Once the cashier scans it, youll know immediately if its expired or not.
The employee scanned the coupon and no bells or alarms went off.
Its also worth noting this wasnt the first time I have done this successfully at Dicks, either.
JCPenney:The coupon exclusions at JCPenney are slightly different than most.
Aside from dirty looks for holding up the checkout lane, most cashiers will begrudgingly do this for you.
If for some reason they wont, then move on and take another crack when the store isnt busy.
A much smarter workaround is to do something termedcoupon stacking.
You still end up with two items and often get the same savings or greater.
And, youll greatly reduce your checkout time and the number of dirty looks thrown your way.
Just double-check you dontget tricked by those couponsinto spending more.
