TLC aired a special called "Extreme Couponers" last night. I happened to be at my parents', who have cable, and so we watched it. The show followed four people who use coupons to get great deals, and are on the extreme end of couponing. We're talking 9 carts, maxing out the cash registers in terms of items scanned (apparently there's a 1,000 scan limit - who knew?), and rooms full of stockpiled items.
I like coupons. Anyone who reads this blog knows that. But I have to say, I was a bit disappointed with how this show turned out. I think it made couponers look crazy, selfish, and a bit rude. Most of these shoppers were clearing off shelves, making such huge purchases that they took up a cashier's line for hours (!), and hoarding collections that included things like 40+ bottles of salad dressing.
The final couponer they showed did donate a large order (over 1,000 boxes of cereal) to his local church food bank, but there wasn't much mention of donating the extras otherwise. These people came out to look more like hoarders than bargain shoppers. If I can get an item for free, or even get paid to buy it, I may pick up several, but most will get donated. These items are not good deals if they're going to expire before I can use them.
I liked the idea of the show, and being that it was called "Extreme", I understand why they showed what they did. However, I wish they would have shown some of the more applicable, smaller-scale tips behind successful couponing. I think that could be a tremendous help to a lot of people. Did you watch the show? What did you think?
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