Small Business: How Extreme Coupons Can Impact Your Bottom Line

The phenomenon that is extreme couponing has taken off and if you are a small business owner you could be left with nothing but bare shelves, frustrated co-workers, and irritated customers. The practice of extreme couponing is collecting lots of coupons and then redeeming them for cartloads of merchandise at pennies on the dollar. Obviously, this practice can put you out of business quickly. Here are a few of simply policy changes you can make to protect yourself from extreme couponing customers.

1. Eliminate the Buy One Get One Free Policy

The buy one get one free promotions are a staple for those who use extreme couponing. By combining the buy one get one free policy with a buy one get one coupon, those who extreme coupon walk out with a lot of your merchandise for free. Make sure to have a policy in place that states that you will not allow combining promotions such as buy one get one free and couponing together.

2. Eliminate Identical Coupons

Many customers will show up with copies of the same coupon trying to buy as much of your merchandise as possible with these coupons. Letting customers use this system will empty your shelves quickly of merchandise for a deep discount or for free. Set into place a policy of allowing only a few identical coupons per customer be used to purchase your merchandise.

3. Limit Competitors Coupons

Business dictates that you might want to accept your competitor's coupons for the same discounts on your merchandise. However, be cautious and make sure you have a policy in place to limit how many can be used. Verify on these coupons expiration dates and limits so as not to pay for your competitor's mistakes.

4. Post Your Coupon Policies

To keep your customers happy and to avoid any future conflicts, make sure that you post your coupon policies where they can be seen easily. Many retailers post them near their cash registers so that their customers aware of them before checking out. By posting your policies you will discourage extreme couponing customers from invading your store and cleaning you out.

Hard-core aggressive coupon shoppers who can devastate your store. Many times their aggressiveness can frustrate your staff and make for a hostile shopping environment. If your policies are in place and your staff is getting frustrated with an aggressive coupon shopper, be prepared to step in and enforce your policies to the customer. Losing this aggressive coupon customer is not going to hurt your small business, it may save it.