WOS Admin Chaim 
March 9, 2014 
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We’ve all been there. Its right before Shabbos, we have a doctor’s appointment, or we are just tired and want to get home. There is one customer ahead of us, we’re about to checkout, and boom! She pulls out a coupon or she starts fighting about the receipt. The manager comes over, there is a 30 minute argument, and finally the customer walks out with a big smile on her face: she won! She saved two dollars.
You might despise this person for wasting your and the store’s time. However, I applaud her. In fact, I think we need more of her for a few simple reasons.
Stores make mistakes
A common complaint WatsOnSale.com hears from customers is that stores aren’t clear about their sales. Sometimes there are minimum order amounts that we need to fulfill to get the sale items and otherwise we are charged full price. Other times, the store is not clear about the sale dates or the size of the item that is on sale. If we walk in a day early, we are not getting the sale items. If we get the 12oz instead of the 24oz, we’re paying full price. The stores need to know that they must clearly post the correct conditions, dates, and sizes of the products so there is no confusion.
Prices are going up
It’s no secret that prices are going way up. Shortages of corn and many other crops due to demand and drought have caused prices to rise significantly. WatsOnSale.com has also spoke to some small local grocery store owners who need to raise their prices due to the fact that bigger stores are taking their customers. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, grocery prices “are expected to increase 2.5 to 3.5 percent over 2013 levels.”
Your supermarket bill could be $20 larger every time you shop and you wouldn’t even know it if you weren’t paying attention.
We actually save money
At the end of the day, the extreme couponer and the customer that looks over their receipt actually save a lot of money. My close friend walked out of Shoprite recently with 18 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios. His grand total? $6.52. Granted, most of us wouldn’t know what to do with so much cereal but if you have any storage space in your house, this is a great idea.
Just last week I was looking at my receipt and to my horror I was charged twice for family sized rib steak package! Can you imagine what would happen if I didn’t look over my receipt? That’s over $30 thrown right in the garbage.
It trains your mind
Something that all of us who try to save a few dollars have in common: we’re shrewd people. It’s usually not the stupid people who are holding up the line. Rather it’s the ones who are attentive to detail: we can quickly look over a receipt or look at the register and instantly know if we’ve been taken advantage of. It’s the ones who have great memories: we know all 10,000 product prices in the store. I would say that most of us were not born with this ability. Over time, as we tried to save money for our families, we became more detail oriented, our memories improved, and we learned tricks.
Our minds thrive on these types of exercises. It makes us smarter and even staves off dementia. Who knew saving money could be so good for you?
It’s fun
In a world where people get lost on their phones and TV, saving money is actually a fun activity that can help pass the time in a healthy way. It’s a math and memory game. Before going shopping we do extensive research on sites like WatsOnSale.com and find the best prices. We cut out manufacturer coupons and make a shopping list. In the store, we analyze all prices and product sizes to determine the best deals. The final reward is when we look at that receipt and we pulled off a Shabbos shopping for a family of 6 for under $150 dollars.
So the next time you’re in a store and you’re about to judge the “crazy” customer ahead of you, stop and think for a second. Did the store make a mistake, is the customer actually saving a lot of money, is she also helping your case by bringing up a good point to the store management? Hey, maybe you can try out this “crazy” idea yourself and see if you enjoy it.
Do you have any stories about saving money, catching a mistake, or being behind one of these “crazy” customers? Share in the comments below!
By the way, when someone goes food shopping and in a rush, most grocery stores have express lane. So for all of us who Wana save money with coupons, stay in the regular check out lane, and for the rushed ppl go to express lane
This week I had a similar thing happen to me. After apologizing to the people online behind me, they all seemed fine and understood my needs.
I agree, I applaud ppl for saving money, but at the expense of making a fool out of your self and taking up ppls time…. their is other ways to go about it
I think exactly like this. Saving money is fun! Anytime someone gives me looks when I checkout, I’ll show them this blog post. Thx for the great read.