I don't know if it works this way everywhere but here in Southern California, the Bed, Bath and Beyond chain is constantly sending out these coupons that entitle you to 20% of any one item. And I mean they send these out constantly. They arrive every hour on the hour in my mailbox. I will receive at least one more by the time I finish writing and posting this.
Those of us who shop at Bed, Bath and Beyond have learned to save them…to always have a fistful in our cars in case we stop in there. My friend Shelly Goldstein has a car that can seat three people. If she took out the Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons, it could seat four.
Though the coupons have expiration dates printed on them, the store never cares. So if you purchase eight items, you hand the cashier eight of these coupons and you get 20% off each item. This creates some odd buying habits and patterns.
For instance: I go in and I have five coupons. This means, I decide, I can only buy five items. If I see eight things I want, I have to decide which three to get at a later date when I can return with more coupons. I don't even think of paying full price for that little $1.00 item because if I come back another time with a coupon, I can save a big twenty cents on it.
To that end, I have to select in the proper number. Let's say I want six dish towels. A package of eight costs $20 or I can buy six individually for three bucks each. If I have no coupons, I'm better off buying them individually. If I only have one coupon, the package of eight will cost me $16 but to buy six individually will cost $17.40 so I'll buy the package. If I have six coupons or more, I'm better off going back to individual towels. And if I have between two and five coupons, the math gets hard.
It also gets hard when, on occasion, they send out a coupon that just gives you 10% off your entire order. If you have enough 20% coupons, that's a bad deal. If you're short, it might save you some dough…or might not, depending on how many you have.
I've also had this happen: I get to the checkout counter and discover I have miscounted. I have eight items but only seven coupons. As I'm trying to figure out which selection to put back, another customer behind me says, "Need another coupon?" She has like eighty of them sticking out of her purse and she hands me one. At a Bed, Bath and Beyond in Tustin once, I had three items and two coupons. The cashier reached down under the counter and got an extra so she didn't have to charge me full price for one item.
But you can't count on the kindness of strangers or cashiers. So there are times when I might shop at Bed, Bath and Beyond and I don't…because I don't feel like I have enough coupons with me. Right now, I have two in my car. I'm not going in there since I'm bound to see more than two things I want.
When I accumulate a lot of 'em, I start looking for reasons to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond. For one thing, it will help me to get rid of the clutter in my car if I use up my coupons. (I don't want to leave them home for fear I'll be out driving and suddenly think of a reason to stop at one of those stores.) I also feel like I'm getting a bargain even though I suspect that with the 20% discount, that cheese straightener will still cost more than if I bought it at Kmart. I haven't checked because I don't want to know for sure. It just feels like a bargain to use your 20% off coupons at Bed, Bath and Beyond. And like I said, it cleans out your car at the same time.
Whoops. Two more coupons just arrived. I'd better post this and run over to Bed, Bath and Beyond to use them up. If it turns out they're closed for the Fourth of July, I'll just wait outside.