Reader David sends us what might be the worst coupon we’ve ever seen. Not because it’s a bad deal, ($10 bucks off regular, sale and clearance is cool; we’re not complaining) but because we broke our brain in two reading the exclusions and conditions.
First of all, the coupon can only be used from Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8, 2007 until 1pm only. And then it only gets worse:
“VALID ON REGULAR, SALE & CLEARANCE PRICES IN STORE ONLY. COUPON CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE AND IS LIMITED TO ONE PER CUSTOMER. COUPON IS NOT VALID ON MORNING SPECIALS AND MUST BE SURRENDERED AT TIME OF PURCHASE.
*Valid Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8, 2007 until 1pm only. Cannot be combined with any savings pass, extra discount, or credit offer, except opening a new Macy’s account. Excludes Prior Purchases;
Special Orders;
Specials;
Super Buys;
Everyday Values;
Cosmetics;
Fragrances;
Watches;
Sunglasses;
Optical;
American Rag;
I.N.C;
Levi’s;
Dockers;
Lauren;
Ralph Lauren;
Michael Kors Shoes and Handbags;
Coach;
Dooney & Bourke;
Juicy Couture Shoes, Handbags and Accessories;
Cole Haan;
Bridge and Designer Shoes and Handbags;
Designer Intimate Apparel;
DKNY,
Material London,
Buffalo,
Hugo Boss,
Claiborne,
Nautica,
Perry Ellis and Tasso Elba Men;
Polo,
Guess,
Kenneth Cole, and Lacoste Men and Kids;
Tommy Hilfiger Shoes, Men and Home;
Tommy Bahama and Calvin Klein Men and Home;
Kate Spade;
Vera Wang;
Martha Stewart Collection;
Bedding by Barbara Barry;
Michael Kors and Natori;
Waterford;
Baccarat;
Lalique;
China Dinnerware and Gifts;
Regularprice Crystal and Silver;
Wsthof;
All-Clad;
Henckels;
Lladr;
Electrics and Electronics;
Holiday Lane Trim;
Furniture;
Area Rugs;
Mattresses;
Lease Departments;
Gift Registry Kiosks;
Restaurants;
Macy’s Gift Cards;
Gift Wrap;
Services;
Payment on Macy’s Credit Account;
macysweddingchannel.com and macys.com.Macy’s employees not eligible for Fine Jewelry extra discount.
This coupon is so painful to read that it causes us to repeat the possibly apocryphal Marshall Field quote: “Give the lady what she wants.” Even if it’s ten bucks off a pair of Levi’s. Or an area rug.
Oh yeah, and remember if you’re going to use this coupon… you have to print it out yourself because it won’t be available in the store. That being said, we do hope at least one of you will use this to save $10 because that’s the sort of happy, friendly, nice people we are. May we suggest purchasing some Frango Mints? Enjoy.
Brain Hurting Coupon (PDF) [SlickDeals]
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The agency I work at does a lot of stuff for Macy’s Star Rewards program. We have to place, replace and otherwise jam this stuff into everything we do, and we always laugh about the exclusions; it would be easier to just say what people CAN buy. My favorite? The fact that we have to change “area rugs” to “floor coverings” based on what part of the country the coupon is being sent to.
The cashier at the Macy’s store I went to was giving this coupon to everyone who came in on everything it would work on – and combined it with my star savings pass.
@HeartBurnKid:
I stand by my comment that it was not unethical. It’s certainly not as consumer-friendly as it could be, but that is not the same thing. As others have pointed out, Macy’s does not have a choice when it comes to discounting certain brand-name products. And as I said before, a responsible consumer reads the fine print before they go to to store and end up buying crap they don’t need at full price. The sheer size of the exclusions paragraph is immediately apparent, and a good indicator that it is worth reading. The exceptions are not buried in unrelated text or lumped into one tiny line that says “does not apply to products with an ‘e’ in the name.” That would be unethical.
If it’s NOT unethical, it certainly is not consumer friendly. My family has been loyal Hechts customers for the past 10 years. Now they are Macy’s. We tried using one of these coupons last weekend on some children’s clothing and were told that it wouldn’t work on it. The sales rep agreed that the coupon was nearly worthless and that Hechts was never that bad with the fine print.
I wonder if someone were to successfully use one of these if confetti and ballons would drop from the ceiling.
Hell, I like them better when they were Foley*s.
That’s a standard coupon from Macy*s
@ptkdude: HOLY CRAP! I was able to redeem a Macy’s coupon tonight! Here’s how it went down: I’ve been in dire need of a new suitcase for quite some time, and I wasn’t happy with how “well” the cheapo ones I’ve bought in the past have held up. Macy’s had a decent Samsonite on sale for “50% off”. I had a coupon Macy’s had sent me for 20% off (15% off in home), with the standard exclusions including “sale merchandise”. I was pleasant with the sales clerk, joked with him a little and handed him the coupon like I use them all the time. He scanned it no problem and I got my extra 15% off. After he had completed the sale, he mentioned that in the future, being extra nice to the sales clerk frequently will enable me to use my coupon, as the register doesn’t usually stop them from accepting the coupons for excluded items.