At Walmart, no good deed goes unpunished. Lisa said she tried to buy up a bunch of health and beauty supplies at Walmart to donate to local homeless shelters, and instead got a lecture in economics from the shift supervisor.

Lisa writes,

At the beginning of the month I picked up some great deals at Wal-Mart using coupons for my own family. I decided to buy more for the area homeless shelters. Not wanting to “clear the shelf” and inconvenience other shoppers, I special ordered some Crest toothpaste with the manager of health and beauty. I picked it up and about a week later and special ordered some Reach Cinnamon floss,Tide detergent and more Crest. The associates in health and beauty were very friendly and helpful.

Saturday I was there and a man introduced himself as Paul the shift supervisor. He started going on how I should not be special ordering cost items and using coupons to turn over a profit. I was pretty confused about the profit, special ordering and coupons, as I am very careful to follow all of the coupon rules and had picked up my special orders. I had no idea what a “cost” item was. I asked him about making a profit and he thought I was reselling them. I told him I was not reselling them but donating them.

He started going on about how the manufacturer does not make a profit when people use coupons and how the store does not make a profit on cost items. I had no idea what a cost item was. He said they were items that were sold at cost and below cost so people will come into the store and to get what they need and then go on to buy other items that they make a profit on. I asked him what items were cost items? He said health and beauty and household good like paper products.

I am sickened by the greed!!!! None of the items were on advertised special or rollback. I had no idea the items were loss leaders. It wasn’t a situation where I purchased a lot of items on sale or rollback as Walmart terms them. When the manager spoke to me, that was the first I heard of toothpaste being under-priced!

How absurd. Sounds like something worth reporting to Walmart corporate, and then take you buyin’-n-donating’ business elsewhere.

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