Imagine the delight I felt at my good fortune--it is rare I have a coupon for something I really need. Today, my need for dog food and a coupon for a free bag coinsided.
This is too good to be true, I thought. I read the fine print as best as my aging eyes allowed. I couldn't find the catch. It wasn't BOGO or even buy one, get one half off. It was totally free. And not an off brand I wouldn't even feed a stray. It appeared to include the high quality food I feed Bandit.
It's not that I'm a pet food snob, I'm not. I got Bandit during the first China Poision Dog Food Epidemic--I don't feed either Bandit or Moggy anything made, processed, or handled from or in China. Nor do they receive food that has been on a Recall List. To make feeding time even more challenging, Moggys cat food can not come from Thailand since they use dogs as cat food sources. That means unless they have begun selling something new since the last time I checked, that removes everything sold at WalMart and HEB (my Texas based grocery store). So I shop specialty stores, dog boutiques, and pet stores--using every coupon, reward program, and sale I come across to off-set the cost.
If there was a loophole in this free dog food coupon, it was cleverly disguised, because I was not finding it. The only exclusion or stipulation I saw was small bags only and no freeze-dried food--it's really expensive. Not a problem. Bandit doesn't eat the freeze-dried food on a regular basis, and I prefer the small bags so it doesn't go stale. The coupon even had my rewards number pre-printed on it, so I wouldn't even have to take my rewards card inside.
Off to the PetStore I went, smart phone in hand since I don't have a printer. And my credit card. Just in case. On sale or not, Bandit would need dog food very soon.
Presenting the bag of dog food, and my smart phone screen lit up with the coupon , to the cashier, I said, "It seems too good to be true, but I think this coupon applies to Bandits food--could you check for me please?"
The cashier looked at the dog food, then carefully read the coupon and told me it appeared to be a valid coupon, and he agreed it seemed too good to be true; however, he informed me with eyes twinkling, "But you really need to check with the other cashier."
I only saw him.
"Who might the other cashier be?" I asked peering around the store.
"The one at the other store." He smiled.
"What other store? The one in Harker Heights?" Bandit and I frequent that store so it is familiar to me. I could not believe I had totally missed the fact the coupon was only valid at a specific location.
"No. It's here in Temple--but it would be the other store--the one that actuallly issued the coupon."
I carefully reread the coupon for the umpteenth time. And then I ssw it. "Oh...You mean the boldly printed competitors name written at the top of the coupon that I missed while I focused on trying to read the fine print?"
"Yep. That would be the one.:
I sheepishly handed him my credit card and my keyfob with the miniature version of my rewards card. Since I would be paying without a coupon, a little assistance in the price would be appreciated.
About Me
- Loulymar
- My bags are packed and I'm always ready to seek out an adventure with Bandit and Moggy in tow. Bandit is my thirteen year old Chinese Crested, who I frequently call The Bald One or The BaldOne Boy (like he was one of the Baldwin Brothers). Moggy’s full name is Pip-Moggy. He’s my two year old gansta-resuce kitty. I couldn’t decide between Pip (which are the spots on die and domino tiles) and Moggy (or Moggie when I mistakenly thought he was a she), so I combined the two. Moggy refers to the British term for "cat of unknown parentage .” So in essence, I have an almost bald dog, and I’ve named my cat “Spot.”
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