Walmart Will Start Cracking Down on Louisiana Customers Who Overuse These

Walmart has long been known as one of the most coupon-friendly retailers around. With pledges of having the best prices anywhere and beating any prices, customers have long been able to score discounts in ways they simply couldn't at other stores.

But, for the first time in six years, Walmart is changing its coupon policy, and while most people may not have noticed it yet, it is a pretty big change for folks who rely on coupons to get those discounts.

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Walmart Cuts Back on Cash Back

One of the biggest changes is a product of the "Extreme Couponing" phase we saw rip through the country not all that long ago.

“Walmart does not give cash back nor will any overages apply to the remaining items in the transaction if the value of a coupon is greater than the purchase value of the item," the store's new policy states.

According to the site "Coupons in the News," that's not the only major change. There are now limits on the number of identical coupons and there will be no more overriding the system if a coupon is rejected.

There’s also a new “limit of 4 identical coupons per household, per day.” The internal memo warns that “a hard stop will occur at the register” if more than four identical coupons are scanned.

And perhaps the most controversial and consequential change – no more overrides. The register now determines whether a coupon is valid, and its determination is final. The old coupon policy stated that “in select circumstances a register prompt will occur during coupon transactions that require a CSM or Management to validate the manufacturer coupon(s).” That provision has been removed from the new policy. The internal memo elaborates on that point, stating that “if the paper manufacturer coupon does not scan it should not be accepted,” and warns cashiers that “the Vendor Coupon (override) key should not be used, as using this key may result in a financial impact to the store.”

Those are some big changes from past policies, but Walmart is inching closer to policies being used by other stores, including Target.

No More "Extreme Couponing"

A lot of the policy changes seem to address the tips and tricks learned through the popular TV show Extreme Couponing, which followed families who would use an excessive number of coupons to not only buy a massive amount of groceries and other items for an insanely low price, but in several instances get money back for shopping.

But retailers have been cracking down on the practice in recent years, and Walmart is simply the latest to hop on board with fighting back.

Retailers are also combating economic conditions that have impacted their business, like supply chain issues that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

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