Solutions for the Awkward Act of Redeeming Coupons

I remember the first time I ever experienced Awkward Coupon Redemption (ACR).  I got in line at the grocery store only to discover that the person in line just in front of me was redeeming coupons for literally every item in their cart, with some sort of crazed gleam in their eye (you know what they say about the line between genius and crazy). What should have been a 5 minute checkout – turned into a 25 minute, miniature apocalypse!

The daily deal industry has brought about a similar scenario for many folks who are redeeming vouchers and coupons… so much so that I’ve gone ahead and coined the acronym ACR (from here on out, pronounced ‘acre’).

You go eat at a restaurant and when it comes time to pay the bill, you pull out your smart phone to show the server your coupon.  The server pretends like they’ve never before seen such a device and has no idea what you are showing them (except that it seems to be some sort of affront to their serving abilities) and they have to go get the manager.  The manager comes over and scribbles down your coupon ID number with a crayon on a napkin and disappears for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile you see your server checking Facebook on their own device.  You contemplate the tip you will leave…

You look to your right and discover the cavemen at the table next to you are wondering what you are doing and why the manager is squinting at your phone as if it were an object that arrived at earth from another planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse.  The cavemen at the table next to you realize that they are probably missing out on something they should have read about in the news that will probably make you rich and famous, and they subsequently get annoyed and agitated that they weren’t so lucky and begin tossing mean looks in your general direction.

Daily deal software companies and websites who sell coupons and vouchers are doing all that they can to make the coupon redemption process easier, but the fact of the matter is that most folks I speak with still find the whole process, well… grossly uncomfortable for them, their server, the manager, as well as all the people around who feign unawares at the commotion you’re causing.

Below are a few suggestions to help diminish ACR and help get things running more smoothly.

1. Be sure that the merchant or business offering the coupon has instructed all employees that they are running a deal and with whom the deal is going through (a quick phone call or question to the host/hostess).
2. Empower employees to mark coupons as redeemed so that the manager doesn’t have to get involved every time someone redeems a coupon.
3. If the customer has not printed out the voucher, the restaurant itself should have a branded print out that’s brought with the check out so the customer can write down their unique coupon ID. This print out could basically say; “Thanks for using {insert deal site name}, please write your coupon ID here.
4. On the print out, be sure to have a space so that the customer can add their email address to be notified of future deals and get more discounts.  This print out is a good place to write other things such as, “Remember to tip on your retail price and not on the discounted price,” and “Please tell us how your experience with us went today.”

Now if we could only speed up the coupon redemption process in the grocery store!

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Make moves today,
Marc Horne