Know If It's Always Illegal to Trade Coupons |
Posted: July 20, 2018 |
“Coupon maybe void if transferred, sold, copied, reproduced or exchanged” If you find these words written on a manufacturer’s coupon, as most coupons have it, that doesn’t mean you cannot give your baby diaper coupon to your friend with a baby. The redemptions and disclaimer rules associated with transferring coupons is the manufacturer’s way to protect their entity in case they find any need to discontinue honoring the coupon. You can call it a cushion or protection that allows the manufacturer to void the coupon if it’s being used in any fraudulent manner. Most manufacturers promote the idea of consumers sharing their coupons with the acquaintance but the point is that it has to be done in such a way that the coupon’s are still under manufacturer’s control. All such activities like sharing the coupons with your friend, leaving the unused or unwanted coupons at the super store, sending coupons as present or operating a coupon exchange club come under legal and ethical use of coupons. What is Unethical & Illegal Coupon TradingThe kind of coupon trading that a manufacturer wants prevent is the duplication and coupon distribution. This can be better understood from a manufacturer’s point of view. Behind the ScenesBefore any promotion is launched a company has to set certain parameters like how much can be spent on the offer and where the efforts should be directed. Consider this example, a soup brand decides to circulate a coupon in the northeast during the chilly winter season aimed towards product promotion because who wouldn’t love a delicious warm soup in prices lower than usual during winters. The company will set a fixed amount to be spent on the promotion and to ensure they get the biggest bang for their buck they will set a target region with potential audience. For instance, promoting hot soup in Florida during October may not be a good idea but a place like Maine could be most prudent. After promotion budget and target location comes the medium that should be used to promote the coupon. The most common mediums include in-store promotion, newspaper, magazine and website for online coupons. Finally the coupon’s design and duration of the promotion is finalized then the coupon is scheduled for promotion. All of it takes a series of paychecks and a lot of panning. If the promotion is successfully executed under the budget the company plans for the next one like coupons for November in Southern States. In case the promotion goes out of budget then the company may have to cut out future promotions. The Effect of Unethical Coupon TradingA coupon is circulated through Sunday paper like Ski world promotion code and someone decides to scan and post the coupon online for print and use. Then this comes under a perfect example of usage policies violation as the company is now not in control of where the coupon is distributed. Also if the same coupon is duplicated for multiple usage or distribution this will also be going against the usage policy because this isn’t how the company planned it to be distributed. Similarly, any other act including duplication, selling or any other where the consumer decides to take control of the distribution is unethical and illegal.
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