Extremity

It's official. Rite Aid released their new coupon policy, which is now more restrictive on BOGO sales and the number of like coupons that can be used. The buzz all over the coupon world is that this is a result of the show Extreme Couponing. And...I agree.

Maybe I don't really deserve to have an opinion. I am not a coupon guru, I am just an average girl who gets giddy over cheap stuff. I have never even seen the show because I don't have cable. But from what I hear (and a few clips I have seen on the internet) it is basically an extension of the show Hoarders, where people who probably need therapy buy 400 bottles of mustard instead, and convert their kid's bedroom into a storage closet to hold enough toilet paper to last until the second coming.

When I first realized how "extreme" Extreme Couponing really was, I still didn't think it would have that much of an impact on the couponing world. I figured it was just another attempt of the media to exploit people who, in all seriousness, need help. But apparently stores are starting to take notice. And why shouldn't they? It isn't good business to have empty shelves.

I would write my opinion about the specifics of the new policy, but that doesn't really matter. It really is a fairly petty issue. Rite Aid has the right to accept or decline whatever coupons they want, regardless of my personal feelings.

My point is that I am not an extreme couponer. I am a college student with a young family trying to stretch the few dollars I have. Since I stay home with my daughter, it is my contribution to financially supporting our family. Will I still find good deals even though Rite Aid changed their policy? Sure I will. Will I still shop at Rite Aid? Who knows. I go to where the deals are.

I guess the reason why I bothered writing this is to say that shows like Extreme Couponing are the reason why I don't watch T.V. Truthfully, I couldn't afford cable if I wanted it. But I hope that someday we will be able to afford it. And I hope that when that day comes I will have the wisdom to just say no, and keep this crap out of my house. In a way, I feel bad for even writing this, because in order for the media to stop exploiting the truly sad lives of these people, we have to stop consuming this cheap, sick excuse for entertainment.