Holiday Candles
I had to share not only this deal... but lessons learned.
Currently (just like last year), Target has an unadvertised deal going on for Glade Scented Oil candles. Tins, (super cute) holders and refills are on sale for $2.50 each, and when you purchase 5 mix and match items in a single transaction you will receive a $5 Target gift card.
Last weekend's paper had Glade coupons inside, including a 'purchase any holder and receive a FREE box of refills!' I have also heard rumor that Kmart and Kroger have blinkie machines with this very same BOGO coupon, so keep your eyes peeled!
I also want to remind you of how I personally use the $5 Target gift cards from previous earning deals. I keep a $5 gift card in my purse at all times, to roll into my next gift card earning transaction- read more here!
I learned a few things when I purchased my candles this week at Target:
1. The generic looking $5 gift cards that you will receive if you also purchase the Glade deal (running until 12/26/09) is actually a used gift card! I'm all about reducing, reusing and recycling, but I was horrified when I made a second transaction that the same drawer that my first (dead) gift card was discarded into was the same drawer that my 'new' gift card was removed from... NO SANITATION was used to rid them of the previous owners germs. Gross.
2. The pre-holiday season brings new store employees to the workforce for long line easement, which is great to keep us shoppers well herded through the check out, but it also means that newbie cashiers may not be well educated in how to process coupons or store reward deals (such as the Glade $5 gift cards...).
Tips for handling seasonal cashiers:
1. Smile. Being a cashier is most likely a thankless job, speak kindly!
2. Know your stores coupon policy, know where the deal that you are after is located in the weekly sales flyer, or at least be able to refer back to a sign on the shelf tag if necessary. (Just saying that your friend Laura showed a picture on her blog- doesn't count!!!)
3. As for the Manager's assistance without making the cashier feel inferior. We've all been new at something at least once in our lives- and sympathy feels much better than jerk-ish-ness!
My Glade deal didn't work out exactly as planned because my (new) cashier thought that she should scan the $5 gift card when the cash register prompted her to do so, and then she tossed it back into the drawer with all of the other used gift cards.
I gently informed her that the $5 gift card actually belonged to me now- for future use, which she didn't understand. The manager did come over and help explain my situation (who knows how much money this woman didn't give to uneducated shoppers) and then EVERY SINGLE used gift card in the drawer needed to be scanned to find my missing $5... not fun.
I hope that my introduction to seasonal shopping will help you during your adventures to come!
PS: These Glade candles qualify for the new SC Johnson $5 Rebate!!!
9 comments:
Ew, ew, ew....thinking of all the nasty germs on those gift cards! I didn't need to know that! ;-)
Sorry, but that's EXACTLY why I thought that you needed to hear that!
Talking about germs - what about the money we use that has changed hands hundred of times? What about the clothes we buy that others have tried on, or the items others have picked up in the stores to look at? What about an item we buy that perhaps someone else has bought and returned? We will never get away from germs. I don't see the used gift cards as any different than the above things.
There were also "buy any candle holder (tin pictured) and get a "free refill pack" blinkies at the Dollar General in linden
I think the piggy flu is turning us all into germaphobes...
I totally agree with the third commenter that germs are everywhere- I just hate when I think that something is fairly sanitary and then find out that it is just as dirty as money- I was just caught off guard!
I just grabbed the card I got from Target last time I was there - turns out someone got it back in July as a $20 "promotional giftcard" - they spent $19.48 that day and then waited until October to redeem the last 52 cents on it. Interesting though, I like being green and don't even mind the germs - but what if the first person made a copy of the card before using it, couldn't they go shopping on target.com and use the same numbers and use my gift card?
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