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© Copyright 2003, Jim Loy
I just bought (at Van's County Market, on 2/21/03) a couple of 12-packs of Shasta pop which had this coupon attached to them: "Buy two 12-packs of Shasta (any flavor) and instantly get one 3 liter Shasta Tiki Punch free! See reverse side for full details." I peeled off the coupon and find that it expires on 12/31/01. I have several $1 off coupons for Frito-Lay products, all of which expired before I acquired the coupons. None of these coupons had an expiration date on the front; it was only after peeling them off my purchase that I found that the coupons were worthless.
This kind of thing is very common on computer software, where the coupon (or message) on the front of the package promises a rebate, with details inside the package. And surprise, the rebate has expired. Often these are older programs, or older versions, which are being sold cheaply, and the advertised rebate would make the deal ridiculously cheap. That was a clue that the rebate had expired. But, in my case, I am often unaware of the regular inflated price, and I would never buy the program without both the discount and the rebate. Sometimes such double savings are legitimate for older versions; it's similar to buying a demo for nearly free. So what I'm saying is that it is an honest mistake when I expect to get great savings because of these coupons, and then find that they have expired.
See I Hate Rebates.
Addendum:
Today (May 14, 2003) I received a 10% off coupon, from Barnes and Noble, which I must use by May 5.