Almost 2 years ago, I wrote a post about Coupon Barcode Decoding. As many of you know, I tend to get rather passionate about Coupon Ethics and everything in me tells me that decoding barcodes (in order to use a higher value coupon for 1 product on a lower-priced item not listed in the coupon description) is just WrongWrongWrong.

Just as a refresher, from my original post:

BarCode Decoding is:

Using a coupon good on (for example)  ”Brand X Shampoo” on “Brand X Styler” just because the bar code matches up, unless the text of the coupon states that it may be used for a styler.

Using a coupon for a completely unrelated item, just because the manufacturers code on the barcode matches.

Taking advantage of a glitch in the value code section of the bar code to buy less of a product in order to get the same discount.

Using a coupon in any way other than the wording of the coupon

BarCode Decoding is not:

checking a bar code to ensure that it is a store coupon and not a manufacturers coupon (which means that, if it is a store coupon, it can be stacked with a manufacturers coupon at many stores)

matching up a bar code to ensure that a coupon will work on an item that is not pictured on the coupon, but that you are reasonably sure is included in the description (and example of this might be using a Johnson’s bath & body item coupon that has pictures of baby wash on it on a Johnson’s Buddies item.)

using the fact that the manufacturer ID “matches up” (as long as the wording does as well) to explain to a cashier why the coupon is valid on that item, even though it might have beeped when scanned.

Since I originally wrote that post, I pretty much considered this a non-issue.  However, with the recent dust-up over J’Aime Kirlew decoding coupons on Extreme Couponing, the topic has yet again resurfaced.  And because I am the Master of Procrastination and always enjoy watching an online Train Wreck, I have found myself being sucked in to the TLC Extreme Couponing Facebook Fan Page and the comments (the default view on their Facebook page won’t show you Fan Comments…click on “Most Recent’ to see comments)

And I am shocked by the number of people on Facebook and online forums that are defending Coupon Barcode Decoding…and I am wondering if I am being too much of a Goody-Two-Shoes on this issue.  Not that I WOULD decode coupons to take advantage of a glitch in the system, but it seems like I am starting to be in the minority on this issue.

So what do you say?  Do you feel that Barcode Decoding is acceptable? In the 2 years since I wrote that post, the economy has taken more of a downward spiral.  Does the current economy make it more acceptable?  What do you think?

** please note:  I am inviting healthy and respectful discussion.  You are free to call me the biggest prude known to man (or of course, the most awesome of awesomeness ).  I have no intention of deleting any comments that disagree with me or any other readers, unless they are outright rude or employ namecalling**

::UPDATE:  The link to the article about Jamie’s shopping trip is glitching.  Her site is getting SLAMMED with traffic as a result of her research.  Keep trying – you don’t want to miss this article!

I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that most of you don’t spend all day, every day thinking about coupons, writing about coupons, talking to your fellow Deal Bloggers in social media outlets, etc.  I am therefore going to assume that many of you haven’t heard about the “scandal” that has come out of the Season Premiere of “Extreme Couponing”.

If you have read my Coupon Ethics posts, you know that I often talk about a time when people were using Crest Whitestrips coupons (which are usually high-value) on other products to get them free.  This is called Coupon Barcode Decoding and is considered Coupon Fraud.

When the names of the people who would be on Extreme Couponing was announced, there was a “ripple” in the Couponing Community as J’aime (AKA “the mustard lady” from the show) was known to have posted videos of herself clearly committing coupon fraud.  She had since taken those videos down and many of us were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt….perhaps she made the videos when she was still a newbie, didn’t know that what she was doing was wrong, had changed her ways, etc.

And then she went on Extreme Couponing and from all appearances, she is still using coupons unethically…to the point of committing outright coupon fraud on national TV. Please take a moment to read this report that Jill Cataldo put together about Jaime’s shopping trip, as well as the comments for a BUNCH of screen shots that clearly expose the truth about her shopping trip.

So why should we care?

Because Coupon Fraud hurts all of us in the form of tighter store policies, more scrutiny and suspicion from cashiers, etc.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if TLC has a response to this.