With the TLC show Extreme Couponing gearing up for its second season, there are few couponing fans who have not heard of or watched some of the crazy exploits of these self-proclaimed “Extreme Couponers.” From the man who purchased hundreds of boxes of cereal for nearly nothing (although to his credit, he did donate them to a food bank) to the people who fill entire rooms of their houses with products purchased for pennies on the dollar, it is hard not to get swept up in the desire to save as much as possible at every opportunity.

However, couponing now seems to have been taken to the extreme by ever-increasing numbers of people, and it seems as though we hear new stories every day of men and women who are so desperate to save every last penny that they are taking newspapers and inserts from foreclosed homes, stealing newspapers and inserts from honor boxes (as in the case of the woman who was arrested this week for taking 185 newspapers and inserts from said boxes) and even, in the most over-the top example to date, the people who were caught on CCTV actually stealing the entire newspaper box from outside of a store.

Although it is in no way comparable, it seems that the couponers and the rioters have the same mindset when it comes to feeling that they operate outside of the law. A thirty-four-year-old woman stole 185 newspapers from Arkansas (at a conservative value of $230) and stated that she did not think she did anything wrong.

This brings us to the question of what is and is not legal when it comes to couponing. From stealing inserts and using multiple computers to print extra online coupons, to dumpster diving for inserts and using coupons illegally (as in the extreme couponer who discovered that she could match coupon bar codes and apply them to items they were not intended for), the legalities of couponing have recently become strained. In part this is due to the fact that television shows such as the one shown on TLC have thrust couponing into the spotlight. While there are many people who have couponed for years, shows such as TLC’s  Extreme Couponing have bred a whole new generation of couponers in an incredibly short period of time, and as such, the manufacturers have not yet caught up to the influx of strategies and both legal and illegal practices that shoppers are employing.

As such, manufacturers have started cracking down on their policies in order to try to minimize these extreme aspects. At least two major chain stores have made serious overhauls to their couponing policies, limiting the amount of identical coupons that shoppers can use or the number of total coupons that they can use in a single day. Manufacturers too have started making changes, and savvy couponers may have noticed that brands which used to offer $1 off a particular item are now offering coupons for $1 off two of the same item, possibly in order to limit the number of items that consumers are able to get for free.

While these may seem like harsher measures, what we often forget is that manufacturers do not have to offer coupons on their products, and stores do not have to offer days where they double or triple coupon values. Yes, these practices do increase business and purchases for the stores and manufacturers, allowing consumers to purchase products for lower than the retail price is a privilege, but if the offer is abused, one can only expect it to be revoked or modified. Once coupons disrupt the normal flow of business, changes are likely eminent. One recently observed comment summed this up well: “I just wanted to go to the store for a bottle of sunscreen. I didn’t expect the entire shelf to be empty because extreme couponers had taken everything.”  

Similarly, what is illegal in the “real world” is also illegal in the couponing world. Stealing is stealing. Using coupons for other items than what they were intended for is fraud. Dumpster diving, while unsanitary, is not stealing. Taking inserts from driveway papers, honor box papers, or store newspapers IS stealing. While TLC’s show may seem to advocate some murky methods, it is important to understand that what consumers see there is not real and is heavily edited. Stores know well in advance (and in fact have to agree to the film crew and couponer using the store in the show) what will be happening, and the key is in the title; “Extreme” does not mean typical, and while they may agree to the admittance of said crew to the store as it will increase their profile and boost profits, there is nothing to say that the store would (or should) extend the same gratuity to everyday shoppers.

So will couponing keep going to the extreme until it explodes? Honestly, it is doubtful. While media attention can be great for boosting the profile of a person, idea, or, in this instance, a craze, it is a double-edged sword. While the profile and the number of couponing devotees increases, so too do the guidelines put in place by the stores and manufacturers. I suspect that the harder it becomes to get the extreme deals that consumers see on the television, the faster the hype will deflate. Whether or not the hype deflation will result in stores and manufacturers relaxing their coupon rules in the future remains to be seen, but one thing that can be said for sure is that there will always be couponers, and there will always be coupons. Just hopefully in a less extreme manner.