Hoarding & Shelf-Clearing

So, my favorite coupon discussion forum is A Full Cup. I've used it almost as long as I have couponed - which admittedly isn't very long, just going on one and a half years now. However, I am SO ANNOYED! with all this hatred and rude comments towards the more serious couponers/stockpilers and supposed "shelf clearers".

Stockpilers

While both of these annoyances go hand and hand, it started out with "short-term" stockpilers developing this holier-than-thou attitude (which shows quite plainly in their negative posts) towards those people who like to stockpile more from what I have seen in the time I've spent on AFC. I was so proud of my small stockpile, I took pictures and posted it in the "Stockpile Pictures" sub-forum. I wouldn't say that I fed my own self to the wolves, as it were, but a LOT of people focused on my women's disposable razor stockpile! I got asked a lot from various members: "Why do you need so many razors?" I think at that point I had about 10 packages of disposable razors for myself and maybe the same amount for my husband? I don't recall. I was actually rather embarrassed by it - I mean, wasn't this part of the couponing thing -- developing a stockpile so you wouldn't have to pay full price in the future??

The "short-term" stockpilers seem to nit-pick and nay-say the longer term stockpilers, and claim that items go on sale every three months, you don't need a larger stockpile than that, why do you need so many of product X, etc. VERY annoying and rude in my opinion. We are all here to save money and develop a stockpile. If I want a stockpile large enough so I don't have to shop for an entire year of bodywash, that is my business, not yours.

Since the TLC show, the shorties seem to call the serious stockpilers hoarders. Come come now, do you know the definition of a hoarder?

hoard (hôrd, hrd)

n.

A hidden fund or supply stored for future use; a cache.

v. hoard·ed, hoard·ing, hoards

v.intr.

To gather or accumulate a hoard.

v.tr.

1. To accumulate a hoard of.

2. To keep hidden or private.

Hoarding or caching is a general term for a behavior that leads people or animals to the accumulation of food or other items for use in the future.

Therefore - and I hate to break it to you, you three month or less stockpilers [who get disgruntled at the longer-term stockpilers] - you are a hoarder. You hoard, I hoard, everyone hoards who purchases more than one item to use for future use.

I joined the "serious stockpilers" hidden sub-forum, and it is spectacular. The people there don't judge you by how much you "bought" via coupons. It's quite an awesome group of people!

Shelf-Clearers

What can I say about this, other than how FREAKING ANNOYING IT IS! It seems like every other post is about supposed shelf-clearers. Now, I'm not saying that they don't exist, because I'm sure that they do however I've never encountered one in real life, at any store. I have seen other non-couponing expletitive expletitives (figure it out!) clear a shelf because they thought that $1 per can of Progresso Soup was a good deal (oh, how we know better!). You and I also know that when people see the words: "Buy One, Get One FREE!" they will scoop them up, two per person, because they think it is a good deal (oh, Clean & Clear, how you mock the coupon masses!).

And of course there are people who say "Well, I don't shelf-clear, but if there are 10 on the shelf and I wanted 10 of course I'll take them all," or, "I make sure to leave some on the shelves for others even though I wanted X amount originally," or "I pre-order mine," and then there are the people that say "I will clear a shelf if they have the product on the shelf and I intended on purchasing X amount of product."

Honestly? I'm all for clearing the shelf, if I wanted to. First come first served; first one to the store gets their pick of items. Now, if I grabbed, say, 10 Clean & Clear bodywashes off the shelf and that is all the store had, and another customer walked up to me and asked if they could partake, I would split the bottles with them. They had balls to talk to me about it, and I'd respect that. What I don't respect is people being all butt-hurt over it and whining on the internet and trying to claim it is solely other couponers doing the shelf-clearing (to sell at their garage sale/flea market/etc) instead of people pro-active about it.

Did they ask their manager/cashier if there was more product in the back? Did they ask why the store didn't set limits? Did they ask the other customer with 10 bodywashes in their cart if they could share, since they came to partake of the deal as well? Did they ask to special order? Did they complain to someone higher up because their store is constantly out of stock, every week? Seems to me, post after post, that the people complaining never took any of these routes.

I just hate when they claim it was one "shelf-clearer" who scooped up all of product X, unless they actually SAW the person doing it. And even then, I have no respect for them since they didn't have the cojones to walk up to the other customer to chat them up on the subject; or the manager, to ask what the limit was, because they wanted to purchase the same thing, etc.

Do I get upset when I am expecting to be able to purchase something at Walgreens, only to find out all the stores in my area are out? Dissapointed, perhaps, but not so upset that I have to slander people online about it. I got my rain check for four bottles of Clean & Clear bodywash and I'll be able to get them at my leisure. I think I was more upset over Walmart not knowing their own price-matching policy than product not being on the shelves at Walgreens...But that is probably because it was my first time trying to price-match :)

Plus, there will always be more deals. You don't grow your stockpile overnight by making one large trip to Walgreens - it grows over time, and when you get a comfortable amount of items, you can be picky and choosey on what you add to it. As of this point, I only add shampoo, bodywash, razors, lotion, etc. when I can get it for free (paying tax only, or under $.25 per item).