Coupons

I ventured into Michael's today to buy some picture frames for some Christmas presents. I was glad to see that most of the frames were 40% off. I grabbed what I needed and headed to the checkout. I noticed that several people in front of me were wielding coupons and I wondered why I had never seen a Michael's coupon before. Granted, I don't buy the paper so I just get whatever coupons and store ads come in the mail, but still, I was jealous of my fellow customers and their extra thriftiness.

When the lady in front of me checked out, she too had a coupon, but it wasn't a Michael's coupon; it was a 40% off coupon for Joann Fabrics. I was confused. Upon questioning the coupon, I found out that Michael's accepts coupons from Joann Fabrics. They must be owned by the same company, because why else would another store accept a 40% off coupon from a competitor. Turns out, the lady in front of me was buying an art book of some sort and the coupon didn't work on books. I waited with bated breath to see if she would offer the coupon to me, hoping it maybe expired that day and would have been thrown out otherwise, but she didn't. She put it back in her purse, obviously to use at another time. I was sad. I could have saved 40% more!

What I learned: Michael's accepts Joann Fabrics' coupons.