I’m not sure that I understand what you’re complaining about, Isabelle. The things in your OP aren’t “gimmicks” as much as legitimate deals for those who wish to take advantage of them. You complain “Just offer me groceries at the lowest possible price.” They are. I’m sure you know that grocery store margins are razor-thin. They offer super-low prices and some special deals sometimes because it gets people in the door.
If the terms of the BOGOF offer are on the sale sign and in the flyer, then it’s up to you to choose the right things. As Podkayne said, if your store is consistent in the way it does things, then you should change your expectations. At my regular store, some of the things marked “2 for $3.00” will ring up for $1.50 if you purchase just one. With others, the signs are clearly marked “Must buy 2.” I have no problem with that–if they can offer an extra-low price by requiring you to buy more units, then that’s okay with me. I can choose to take advantage of the deal or not. My store sometimes offers 10 oz. blocks of cheddar cheese at “3 for $5.00, must buy 3.” That works out to about $2.60 per pound for very good quality cheese if I’m willing to buy the three blocks. That’s a great buy. But even at the regular price, that cheese is only $4.00 per pound, which is damn cheap in any case. It’s a win win situation. It’s not a matter of expensive vs. cheap cheese. It’s a matter of cheap vs. really cheap cheese. Everybody wins, except maybe the dairy farmers.
And you’re free to not cut the coupons if you want. They can’t just offer everything at the lower price. They must find some advantages in offering especially good deals to some people some of the time. For example, I’ve gotten some especially good coupons lately from the thingie that prints out at the cash register–$2.00 off any meat, $2.00 off any laundry detergent, $1.00 off your next shopping order, etc. That’s free money! I’ll take it. They couldn’t afford to give $2.00 off meat to everyone who buys meat. But giving out the occasional incentive builds loyalty and also simply makes people a little happier with the store.
As for the cards–I dislike them too. But I wonder if these extra-high value coupons are in any way linked to my consistent use of my card. Anyone know?
I had to laugh at what dantheman said about his supermarket always playing “crappy Muzak.” I guess I’m lucky. Mine plays decent non-offensive rock and pop. It really makes the shopping experience more pleasant. Today I found myself singing and dancing with the BeanSprout in the bread aisle to “Sultans of Swing.”
I have to disagree with those people who assume that the cashier doesn’t care about you. In contrast to what Isabelle said, asking how you are may not just be “idle chit chat.” If you’re a generally pleasant regular customer, they may well care about how you’re doing. I never worked in a supermarket, but I worked in a big chain drugstore for 2 years, and I certainly enjoyed seeing (most of) the regular customers. My regular supermarket doesn’t have any of those silly “customer service” requirements like greeting the customer in a certain way or anything. But many of the workers there know me by sight, treat me very nicely, and will wave or say hi or joke with me even if they’re not waiting on me. If I’m there alone, they’ll often ask after the Sprout. If he’s there, they’ll come over to talk to him. I guess to them I’m a cheerful customer with a cute and friendly baby. I’m sure they don’t stay awake at night wondering about my welfare, but when one of them asks “how are you,” they’re genuinely hoping that I’m well. And every now and then, if I’ve been having a horrible day, I’ll tell them so, and they’ll commisserate and say that they hope things get better. Sometimes a little bit of sympathy from the supermarket cashier really does make me feel better. 
bump: I find what you said really insulting. “Stupidity and ignorance?” The folks that work in my store may or may not be well educated, but they’re far from stupid and ignorant. One of the reasons I like going to that store is that the workers tend to be competent, knowledgable, and professional.
And in case any of you are wondering where the heck this wonderland of low prices, competent workers, decent music, and since I haven’t mentioned it before–super-short lines is: It’s not some fancy place. It’s the ugly old Pathmark in Garwood, NJ. Just goes to show you–you can put in 17 aisles of gourmet cheeses, a sushi bar, and a full-scale homeopathic pharmacy, but nothing beats plain old good service and management.
