# I'm sorry...you can't use that on previous purchases. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 8, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764 "2003-12-08T21:00:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/21 "2003-12-09T05:43:55Z")
**Aries28** , I work in retail, and I’m sorry that happened to you. Christmas can be a trying time for both shoppers and retail workers, but that does not excuse her behavior towards you. It’s usually the policy of stores (at least my employer) to honor such coupons within 30 days of the purchase, and as long as the coupon/certificate is still good. As for **Sauron** …you bought some things, that’s all he needs to know! 😉 On the other hand…$124 for three items? Good sweet gravy boats, lady! ---
**Author:** ![Herge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Herge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Herge)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/22 "2003-12-09T05:47:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*$124 on CLOTHES? If I spent $124 on CLOTHES, there damn well better be a hooker inside em. > > Signed, > > A Man. \*\* … and a widescreen plasma TV. If I spend more than £20 on clothes then I’m splashing out (approx $30). ---
**Author:** ![Frankenbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c0e974/32.png) [@Frankenbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankenbear)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/23 "2003-12-09T06:21:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BubbaDog \* > \*\*As long as I live, I will never understand this logic. > > On the other hand, Mrs BD understands it well. \*\* I understood it perfectly well. Of course, Mr. Elaella-to-be doesn’t but he does the whole nod-and-smile-blank-eyed-yes-dear thing as if he really does understand. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/24 "2003-12-09T06:44:36Z")
Rolling eyes and acting like a bitch = inappropriate. Informing you that the store’s policy is that you cannot use coupons for prior purchases = perfectly appropriate and it’s not her fault you have to jump through hoops to use a coupon you didn’t have the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/25 "2003-12-09T07:37:15Z")
I have three charge accounts at Dillards. [Note to spouse: Two of them have gone unused for years and years!] I do a substantial amount of shopping with them each year – enough to get all of the perks. I dropped by the store for a few things while my husband waited in the car. I admittedly looked on the shabby side – blue jeans, sneakers and no makeup. I was looking for a certain alarm clock in housewares. Two women stood chatting by the cash register, ignoring me. I finally trotted over and asked where I could find their alarm clocks. One woman, barely looking up said, “We don’t carry alarm clocks. You’ll have to go to Target for that.” She didn’t even suggest a place that was in the mall!!! It’s not that Target is beneath me – but her coolness was so unnecessary and her suggestion sounded like a dig to me. So I smiled and waved the Dillard’s Christmas catalog in her face and said, “Never mind! I’ll order it from your catalog!” She seemed very surprised and called someone for assistance. The alarm clocks were at the end of the aisle where we were standing. She would have had to pass them to get to her post of duty. G-r-r-r-r At yet another Dillard’s store the same week, I asked to see a purse container for a certain perfume that was in a display case. The sales woman didn’t even reach for it but just shook her head and said, “That’s $90.” This particular store is in my own multi-cultural neighborhood. This time I had on makeup and didn’t resemble a bag lady. What the hell? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/26 "2003-12-09T07:56:10Z")
$124 for black pants that fit, AND jeans AND a blouse? That’s not a bad deal, and the $99 she actuallly spent? Even better. That is not expensive for decent quality clothing. So there !ppppttttthhhbbbt! ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/27 "2003-12-09T08:03:20Z")
> [@](#): > > $124 for black pants that fit, AND jeans AND a blouse? That’s not a bad deal, and the $99 she actuallly spent? Well, it depends on your budget, really. $124 for three articles of clothing is a _lot_ for me. Not to brag, but I once bought two blouses and a pair of jeans on clearance for about $30. All of the items were durable and stylish. In fact, they’re still in my closet. So it is possible to spend less for good clothing. But then again, I rock. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/28 "2003-12-09T08:04:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > **The sales woman didn’t even reach for it but just shook her head and said, "That’s $90."** “Look, just 'cause _you_ can’t afford it,…” ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/29 "2003-12-09T08:04:50Z")
I feel guilty paying $30 for jeans at Old Navy no matter how much I like the fit and how they look on me. I usually end up putting them back, sighing, and going to Wal-Mart to buy cheap uglies for $15. I own a sweater that came from Express and cost like $40, but that was a birthday gift from my sister last year. I won’t even spend more than $30 on a pair of sneakers - I go to outlet malls and buy name brands on the cheap and wear them until they literally fall off my feet. I have one pair right now that I’ve had since my sophomore or junior year of high school - I wore them to prom - so that’s five or six years old; there are holes in them and the stuff that keeps the heel stiff is broken, but I still wear them. I can’t imagine spending $124 on three clothing items for myself. On the other hand, I spent nearly that much on a shirt and a pair of jeans for **Gunslinger** this summer. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/30 "2003-12-09T11:10:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by featherlou \* > \*\*That would have made a hell of a lot shorter movie. I can see it now - Arwen battles Sauron to a standstill with eye-batting and tears. Movie over. All go home. \*\* In the sequel, he spends time moping around the ol’ Evil Fortress, feeling vaguely guilty, though he doesn’t know why. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/31 "2003-12-09T14:35:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by racinchikki \* > \*\*Informing you that the store’s policy is that you cannot use coupons for prior purchases = perfectly appropriate and it’s not her fault you have to jump through hoops to use a coupon you didn’t have the first time. \*\* Where I work, I do the return \> re-ring with coupon thing all the time. I’m expected to help people through those hoops, and I don’t resent it. “Prior purchases”? What does that even mean? You credit the customer for the stuff, then re-ring it and it becomes a new purchase, for which they can use the coupon. Zheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/32 "2003-12-09T14:47:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\*\but her coolness was so unnecessary and her suggestion sounded like a dig to me. So I smiled and waved the Dillard’s Christmas catalog in her face and said, “Never mind! I’ll order it from your catalog!” She seemed very surprised and called someone for assistance. The alarm clocks were at the end of the aisle where we were standing. She would have had to pass them to get to her post of duty. > > G-r-r-r-r > > At yet another Dillard’s store the same week, I asked to see a purse container for a certain perfume that was in a display case. The sales woman didn’t even reach for it but just shook her head and said, “That’s $90.” This particular store is in my own multi-cultural neighborhood. This time I had on makeup and didn’t resemble a bag lady. What the hell? \*\* I had a similar experience once - I usually dress very casually, but one time at work I was dressed very nicely for a change, and did some shopping on my lunch break. I was extremely surprised by the level of service I received when I was dressed up - people jumping at me from the aisles trying to help me find something. I thought salespeople were bright enough to treat everyone the same because they don’t know who the millionaire in grubbies is, but apparently not. Didn’t any of them see “Pretty Woman?” ( **GMRyujin** , that’s perfect! What’s the third movie, the big make-up?) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/33 "2003-12-09T15:21:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > $124 on CLOTHES? If I spent $124 on CLOTHES, there damn well better be a hooker inside em. > > Signed, > > A Man. 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/34 "2003-12-09T15:28:33Z")
What with the current £/$ exchange rate, and the cheap cheap prices of clothes in the US, I ought to hop across the pond for clothes shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Scarlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlet)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/35 "2003-12-09T15:34:45Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought salespeople were bright enough to treat everyone the same because they don’t know who the millionaire in grubbies is, but apparently not HA! Yeah right. Perfect example: A few years ago DH and I went looking for a new car for me, now my DH is a big guy with long hair and alot of tattoos, so he’s not your typical “clean cut” guy. We wandered around the (huge) lot for damn near 45 minutes. Every time we tried to get someone’s attention they would look away or start walking in another direction. Finally my DH got really pissed and screamed “Fine if none of you fuckers want my business I’m leaving”. The look on the sales people’s faces was priceless as we got into DH’s brand new firebird and left… We get this sort of thing happening alot and I’m willing to bet its because DH doesn’t LOOK like the kind of guy that has money. ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/36 "2003-12-09T15:35:49Z")
Clothes are my downfall. I freely admit it. I’m a shop-a-holic. I am leaving in about 2 hours for a business trip to Ft. Lauderdale and my old size 4 black pants just didn’t fit anymore after Baby #2 and I can’t keep pretending they do. So I needed a new pair of nice dressy slacks that I could breathe in. The shirt wasn’t a need…it just looked really cute with the black pants. 😃 The jeans I could have lived without but I only own probably 2 pairs of jeans anymore because I normally dress up for everything. I thought it would be nice to have a pair for casual ones that actually fit me and not a pair that looks like I painted them on with a paintbrush. And I should also mention that I more than made up for my purchase with **Sauron** last night so he shouldn’t be complaining any longer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/37 "2003-12-09T18:07:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > **$124 on CLOTHES? If I spent $124 on CLOTHES, there damn well better be a hooker inside em.** Bwa ha ha ha! ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/38 "2003-12-09T18:33:42Z")
This thread is making my head hurt. If I can get _ONE_ item for $124 I feel like I’m doing pretty well. Three items and I’m throwing a damn party. Mind you, I have a $750 pair of boots(well, two actually), so what the hell do I know. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/39 "2003-12-09T18:41:19Z")
$750 was what I spent on my first _car_. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764/40 "2003-12-09T18:43:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PunditLisa \* > \*\*$750 was what I spent on my first _car_. \*\* If I spent $750 on a car, there damn well better be a whore in it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-sorry-you-cant-use-that-on-previous-purchases/217764.md?page=3)