Opinions about coupon ethics

In My Humble Opinion
1

[Note: This is not about me, anyone I know, or anything that actually happened - It’s all hypothetical, so don’t be critical - be analytical]

  1. There is a coupon on certain frozen dinners that offers one free line of bowling, with some day and time restrictions, one coupon per person per day, at participating alleys listed at some website.
    The only alley reasonably close is not listed, so a person goes there and asks if the coupon might be honored anyway. The manager says sure, they honor competitors’ coupons. He figures that he gets the same benefit from them as the competitors do, namely more customers, and he doesn’t have to pay for expensive advertising campaigns. Besides, since nobody ever bowls just one game, and they usually rent shoes and buy food, and probably will return, he’s better off than if they hadn’t come, or if he’d sent them home rejected.
    a) Is the customer being ethical?
    b) Is the manager being ethical?
    c) If either is unethical, who is the victim and what does he lose?

  2. Similar to (1), only this time the alley is a participant, but the coupon has expired. The manager still accepts it, with similar logic.
    Same questions a,b and c.

  3. Similar to (1), but the coupon is a replica, made on a color copier. And no frozen food was purchased. Remember that in case (1) the alley had no connection to the frozen food company. The manager still accepts it, with similar logic.
    Same questions a,b and c.

2

If the customer reveals and the manager knows all the particulars of the coupon and still accpets it, then to that point neither the customer nor the manager is unethical. If the manager then tries to get money out of the frozen food company then he is acting unethically (and illegally).

3

I agree with Otto.

4

It is the managers discretion to review and then accept/decline the coupon. If he approves it, and he’s the decision-making-authority, then there’s no “wrong”.

5

Ethical on all counts, until the manager of the bowling alley attempts to collect on the coupons from the food company. Then we get into unethical territory.

6

You’re assuming that the bowling industry is not involved in the promotion costs, that it is simply the reciepient of largesse on the behalf of the food company.
This is naive. The food company can put out coupons for anything, including the common discount on your next purchase of food.
The only way they would put another business on the coupon is that they are compensated to do so.

7

From my experience, I would have to say that is not always the case. I worked for a hair salon that did a promotion with General Mills. A coupon for a free kids hair cut was on the back of certain cereal boxes. The hair salon company didn’t pay for it. General Mills felt it would sell more boxes of their cereal, the hair salon figured it would generate new business.

Back to your OP. If it was known that the Bowling Alleys that were listed had paid for the coupon to be put in the dinners, and one Bowling Alley was asked to participate but declined because they did not want to pay for, then I could see it being somewhat unethical for them to try to benefit from something they weren’t willing to pay for. If the bowling alley was not asked to participate, and had a general rule that they always accept competitor’s coupons, then I don’t see a problem with it. They are just doing what they always do, taking advantage of someone else’s advertising. That is very common, and I don’t see it as unethical.

But you really can’t expect the customer to know the details. So I don’t see the customer as being unethical in asking if the not listed bowling alley would accept it, doesn’t hurt to ask.

If the manager does know they didn’t pay to participate in the program, in order for him to remain ethical, he could have his own promotion that he offers to everyone. If someone came in with the coupon, he could say they aren’t participating in that promotion, but have their own that is the same offer, so the customer will still be happy.

In case number 2, I can’t see a participating Bowling Alley that accepts coupons after the expiration date as being unethical. Those expiration dates are generally on there to give the customer a sense of urgency. If someone shows up after the date, no reason not to give him the discount.

In case 3, I can see not accepting a copy of a coupon by the participating bowling alleys. I think that is somewhat understood that a dinner would have to be purchased to get the discount. But if this is the non participating bowling alley who wasn’t asked to participate, and has a policy of accepting all competitors offer, they could accept it if they wanted to and that would be ethical as far as they were concerned.

But I really don’t see any of these being very unethical. As a business owner you want folks to come into your business, why turn anyone away?

8

I don’t understand why the question of ethics comes up. If the manager wants to give a discount or freebie, for any reason - you have a coupon, it’s your birthday, you simply ask for a deal, he likes your face - what’s the problem? As long as everyone affected by the acceptance of the coupon - whether you clipped it out of the paper, found it in the trash, or made it yourself with your kid’s crayons - consents to the deal, how would ethics figure into it?

9

Gary - read the post just above yours.
Having worked for the frozen food company in the example, I know for a fact that the bowling alleys had to sign up. Because they would benefit.
The same is true of Ace Hardware and True Value, places I’ve also dealt with.
The chain asks them to contribute to the mail flyers that come around every month.
If they don’t pay for the ads they are not allowed to honor the coupons. It’s in their contract. But some do and get into trouble for it.