::UPDATE::
Looks like Clariol cleared things up a bit:
Hi ladies- Sorry for any confusion this coupon is causing. This coupon is good on Clairol hair color only. Totally understand the question as Herbal Essences is Clairol, however Herbal Essences hair care products run their own coupons. You can use it on Herbal Essences hair color though. ^Renee
There has been a lot of debate on the $5/2 Clariol coupon in this weeks P&G insert. It says “any Clariol” and we all know that Herbal Essence is a Clariol product. I realize people are posting that you can use it on the Herbal Essence products which will make them free. This will be up to you if you personally feel good about using this coupon this way.
A friend Josie asked on the Clariol Facebook page what they thought of the coupon:
“Thanks for the additional info. This coupon is good on only Clairol hair color. Totally understand the question as Herbal Essences is Clairol, however Herbal Essences hair care products run their own coupons. With that said, it is ultimately up to the retailer if they will honor it the way you’d like to use it. My best advice is to give it a try. Hope that helps! Happy Weekend! ^Renee”
The Clariol rep obviously has no clue about coupons and how they work. “Give it a try” is not really a great answer. She also said, “This coupon is good on only Clairol hair color” plus having couponed for a while we can see what the intention of the coupon is. It was clearly intended for hair color.
This is a situation where you have to decide if you take advantage of someone screwing up the wording on a coupon, or you just pick up your really cheap and in some places free hair COLOR this week. Personally, I know it wasn’t intended for the Herbal Essence, so I am not using it on that.
Thanks for posting this! I agree fully with you. Coupon areas can be “grey” sometimes and this is one of those times. Use it to your advantage, or use your “coupon ethics” and use it for clairol hair color like you said.
Nice post, thanks for the read.
Kristy
I’m totally with you and Paul on this one Kristy. I think it’s quite clear that there was an error in wording on the coupon, and PG has addressed that on their FB page. If we take advantage of their error, they may not offer these high value coupons again. It’s the old “if it scans” theory. Which is totally bogus. Thanks for the update Paul!
It does not say “Hair color” says “Product” Same with many other coupons they won’t show ALL the pictures on it.
Didn’t companies start coupons as a way to market consumer’s shopping trends? If you like Herbal Essence better, buy it. It shows the company what consumers want. This is quite different than using fake coupons, like what got TLC in trouble. And just because a product is free, rather than 50 cents, doesn’t mean that I’m going to have three grocery carts full of hair dye! This may also be a great time to buy both, and see which one works better. 🙂
I used this coupon just a few hours ago yall and it worked just fine for herbal essence shampoo and conditioner. Not a bit of trouble at Walmart.
That is not the point at all. Clariol said it was not for the Herbal Essence, if you are using it in that way you are committing coupon fraud.
I think that we need to set a standard both for ourselves and for others. Just because you CAN do something does not mean that you SHOULD.
As a couponer, I am working on a stockpile, but I am not out there to clear shelves, get merchandise I don’t need or will even use (unless it’s a good thing to donate) simply to get it for free and say that I did. When it comes to this issue, someone did the legwork and checked on it, and our incredible friends here at
Iheartthemart took the high road of integrity versus the almighty dollar and let us all know.
Now, we each have to make our own choices. But, as for me, I will use this coupon for it’s intended use. The main reason being that if we take advantage of these things, they could stop putting out hi dollar coupons. I don’t know about everyone else, but I started couponing because I had to, simply to stay afloat. Now, I coupon to be able to donate and help those around me, and yes to have a stockpile that will provide some protection if my situation changes.
I read on another blog site about how people were going out and using the coupon so they could get 30, 40, or more of the Herbal Essences and then sell them on ebay. It kinda made me sad to know that instead of donating to a shelter or something, they just wanted to make another buck. It’s issues like this that can change the way stores and the public in general think of couponing.
While I can’t choose the course of action for everyone else, I can at least choose my own course.
So, Paul and Tiffany, I will choose to walk that hi road with you guys. Good on you!!!!
Great post Tiffany and Paul and great comment Kary!!! And doesn’t the coupon say Limit 4 like coupons per household per day? First of all, you shouldn’t use the coupon for shampoo. Secondly, if you got more than 8, that is clearly WRONG. And it’s per household. . .so using your spouse or children to go shop with you is wrong as well. This type of action leads to fewer high-dollar coupons and tougher store policies and that hurts all of us.