I was thinking the other day about little surprises that brighten up your day. Things like a genuine compliment, the sound of children laughing, someone letting you into traffic. Well, today I was bestowed with a visit from the coupon fairy. I don’t know if you have ever had the pleasure of meeting a coupon fairy. I met one today while grocery shopping. I was in the check out line and the lady behind me asked me if I had gotten 2 boxes of fruit popsicles. I told her yes I had and she handed me a coupon for $1 off! She said she had decided not to get fruit popsicles and didn’t want to waste the coupon. It was amazing how good it felt to have someone share that gesture of kindness.
It got me thinking about when I was much younger and living in the Midwest. Times were a little tight back then and many of the grocery stores had a little table with a raised lip sitting in the entryway where people would place any extra coupons that they had. When you walked in the store you could take a look through the coupons and see if there were any that you could use that day and take them. On the way out you could drop off any coupons that you hadn’t used or extra coupons you had clipped.
I had though about talking to my grocery store manager about this old idea but I could see that the potential obstacle of a pile up of expired coupons might not be appealing as it could become another task added to an increasingly long list of things to do for workers.
I was talking about all this with a friend and they told me that they liked to practice a stealth version of a visit from the coupon the coupon fairy. If they have extra coupons they would leave them on the store shelf on top or next to the item the coupon is for. Then when someone comes along who is shopping for that item, POOF, they get the tiny little sunshine feeling of a happy surprise that comes with a random act of kindness.
Now this sounds easier to do than talking the manager into a coupon exchange table.
Does anyone else have a story about seeing or being a coupon fairy?
Related articles
- What To Do With Unused Coupons (thekatycouponzone.com)
Familosity 
I used to think coupons were the best thing in the world…but now they just lead to headaches for me;
http://fedupfood.com/2012/01/20/big-savings-really-just-lead-to-big-pains/
Hi Mr. Fed Up. I checked out your blog and it sounds to me like you might enjoy a visit from the coupon fairy because you get to save the money without all the work.
Your highness has been tagged lol. Please join in the fun http://www.help4yourfamily.com
I am so honored. I do love to play. Let the games begin.
Thanks for the tag. I’ve just started a new job and have a serious family illness going on at the moment so I’m not sure if/when I’ll get to responding, but wanted to say thank you regardless. And I enjoyed checking out your blog. This post reminded me of a coupon fairy I met at Old Navy. Last time I was in the states I went on an Old Navy shopping spree and had masses of clothes for me and my kids (I gave up a long time ago trying to shop for my husband). The woman in line behind me had a card that was valid for 20% off and asked if I wanted to use it. Turns out that she could use it too, even after I had, so we both got to share in the joy. But she saved me a bundle of money that day. I really appreciated it. Thanks for reminding me of her generosity.
So sorry to hear that you have illness in your family. Happy that the you were reminded of a kindness. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I wish you all good things in your family and your work.