Raincheck, please?

Okay, you've done your research, you cut your coupons, you have your shopping list, and you are so organized! You get to the store to see this...... Do you ever have a shopping trip that feels like this? (Totally empty?)

I know I do! Especially in this world of sharing information in an instant, the deals at the store can diappear quickly. There's a simple solution, and it may seem pretty basic, but let's review rainchecks.

The definition of a raincheck is as follows, (yes, I looked it up!): a ticket, coupon, or the like, entitling the customer to purchase at a later date and for the same amount a sale item that is temporarily out of stock.

In other words, whenever a store has an item on sale in their ad and they run out of that item, they are required to give you a raincheck. You can later use the raincheck to go back to the store when the item is back on the shelves and you will be able to purchase that item for the original sale price. So.... don't be afraid to ask for a raincheck! It's a simple little piece of paper that looks like this:

This was a raincheck I used today at Walgreen's, they had run out of the lotions on special at buy one get one free last week.

Like I said, this may be a basic to shoppers, but I'm sure there are some of you reading this that may have never asked for one before. One of my own sisters told me she asked for a raincheck for the first time in her life a few months ago. (gasp!)

Next time you meet an empty shelf, take a deep breath. Ask someone in the store if they really are out of the item you want to purchase. They usually know right away if they are totally out, or they will have someone check the stock room in the back. If they really are out of the sale item you want, they will write out a little piece of paper for you or the cashier can fill it out for you when you check out. Stash it with your coupons and you're ready to roll again next time around! Be sure to go back to the store before your coupon expires to get your awesome deal. Some rainchecks have expiration dates also, but they usually give you about 45 days-3 months from the date it is written so you have plenty of time to redeem it.

I really like Target's method of rainchecks- they place a tear pad right on the shelf where the item is out of stock and they usually look like this:

Just follow the steps on the ticket. Make sure you get the printed ticket, the tear pad paper alone is not the rain check. Tell the cashier how many of the sale item you would like. Also, Target allows you to substitute your item that is out of stock for another similar item. See the wording at the bottom? With this rain check policy of Target's you may be able to get the sale price on something that is not on sale!