This ain’t right
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (44721)
Staten Island, New York
November 26, 2024 6:29pm CST
I looked over the receipt from our Stop & Shop shopping trip and noticed something that to me should not be the way it is.
We got cheese that was on sale for $2.99 and also had a $1 off coupon. And we got Hellmann’s mayo that was on sale for $5.99 and had a $2 coupon. Cheese should have cost us $1.99 and the mayo $3.99.
We paid with our OTC card, which is a card that has a balance loaded to it and then when you use it to pay for eligible items the total gets deducted from the balance.
Instead of $3.99 for mayo and $1.99 (twice) for two cheeses being deducted from the OTC card balance they deducted $5.99 for mayo and $2.99 twice for the two cheeses and then applied the coupons. So instead of $7.97 being deducted from our OTC card balance it was $11.97.
I did not notice this until we got home. I wonder if I could’ve asked customer service about it and what they would have said. We gave the OTC card when it was time to pay so the coupons should have been applied first and then the OTC card balance deducted.
While in theory we paid $3.99 for mayo and $1.99 (twice) for two cheeses it seems like the OTC card balance was deducted before the coupon was applied, so the balance deducted from the card is $4 more than it should be. Unless there is something I misunderstand looking at the receipt.
5 people like this
4 responses
@kaylachan (71762)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
27 Nov
Cupons often don't always work with OTC cards. Often times, the card will base the price on the orginal. When I use my OTC card at Winn-Dixie, I get them to do cupons first, and deductions from my Winn-Dixie card, first and then pay with my OTC card. If I use Self-check-out, I have to do it that way, because the self-check-out won't scan the OTC card.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
27 Nov
I always present my OTC card after all the items were scanned and it’s time to pay. Coupons are usually digital, loaded onto the store card by me. I think they get deducted after we scanned everything and not after those specific items.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
27 Nov
When I want to use my OTC card I never go to self-checkout.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
27 Nov
It seems if something is on sale OTC will deduct the sale price, not the original. Why if there is also a coupon it doesn’t first deduct the coupon I have no idea. It’s confusing.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (181721)
• United States
28 Nov
I personally think the sale price should have been used; but then I don't know the policies behind the OTC card. What are you and Lenny doing for Thanksgiving?
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Nov
My mother is in FL and in-laws are away in Australia so it will just be us two plus hubby’s brother. Since we have no dining table yet I think we will go to my mom’s house and cook and eat there.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Nov
I still don’t get how much was actually taken off the card. If I had written down the balance on my card prior to this shopping trip it would have been easier to figure out.
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Nov
I think this happened to me once before.
1 person likes this
@porwest (92588)
• United States
27 Nov
I don't know anything about OTC cards, but it is likely that coupons are deducted first and then the balance of the item is deducted. I'd have to really scan that receipt and understand how OTC works to be able to more fully comment. Worst case scenario I'd just bring the receipt back to the store so they could explain it in more detail and determine if an error was made.
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
27 Nov
On the receipt I included with this comment:
Mayo $6.99
Savings -$1.00
OTC -$5.99
Personal discount -$2.00
The OTC lines tells me that the balance taken off the OTC card is $5.99 and not $3.99. Otherwise I’d think OTC line would say -$3.99. And the coupon which they call personal discount should appear before the OTC line if OTC charge is after the discount is applied but it appears after.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44721)
• Staten Island, New York
29 Nov
@porwest just by logic whatever if the receipt shows a line that says OTC and there is an amount with a minus sign that means to me that the OTC card is deducted that amount. I still feel like they took the amount prior to coupon being deducted.
May seem crazy but I wanna type in all I bought, their prices, all the savings, coupons, and OTC deductions, etc into MS Excel and do some math to figure out what’s what. Maybe then it will stop bugging me.
The seltzer was the only thing that the OTC didn’t really cover save for 16 cents. Guess it is not considered healthy food. 
I remember I got Kaiser rolls before and the OTC didn’t cover it.
I remember I got Kaiser rolls before and the OTC didn’t cover it.1 person likes this
@porwest (92588)
• United States
29 Nov
@lovebuglena Again, I have no idea how these cards are supposed to work to be able to determine if there was an error or if this is just how these cards apply the discounts and coupons.
