Consumerist.com recently highlighted a situation in a Super Kmart in Ohio where a woman didn't take to kindly to another person ahead of her in line who was using coupons.

From the Chronicle-Telegram:

"According to a police report, the 32-year-old victim was at the store in the 5300 block of Leavitt Road trying to redeem a $5 off coupon at the checkout around 4:50 p.m. when a woman in line behind her yelled at her to go to customer service with her coupon and called the victim an obscene name, police said
When the victim said she wasn’t going to customer service, police said the angry woman poked the victim in the cheek as she held her 11-month-old son and threatened to slap the victim.
When the woman put her son down in her shopping cart, the suspect attacked the victim, was pulled off by another female customer and fled the store, police said.
Officers are hoping surveillance footage will help with the investigation."
Experience is showing me that those who scream and fight the hardest against something seem to be hiding themselves from the truth that lies within them. So hear me out on this one.

When playing on the playground, girls and boys may fight because they don't know how to handle the new friendship they have for one another. In the political arena we see politicians who fight loudly against an issue but, time or missteps show us that they were only trying to cover up the truth within themselves from others.

The same could be said about the perpetrator that assaulted the mother; perhaps she truly loves to use coupons but, she can only see the frustration this causes to others and so, she had buried this desire to use coupons because she is concerned with how it will effect others around her.

We may have heard tales of kids who were forced to cut out coupons neatly and stack them in specific categories. We all see the sighs and grumbles from those with us in the grocery line as a person ahead of us hands a small stack of coupons to the cashier. We all know how much easier it would be to just blend in with those around us and not rock the carts at the grocery store by digging for coupons or finding the right item to match the coupon, thus blocking the aisle for others.

Because of this ingrained attitude from childhood, perhaps this perpetrator of violence had seen a vision of herself - a 30-something mother who was content to be herself, not caring about what others may think and couldn't stand the thought that the woman ahead of her in line, was happy with who she was...a Couponeer.

WELL, I SAY IT'S TIME TO COME OUT!!
Time to take pride in yourself, live true to yourself and be happy that this is who you are!
Time to come out of the closet, pick up your scissors and wave your coupons like flags!
It is time to show the world that we are not going to worry about the dirty looks, the rolled eyes and the loud sighs!
It is time we stand up for ourselves and make ourselves known that we won't be pushed around anymore, but are going to save money, no matter how large or small!!!


This June, raise your coupons high and join me in becoming the true self that you were meant to be, a Couponeer!

flickr/cc via striatic

2 Comments

  1. Julie @ LifeTuner // Monday, June 07, 2010 8:04:00 AM  

    This is great. I think we all need to be brave to be ourselves. Coupons, etc.

  2. Dawn // Monday, June 07, 2010 4:06:00 PM  

    @Julie
    Brave, Courage - all facing our fears... what others think.

    @The Zoo
    Wow, what an experience! People are definitely more vocal these days and rudeness is along for the ride it seems.