Ebay Coupon Selling Policy Simplified

Hello everyone. I see , as usual, lots of misinformation online regarding what eBay's actual coupon selling policy is. So with this post we willy simplify it step by step to help you better actually understand what really takes place and why your listings may get flagged, removed and your account potentially suspended, which no one wants.

The actual eBay coupon policy is linked here.  

This is what one account can do:

You may sell up to $100 or 25 valid, unexpired, original coupons per month. 

What this means is that you can sell literally only 25 coupons that are valid, original and unexpired per month per account and combined they cannot a value of $100.00. Simple enough.

Example of correct listing: (25) Save $1.00 off XXX product coupons. 

Example of listing that can get removed: (50) random assorted grocery food coupons. Or : (25) Save $10 off purchase of $100 or more at Kroger coupons.

These are the restrictions:

Multi-quantity listings: You can't sell more than 25 coupons in a single listing. The allowed 25 coupons per month include multi-quantity listings.

This translates into no more than 25 per listing. So you can't sell more than 25 coupons in a single listing at all or if you have 25 of an item and the coupon is say more than $4.00 off an item and you are trying to sell them individually with a quantity of 25. You can't do that either as it would go over the $100 max value mark.

Make sure you clearly state in your description how many coupons you're selling. If we can't tell how many coupons are offered, the listing violates our policy.

This should be self explanatory. Here is an example of a listing violation: "Random lot of grocery food coupons in envelope as shown in picture."

This is what you absolutely cannot do:

Coupons for "free" products: You can't sell coupons for "free" products. This restriction includes coupons for free items, or coupons where the coupon holder buys a quantity of items at one price, and receives additional items for free. 

The translation here is "No Bogos" and none of those coupons you get from like Coke rewards stating "Have a Free Coke on Us." Nope can't do that anymore either.

Electronic "scanned" coupons: All coupons sold through eBay must be physical coupons printed on paper, not coupons that can be sent electronically to the buyer to be printed. Also, to reduce the potential for coupon fraud, don't include unaltered scans of coupons in their listings that could be copied, printed, and redeemed in stores.Note: The sale of scanned or photocopied coupons may violate federal copyright laws, and sellers of unlawful items like these could face prosecution under federal law. We don't allow the sale of these kinds of coupons.

  

The translation here is you can't sell electronic coupon "codes" or a percent off or pay for a file that you can print and bring into a store to try an redeem. Yup, that has actually happened. These are usually fraudsters getting you to pay a ridiculously cheap price like (Pay $1 for a $10.00 off a fake pet food coupon) and indicate it is going to be delivered to you via email for you to print and use in the store after payment. That is actually a copyright violation at the least and could escalate from there. What they are saying is right, it's just probably not clear.

Coupons for recalled items: Coupons for items that have been recalled can't be listed on eBay.

This should be self-explanatory as well but we can't take anything for granted anymore. If there is say a massive recall of like "Cheerios" or something. You can't sell or buy "Cheerios" coupons.

Recalled coupons: Coupons that have been recalled can't be listed on eBay.

What this means is that if a coupon is "recalled" by the manufacturer there is an error in the terms, value or some other feature and if it is on their recall list (usually on their website) then you can't sell it on eBay. Usually they are recalled by the manufacturer more often than not because fraudsters have figured out a way to manipulate the coupon to make mass fake quantities of them for resale or change the value, etc. That's really what a "recalled coupon" is.

Coupon Inserts: Coupon inserts containing numerous coupons commonly found in Sunday papers or delivered with your mail or to your door.

This actually is simple, but people just don't seem to get this one either. This means you can't sell your Red Plum, P&G, Unilever, Smart Source, Kroger, Shop Rite, etc insert you would get in your Sunday newspaper in any quantity whatsoever.

So anyone you see on a forum or message board asking about this and complaining either doesn't understand you can't sell coupon inserts on eBay (no matter how many coupons are in them), is a troll or just lost. However, the eBay coupon policy doesn't seem to apply to fast food coupons such as Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Long John Silvers, Chiptole etc. Since I assume from a legal standpoint they aren't actually the manufacturers of the food themselves but a reseller of the items after prepared. Those companies don't care how many coupons they redeem because these days, they are just happy to get you in the door. They won't be calling the CIC anytime soon I can promise you that, especially Chiptole and their eColi burrito meals.

 The most important thing eBay does not tell you in regards to the 25 coupon / $100 limit is..

It's based on a calendar month structure of which the clock begins on the day you list it. If you list your lot of 25 coupons or $100  value say on August 1st. Duration and format don't matter. You cannot relist another lot of coupons for 30 calendar days. So your next listing on same account, couldn't begin until September 2nd to be safe. After that October 3rd and so on. Initially we believed it was on a calendar month structure but after numerous conversations with numerous eBay reps they actually all confirmed the same uniform response that it is actual real-time date. It is tracked on your account. And you will be flagged and your listing removed immediately if you don't follow this simple rule. It's unstated and you have to find out the hard way but this is how it is.

Now we understand that about 50% of the coupon listings on eBay still violate these policies above. We also know that people have multiple accounts (which when spotted is really easy to identify) that also violate this policy. We hate this policy and the logic behind it right along with you. But we have to work with what the CIC and the large retailers allow us peons to work with to make our $5-$10 a month extra for a 1/4 tank of gas I guess. Our advise is simple: If you see a listing violation on eBay - report it. It may not get removed that second, but it will eventually. That or retro-removed. There is no conspiracy. There is no selective enforcement. It's a simple matter of when someone at eBay looks at it (I've found mid afternoons are great for reporting) and gets it off of their site. It may be before the auction ends or it may be after it ends. They don't want the CIC breathing down their necks anymore with nonsense threats and lawsuits. So it's easier for them to just remove a listing than deal with all of that.

eBay is a large place, with lots of moving parts, I know we want everything done now now now but that's often not how things work with large corporations. Especially eBay who well, often takes a couple of quarters to make adjustments if enough people freak out.

Once again, we can thank the CIC, P&G, Unilever, General Mills, Red Plum, Smart Source with their six figure salaries and paid international vacations as well as the idiots who still try to commit coupon fraud for all of this.

And don't forget, eBay lost millions of dollars in fees yearly in order to put this policy in place due to the threat of a faux lawsuit spearheaded by the CIC and the companies above toward the end of the Extreme Couponing frenzy we all loved (or hated.) So before you go slamming eBay for this one, please step up your knowledge and education on this history of why this is like it is and who is to blame. 

Not like it matters anymore, since the tear pads we used to sell for popular items have vanished from the stores over the past two years and the actual coupons you get in the paper are pretty much worthless since no one double or triple coupons anymore. Hell, they aren't even worth stealing.

I'm coming up on my monthly allotment time and I can't even find a tear pad to take worth selling! 

Extreme Couponing is dead my friends, the eBay Coupon Selling Policy was basically the final nail in the coffin for all of us in September of 2013. 

For those who are continuing the struggle by selling coupons on eBay we applaud you for your efforts. I hope this posting has shed some light on how the eBay coupon policy really works so hopefully we can enlighten the many who seem to be confused about it.

Thank you.

Albertsons Leaving Texas Market to become United. Deals Massive Blow To Couponers.

Last year when Albertsons purchased United Supermarkets in the Texas region, many frugal shoppers were excited about the prospect of the United chain becoming more like the Albertsons' stores with better sale prices, double and triple coupons being offered, and a variety of other things that could help shoppers save a little more than usual and not have to drive out of their way too much.

Well, first, as we broke here at Reality Retail & Couponing, Albertsons in Texas eliminated double coupons back in early April of 2014. It seems to be the industry trend. We did not like it, but with some solace and virtual mourning, we dealt with it.

Effective early June of 2014 and is still ongoing as we speak, the first location to be changed to an "Albertsons Market" in Abilene, Texas offered this as their sale flyer:

This effectively ends Albertsons as we know it in Texas. 

The other locations to be changed over to an Albertsons/United/Unitedsons/Albernited will take place before the end of the calendar year, and also through the early part of 2015.

Here's where their United/Albertsons ad is now located: http://albertsonsmarket.com/

What does this mean for shoppers? Couponers? Extreme Couponers? You are screwed, that's what it means. 

Employees at the Albertsons location in Abilene, TX have reported as much as a 60% drop in sales and numerous cashiers have reported that they "have lost a ton of customers."Also despite the promises of the new holding company that owns this chain many employees have also suffered from a dramatic cutback in hours, with many fearful of losing their jobs.

Also pending appears to be the closing of the United Supermarkets that is less than 1/4 of a mile down the road from the current "Albertsons" location with a consolidation of some variety being the inevitable endgame as it makes no practical sense to have two different stores running the same pricing and sales that close to one another, the volume of neither support it.

It would be like a Wal Mart down the block from another Wal Mart. That just doesn't happen.

This means the following will be dead in Texas: Albertsons buy 1 get 2 free meat deals, Chicken Wing and Fried Chicken deals, B1G2 fish and shrimp deals, 4/$1.00 Albertsons rolls, No more crazy 8 sales, no more Mega Deals, no more Coupon Mania. The list goes on and on.

So combine that with the ending of the double and triple coupons earlier this spring and this new United format, Albertsons for as long as it even keeps that name, will die a slow death in Texas.

Extreme Couponers lose, Couponers lose, every single customer that depended on Albertsons deals to feed their families lose, even the Albertsons employees themselves will lose. The only winners are the stockholders and management of United that despite using a broken business model that got themselves bought out, will still reel in the profits, on less sales, but profits bigger nonetheless.

This leaves, HEB, United and Wal Mart as the only true food shopping centers that people can look for deals at to shop in, and leaves United in a virtual monopoly of this market. And it will do the same as they parade themselves through the state of Texas.

The loss of Albertsons in this region is a death blow to Extreme and regular couponers all the same.

If will also effect other retailers' pricing in the area and anyone that is looking for good sales on grocery and household items.Without a true Albertsons ad to keep them honest, expect a decent percent increase for all "sale" items in this region by stores such as Target, Wal Mart , Sam's Club, CVS and Walgreens.

It is yet another win for Wal Mart, as that is where a vast majority of these displaced shoppers will go, sadly.

If this isn't Retailer's Revenge compounded with greed, then nothing is.

Albertsons Ends Double Coupons And Has To Remind Customers They Accept Them At All

Fresh off the heels of Albertsons ending double coupons in Texas effective 04/09/2014, a story that we here at Reality Retail & Couponing broke first, here we have the first post-Memorial Day ad from our local Albertsons dated 05/28/2014.

And in the header it states as above "We Accept Manufacturer Coupons At Face Value!" Is this supposed to be something new? Are they reminding us of this as a way to say they are doing us a favor by actually accepting coupons at all !??

To further add insult to injury here, they post this advertisement next to their classic "Crazy 8's" sale. This sale used to be a bastion for couponers getting ready for the summer season with dirt cheap or free condinments such as ketchup, mustard, snack pack pudding, barbeque sauce, baked beans, etc.

Under the old Albertsons double and triple coupon policy you could really have scored a good deal here and wow, I know I did and so did many of you.

Now they've resorted to insulting the couponers in this fashion.

Or maybe they have lost business from the couponers and felt the need to reassure them they are still coupon-friendly. Fact of the matter is that I alone have made about 75% less trips to Albertsons since they killed the doubles in early April of 2014. Hazard to guess I am not alone, as often on many days of the week and early on weekends the parking lot just isn't as full as it used to be.

Is it the lack of double and triple coupons? Is it the across-the-board price increases that many of these Albertsons stores in Texas have put in place since early April? Is it the lie of "better manufacturer coupon deals" that their Facebook page promised and has never delivered on? Or is it a combination of all of the above? My guess is the latter.

So now, with Albertsons flying and boasting about how they accept coupons at all,  this ad will be good for one thing and one thing only - price matching at Wal-Mart or Target.

Albertsons may still accept coupons, but they sure won't be mine.

Coupon Blogs to be Blacklisted by the CIC.

Have Google Adsense on your blog or coupon forum? Well, you better make sure it is squeaky clean otherwise the CIC (Coupon Information Corporation) will have your website blacklisted from advertising.

Yes, this is where we are at - a new level of Retailer's Revenge.

When we read this article titled "Coupon Blogs May Pay a Price for Irking the Industry" it kind of hit close to home as well, this is pretty much what we do here. And what that is - is to bring "Reality" into focus for couponers, extreme or otherwise. Citing the article above and the "new best practices" guideline that came from their annual meeting that states “We believe it is counterproductive to directly or indirectly fund individuals or organizations that attack the coupon industry or actively support practices that violate basic industry policies,” we kind of raised an eyebrow and read on. "Directly or indirectly fund" means that basically to put your coupon blog or forum advertising based on keywords from Google. This means that in their mind they are "legitimizing" or "funding" the use of online blogs or forums via their advertising showing up on your blog.

I can see that. But really, how much money is anyone making off of the Google Adsense linked to your blog or forum? Pennies a day if that? 

The issue here isn't the actual money - it is the mentality behind it. Did we speak out here and expose them for what they really are in this post titled The CIC Exposed For What They Really Are - And it's not about informing you , yes we did. Did it upset them? We hope so. And we will continue to bring real issues to light here as well as expose the continued tactics of the billion dollar a year retail manufacturers and companies and their attempt to limit the savings and make you pay more for your groceries and food items than you actually should be. They will not stop raising prices and using tactics to "save their interests," translation: to pad their fat wallets - and we will not stop posting to save your interests. I won't miss silly amount of money this blog generates. That's far less than one of the coupons that you and I can no longer obtain or use in the manner that we used to due to the strongarm of the CIC.

Although the "new best practices" statement is either not on their website or is in an impossible to obtain area, we will cite the original poster and take their word for this one. It falls right in line with the bully pulpit practices of the CIC over the past few years, so it makes sense.

What we did find on their website are some new and revised items, geared toward threatening you regarding the use and/or sale of coupons, and one startling admission. See the screenshots below taken from their website:

So basically the CIC now admits on their website that there is no direct criminal penalty involved for anyone selling coupons. So if you see a troll on a forum be it on an eBay message board, coupon forum, blog, or otherwise, please link them to this blog that now officially states from the CIC itself - that coupon sales are NOT ILLEGAL.

And then, a new favorite:

 

Wait a minute. Does that mean that the local high school charity, sports team, band, or extra-curricular activity group that goes door to door selling coupons is now a con artist??

That's the way it reads to me. Your child - is now involved in organized crime by selling coupons for a charity or group and to "never buy or sell coupons."

Wow.

Are there exceptions? Of course. We're not blind to common sense. Are there real con artists of course. But what the CIC (who work for the manufacturers and retailers as proven in the blog above) wants to do it pick and choose who, what when and how their coupons are sold.

That's not how the real world and the law works. 

You can't say this person can sell coupons door to door for a charity, you can't say it's ok for the retailers and manufacturers to "sell" their images and coupons to both Red Plum, Smart Source and your local newspaper to be "transferred via sale" three times before you get it then tell you that you are a gang banger or involved in organized crime for selling the same coupons that are authentic and obtained. Open your mind and think about it.

So the next time that kid from the local high school tries to sell me a book of coupons to support his local football team or cheerleader squad I will tell him that the "Coupon Information Corporation" says he is involved in organized crime , a con artist and that I would be the same if I purchased them. Then I will give him the contact information for the CIC.

I'm sure that child's parents will be none too pleased.

And with all of these antics going on that effect millions of families and their grocery bills all over the country - you shouldn't be either.

Kroger Ends Double Coupons in Michigan - And infuriates their customers.

Kroger began their personal purge of double and triple coupons in the Texas area beginning in 2011 right as the "Extreme Couponing" took off and ever since has not only been closing stores, but eliminating doubles everywhere in the country. Latest victim: Michigan on May 14, 2014.

Despite the outrage on the Kroger Facebook page , they continue to state the following, almost robotic sentiment to the many, many customers that have voiced their displeasure with the recent changes, here is their robot response to yet another angry customer:

Yes, we believe you too Kroger, we believe you. 1%? That must be the "coordinated" response that Albertsons, Safeway and Kroger and the rest of the greedy retailer whore mongers have come up with to justify this swift retaliation to not only Extreme Couponers, but every single person that utilized that reward for being a customer of Kroger. If you also watch on their page, you will see that Kroger's lie is also very much the same as Albertsons' lie and whoever else is ending double coupons to pad the coffers of the six figure management of these companies. 

This robo-sponse makes it seem like they are doing us all a favor by accepting coupons at all. 

This flagrant disregard for their customers says all you need to know about where the tide is turning in the Supermarket and retail landscape as we have said in this blog time and again - the dark days for consumers looking to save money are upon us and faster than we would like to realize. 

"Invest additional resources into lowering prices on everyday items." Yup, we believe that too Kroger. Just like the other areas of the country that had the prices actually increase once Kroger eliminated their double coupons.

Next stop on the Kroger Kill Wagon : Tennessee. 

The last area on the country where Kroger will double your coupons. 

For how long, remains to be seen.

Be smart and thrifty my friends - it's the only way we will be able to survive this true climate of  retailer's revenge.

Albertsons Ends Double Coupons - And Nothing Changes.

As a follow up to the story that we at Reality Couponing and Retail broke first here regarding Albertsons elimination of double coupons , we decided to give them about a month to see if their promises of "new and exciting manufacturer's coupon deals" to replace the double and triple coupon elimination would actually come to fruition. 

And well, clearly it has not. 

The ads since are full of the same (literally) products over and over again, and with their prices not lowered, but consistent where they were at prior to the elimination of double and triple coupons with actually some being higher.

A message sent to their Facebook page on April 30, 2014 received no response questioning where these new savings are.

Their lack of response speaks volumes.

This is right in line with both the Kroger policy to end double coupons in most areas and the bold and shameless Safeway announcement they are raising prices instead of lowering them as promised

articles linked above.

And since Albertsons acquired Safeway, we can safely assume that this is part of a larger price jump for all Albertsons stores and their subsidiaries now including Safeway and United Supermarkets.

It appears the dark days for not only extreme couponers, but all consumers are rapidly casting their shadow over the landscape.  

This all makes CVS Extrabucks, Walgreens Balance Reward Cards and of all things Wal Mart and Target price-matching basically the only luxuries that people looking to get good deals on groceries can utilize anymore.

That is where we are at. And to consider those items "luxuries" is a scary proposition in and of itself considering the past and present practices of those retailers in regards to honoring prices and having sale items in stock.

Combine all of the above with the lack of quality tear pads being posted in the stores and the complete dearth of usable decent-expiration-date coupons in your Sunday paper - and what you have here is a war being waged by the retailers and the manufacturers.

And the victim is the consumer.

Albertsons Double & Triple Coupons Ending on 04/09/2014

..at least in the Texas region anyway. I saw a sign that was placed on the window of my local Abilene, TX store on 04/6/2014 indicating that effective 04/09/2014, they will no longer be doubling or tripling coupons.

They were the only remaining store in at least my area that continued to double manufacturer's coupons up to 50 cents and triple up to 39 cents. One of the last stores to show their customer they appreciated them still. Apparently their acquisition of Safeway back in early March of 2014 included acquiring Safeway's anti-double and triple coupon policy as well.

The "rumors" posted on the Facebook page are true. And despite the "claim" to lack of knowledge of this happening by the Facebook Albertson's social media response bot earlier this week, the sign I saw on my store this morning was pretty clear and to the point.

What does this mean? For me and my family personally, it means a dramatic reduction in my trips to Albertson's. And it probably will be for you as well. Please spare us the rationale of "we are doing this to lower prices throughout the store for everyone" line of nonsense. Didn't happen with Kroger or Safeway, and it sure will not happen with Albertson's either. Here is their Facebook Customer Service bot response:

Sure we believe you. We want to believe what you are saying. Hopefully it will not be like Kroger who promised to "lower prices throughout the store" when they killed their double and triple coupon programs. In an era of dying doubles, this will perhaps be, the final nail in the coffin since Albertson's now owns United Supermarkets , Safeway and everything under their wing. Who's left ? Depends on your region but the options are falling by the wayside.Hey Kmart still doubles right? Sort of, of course that is a losing proposition in and of itself, so why bother.

But hey, at least Wal Mart price matches still and in my area HEB generally has lower prices even after they eliminated stacking some time ago. I guess I will save my gas and make that extra trip to one of those stores instead of visiting my local Albertson's with the frequency I used to. Shame, I really did like the store in my area. I guess I will still shop there for their mega-deals. Maybe. Or maybe I will just make Target or Wal Mart price match it. Probably the latter. I went out tonight kind of like in mourning of the loss. So I went through my binder, took all of the coupons that made sense to use as a double or triple and headed off to Albertson's. Here is my last receipt ever of them showing the savings using their soon to be ending double and triple coupon policy:

And yes, this will be the last free toothbrush I receive from Albertson's using a .50/1 coupon on a regularly priced  .99 Colgate manual toothbrush:

I said something to the cashier about it also. He simply stated "we can't afford to do it anymore." Of course that makes no sense as Albertson's just purchased both United and Safeway Supermarkets. But no matter. The reality is as follows: No more savings club cards, now no more doubles and triples at Albertson's - one of last safe havens in the industry. This policy saved my family hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the past 3+ years I have been aware and keen to it and shopped accordingly. Now well, just like every other good thing for consumers these days, this too, is coming to an end.

Welcome to Reality Retail & Couponing 2014. These are dark times indeed for consumers looking to save money without question. The good ol CIC has shut down coupon sales on eBay and webstore, eCrater ran for the hills at the end of last year regarding coupon sales, manufacturer's are going digital, tearpads are either non-existent or useless, store policies like the one above are changing and not for the better - the list goes on and on. All in a coordinated mass effort to rip savings out of your pockets and squeeze you for every last penny you can (or more than likely can't) afford. Of course all of this is going on while the corporations continue to just get bigger each day and we are powerless to stop it unless we wise up and shop with our feet.

That or maybe they just want us to eat bagged rice 3 meals a day in America, grow our own food and use wooden utensils to eat and bathe with homemade Lye. At this rate this is all we will be able to afford much sooner than later. They do it in China and they own us right? Go figure.

Thank you for reading.

Extreme Couponing Spring 2014 - Retailer's Revenge -Where have the Tearpads Gone?

 

Seeing a tearpad in your local Wal Mart or Supermarket like the one above would be an extreme couponer or an eBay reseller's dream come true now wouldn't it?

Be nice if they existed today. 

I'm not talking about the specific product above - I'm talking about tearpads in general..

For the better part of 2014 so far, the usual "Spring Fling" of tearpad season that usually starts right after the Super Bowl has kind of well, started off as cold and frigid as this past winter has been.

I thought it was just me, or my area why I am not seeing the usual Vitamin Water, Smart Water, Fuze, Gatorade, Powerade, or anything for that matters' tear pads in the stores. Figure after being blitzkreiged for the better part of the past four years with tear pads being resold, I figured my area just decided to slow it down.

Well, it's not just my area - and the tactics are getting pretty frigging ridiculous.

You don't find them on eBay either like you used to, lighting up the Category of Inside the Home -> Home & Garden -> Food Coupons either. People don't list in that category anymore and if you resell them and wonder why you get hit with limits, that would be why. People have found alternative means.

But even any of the item-specific searches above pull up well, next to nothing.  Good luck finding even those candy-bar coupons for things, nope, those are all removed before they are put on the floor also. For fuck's sake they even took all of the Deep Woods OFF! coupons off of their shippers right after putting them on the floor for sale. I mean, like no one really cared enough to sell those anyway.

This directive has come from somewhere. From the retailers? From the stores themselves? From the companies issuing them? No one quite knows why. Here are some prime examples for coupon tearpad hunting in 2014 - extreme. These are the worst of the worst:

Super Bowl Sunday. A massive shipper of Doritos and Doritos Salsa arrives in my two local Wal Marts. Six full tear pads on each. REJOICE !! Better check that expiration date. They were put out on Saturday 02/03/2014 and expired on Super Bowl Sunday, 02/04/2014. You know where a few of them thar full tear pads wound up? On the floor being kicked around by children. Did I contribute to that? You bet I did. I bet those shippers were sitting in the back for a month and the vendor just put them out on that Saturday giving you ONE DAY to use them and no window to resell them or keep for a sale to use in the future. There ya go Wal Mart, you're not the only one who can play games.

This week. Local 7-11's and other convenience stores in the area FINALLY received the yearly Simply Beverages .55/1 tear pads. It was a sight for sore eyes. A closer inspection saw the expiration date of these to be 03/31/2014. Are you fucking kidding me? You put these out on 03/21/2014 with 10 days before they expire.  Can't sell them, no store doubles over .50 in my area so I can't use them the way I want. I left them there. Good luck. Nice way to lose sales. You can add Simply Beverages to the Unilever Boycott based on their poor coupon practices and distribution.

Even United Supermarkets got in on the action in January. A MASSIVE shipper of tear pads for those Velvetta Blocks ($5.99 retail) with about 200 coupons on each hit the floor last week of January of this year. I found them on 01/25/2014 and they weren't there the week before. You know when they expired right? 01/31/2014. If you tell me that store planned on selling almost 1,000 Velveeta Cheese Blocks in six days with no sale going on, I will call you a god damn liar.

Is this what we have to look forward to? Shorter expiration dates on tear pads or them being held back to the point of not being useful except for impulse buyers at all? Not like you can sell hundreds of them online anymore especially on eBay. So what's the rationale? Retribution for all of the years people made some pocket change selling them and they got into the hands of people that actually wanted to purchase and buy the products? This is backwards if you ask me.

It smells like another episode of Retailer's Revenge to me. Stay tuned. Maybe these instances were just an abberation (cough cough.) Right.

Thank you for reading.