Sometimes my grocery store has "buy one get one free" on things like juice boxes, cereal, and sometimes even fresh produce. I'm single and don't have kids, but will buy 2 of those items and give them both to the local food pantry. Last week, 3 pound sacks of potatoes were buy 1 get 1 free. I can't go through 6 pounds of potatoes before they go bad, so I got 2 bags and gave one of them to my mom who is on a fixed income. I have recommended people do this on my blog (Little Merry Sunshine at www.LittleMerrySunshine.blogspot.com) as a way to support food pantries without breaking the bank.

I have never recommended anyone clear a shelf and would never do that. I find that behavior rude and obnoxious. I have also written about how it's my belief that all this "extreme couponing" where people have groceries or other items taking over their homes is just a form of hoarding and is a mental illness that we should not be celebrating on TV with the tv shows promoting it.

I'm a couponer, but not extreme by any means. It makes me crazy when I go to get my Sunday paper for the coupons and the chick in front of me takes 10 papers, pulls out the inserts and trashes the rest. Or worse, takes just the inserts and leaves the paper. I've gotten several papers w/o inserts. I get one paper, use one set of coupons, and buy stuff that we need. If shampoo is on sale and we don't need shampoo at the moment, I might grab it, but I'm not going to buy a years worth of shampoo.

As for the people buying 10 of one game - "donate" my ass. They're reselling that crap on ebay and we all know it. A-holes.

I have never understood the extreme couponing. "Look! I have an overloaded cart full of stuff that I will never in the rest of my life use but I got it for only $20 with all my coupons!"

I know they say they donate and give to others with that extra and that is great. But really, is that the best use of your time to help others? Buying them a toothbrush? It seems like there is so much more we could be doing to help others than spending the time clipping the coupons, finding the sales and BUYING stuff. We could be talking to people and seeing what they really need. Because most need more than a toothbrush - they need a friend, they need understanding, love and hope.

The extreme couponers in our small town do the same thing- and it does seem unfair, but our culture has so turned into a culture of as long as I do it it's ok culture. There seems no end to the loss of morality and caring for others that the current shoppers have. I have even seen people buying stuff that will expire before they can use it, just because they have a coupon and can get it for so little. I would love for there to be a show that goes into these stockpiles and shows how much money is wasted from expired products or to follow someone home and watch how they hoard and dont really share...it's ridiculous...manufacturers need to put a stop to this practice. THe ectremers have ruined it for the rest of us...just my feelings....signed "tired of asking for rainchecks"

I couldn't agree more! It is totally disgusting that people act like greedy little hoarders and obscond with carts full of a deal, only to leave other people without anything at all. I don't buy for a minute that they're "donating" them either. I wonder if it has ever occured to them that maybe the toy drive doesn't want to give every kid the same game that some cheapskate donated a million of just to make themselves feel better.

Why is it that people will "pay it forward" at Starbucks buying $5 coffee drinks for the person in line behind them during the holidays but will cheat everyone else out of the chance to buy a $1 game and then turnaround and resell it on eBay or at a yard sale for more money?

Shame on these extreme shoppper and shame on the corporate stores for letting people get away with this crap! The least Toys 'r Us could have done was limit the number to purchase or required you to buy a certain amount of other merchandise in order to get the $1 game. Where is the common decency for our fellow human-beings?