Coupon fairies – have you ever encountered one?

Looking back through the thread, I found other examples of balabooberlies' kindness. It turns out the Forumite often finds discarded vouchers in supermarkets. Co-op is their usual haunt, and they usually spy them on the floor or by the self-checkout tills. Often they're money-off coupons like '£1.50 off a £15 spend' or '£8 off an £80 spend'. Other times they're specific to a particular product, eg, £1 off branded cat food.

'It's a way of connecting'

I got in touch with balabooberlies to find out more.

"Most people are very surprised and pleased," they told me. "It's another way of connecting and even though most of the coupons are of low value it's that random act of kindness that is appreciated. In a way I feel that all of a sudden, in a place that can be so 'on your own', you suddenly become seen."

But some people can be suspicious of random acts of kindness, it seems.

"The first young lady that I tried to give a £3 off a £30 spend thought I was asking her for money," balabooberlies explained. "I sometimes have to gently convince the person that I am not asking for anything but actually trying to give something away. I walk around staring into people's baskets! If that doesn't work I tuck it by the product crossing my fingers that a member of staff won't find it and remove it."

Balabooberlies got the idea from a coupon fairy on the MSE Forum.

After a little digging, I discovered the OG, the Forumite who began it all. Their username is ouraggie, and they began the below thread in the Forum back in 2019:

The thread resonated with a lot of people. One mentioned that they pass on their car park ticket to other drivers if there's still time left on it when they leave. Another detailed giving out their stash of trolley tokens to elderly people and harassed-looking mums at the supermarket. Lots of commenters agreed they’d start doing the same thing. And just like that, a new generation of coupon fairies was born.

'I try to pick someone with several children in tow, or an elderly person'

I managed to speak to ouraggie via Forum private message to find out more. "I have not had a bad experience yet," they said. "Some people look a tad bemused, though. I do try to pick people that will probably appreciate it, such as someone with several children in tow, or a very elderly person (they can’t always easily get to a big, cheaper supermarket)".

And where do they get their vouchers from? "Out of various magazines or on leaflets in the actual shop (Robert Dyas often puts £5-off vouchers in theirs). Sometimes they are given to me at the till. My local Co-op often gives these as you pay, eg, 25p off soup, or £2 off when you spend £20. I just go back round the store and offer it to someone who looks likely to spend that much, as I never do."

I was curious to know how prevalent this habit is. Does every town have a coupon fairy? And in particular, how often do people find the fruits of their labour, the hidden vouchers in supermarkets?

Back in January 2020, a user who goes by the name of wort recalled being the recipient of the coupon fairy’s bounty:

The more I scoured the Forum, the more instances I found. The thread Do you give coupons and till spits you can't use to others? describes a few new approaches: passing on all-day bus tickets at the end of a journey, for example, and splitting a BOGOF doughnut purchase with a parent with kids.

I even posted my own question: Ever benefitted from a 'coupon fairy' who leaves coupons tucked by products in supermarkets? Still more ideas came through, such as pinning Boots vouchers to the office noticeboard so that colleagues can take advantage of them.

'Some people are really suspicious but most are grateful'

In order to paint a full picture, though, I should share some of the negatives too. Forumite Frugalista posted, “Sadly, some people are really suspicious - though most are grateful.” Chris25 posted, “Twice recently, I've been told off in Sainsbury's for leaving vouchers under items on the shelves - I can't see the problem, if I'm not using them, why can't somebody else?” And DUKE said, “I've passed on bus tickets with difficulty, some people tend to back away from me”.

But these stories seem to be in the minority. Let me leave you with a heart warming post from coupon fairy ouraggie: