Newspaper Thefts due to show 'Extreme Couponing'

http://www.azcentral.com/business/consumer/articles/2011/08/17/20110817coupon-seeking-consumers-swipe-newspapers.html

The above referenced newspaper article has me outraged that people will resort to STEALING newspapers and coupons for their own benefit. Don't adults realize that stealing is a crime? On one episode of Extreme Couponing, we saw a woman go to abandonded or empty homes and stealing the newspapers that were just sitting there. Now people are doing the same thing, and even going to stores and stealing newspapers for their coupons, instead of just purchasing the newspaper, like responsible adults do. Don't adults teach their children right from wrong, and not to imitate what they see on TV?????

I think TLC or the producers of Extreme Couponing need to come out with some statement about how much the truth is stretched on this show. It's not REALITY people! Neither is Jersey Shore or any other reality show...there are WRITERS for the shows to make it enjoyable for the audience to watch. Don't follow their examples. If you want to know how to really save money at the store and not do anything illegal, or even immoral, just ask me or attend one of my forthcoming coupon classes. Or if you dread going to the grocery store, hire me to be your personal grocery shopper. I enjoy going to the grocery store, and love helping people, so this is a passion I'm looking to pursue.

So let's dissect this article:

The Arkansas Woman allegedly stole 185 copies of a newspaper, and she said she didn't think it was illegal. Last I checked, if a newspaper has a price on it, and you don't pay for it, it's stealing. I haven't been in college classes for a few years, so maybe the law changed? Come on...let's get serious here!

The Denton Police lady. Not sure how this all went down. Were the papers there to be purchased and she just took them? Were they there for free for anyone to take? If that's the case, take one, and leave the rest for everyone else. What makes you think you're more important then anyone else?

The Boise one, that irks me the MOST. This is why I use a legitimate couponing service now. I will pay the higher fees for that then go to the store to buy them. I have had a few experiences at the stores with this one. At my local corner store one night, I ran in looking to pick up a few copies of the paper. They had already taken off the top header of each paper, I guess they submit that to get reimbursed for the payment of papers or whatever. So I grabbed the remaining 4 copies that were left and I went home. I went through them later that evening and wouldn't you know? EVERY SINGLE ONE had the coupons removed from them. So not only did I pay full price, and the store will get reimbursed, but they stole the inserts! So I never went back there to get newspapers, but I did submit a letter to the newspaper informing them of the issue. There were times also that I went to my grocery store and gotten mulitple papers. I would just grab about 4 from the stack and go on my merry way. And a lot of the times I did that, I noticed inserts were missing. So then I did my due diligence and would go through EACH ONE before purchasing it. I never once stole any inserts, but I would go through each paper to make sure the inserts were in there, and if any were missing, I wouldn't purchase it. Of course people started, customers and employees. I know they were watching me, waiting to catch me stealing something. Well, they were wasting their time. So now, I just order them. I've only had one or two small issues with it, which were credited to my account, so no big deal. But what irks me is that people pay the same amount for one paper, but steal inserts from others, meanwhile, I pay for my few copies and wouldn't get inserts. What makes these people think they are special, or entitled to receive items that others are paying for and not receiving?

Since this show has come out, it has been such a hassle for us honest and moral couponers. In the beginning I loved watching the show, but after the first episode, I, and many other legitimate couponers knew what was coming. I didn't think it would get as bad as it did, but all we need is the channel or producers to just say this isn't meant as reality. They people on the show even admit it's not real. Many of the coupons used weren't used for their intended purchases and almost every single store on there limits their quanities of both products purchased and coupons able to use, but all that was overridden, making it seem like anyone can do it, but in REALITY you can't. Is it so hard to ask for a real reality show about couponing??????