Yorkman’s

MamaG is taking Maude and Bev on a shopping trip today, which presents a perfect opportunity to unleash something out of my arsenal- a post I’ve had waiting in the wings for the right place and the right time.

And not just any post. We’ve got a special little treat in store today- a guest post by Bev’s sister, the one and only Maude. You can read more about Maude here in the “Who’s Who” tab, but if you’re already familiar, go ahead and feast yourself on this long-buried treasure.

While Bev cracked the door for you into MamaG’s secret super power “Yorkman’s Coupon Wonder Woman” here, she didn’t really scratch the surface. 

You may only be able to comprehend the enormity of the gift (read: obsession) if you’ve ever been to Yorkman’s and tried to decipher which coupons/rewards cards/senior discount/whateverothercrazyspecialtheyrun you can or cannot use with the black dot/yellow dot/bonus buy/incredible value/whateverothercrazydealnametheyuse.  It truly is mind boggling, and you have to experience it first hand to become a believer.  But, it’s also important to understand the amount of dedication MamaG has to her craft.  I was able to experience (and benefit from – shout out $55 off a dress I had to buy anyway!) MamaG at Yorkman’s for holiday shopping and the level of effort required to become Yorkman’s discount goddess: Level Expert. 

Here are some things I observed as if you’re thinking of starting your own training:

1.     Do not be afraid to ask.  Repeatedly. 

Case in point: gift receipts.  MamaG had purchased some items in the River City Yorkman’s the day before I was with her.  And those fools made the treacherous mistake of providing her the WRONG gift receipts.  Don’t be alarmed – MamaG and I are on day 1 of our annual holiday shopping quest and we are in the west side RiverRapids Yorkman’s.  She approaches our first victim cashier with said receipt and explains the situation; however the cashier clarifies that only the computer that printed the receipt can correct it.  MamaG is skeptical, but lets it go.  For now. 

Enter day 2 of the annual holiday shopping quest – we are now at the EAST side River Rapids Yorkman’s.  (2 Yorkman’s in one city, you ask?  Oh, yes.  See rule #3 for more details.)  She immediately approaches a victim cashier again to ask about this problem.  He is unsure, but thinks his manager may be able to help – oooooh!  This leads me to rule #2, but for now, let’s stay on task: get those gift receipts.  The manager takes us to another station and quickly is able to use the receipt from 2 days ago from a different Yorkman’s to produce the correct gift receipts.  Hallelujah – score 1 – MamaG

2.     Cashiers are key. 

Bev accurately documented in her original glimpse that cashiers cannot always follow along with MamaG’s level of expertise in their own company’s deal/coupon combinations.  In her own River City Yorkman’s, she definitely has cashiers that she actively seeks out who are on par with her game play.  Here in River Rapids, she is sniffing out who’s who so she can score big.  This manager is clearly jackpot as she has resolved the great gift receipt debacle of 2016.  MamaG decides to press her luck and ask this one about another problem we encountered on our previous day’s purchase at west side Yorkman’s – bogus Rewards cards.  When we attempted to use the Rewards cards MamaG received at her River City store, the cashier in River Rapids told her they were already used.  Ooooo-eeee!  MamaG had been given faulty cards?  Not good.  Thankfully she had a few spares we were able to use the day before, but we had a whole day at this new Yorkman’s ahead of us! 

She explained the situation to the manager, at which point, Whitney (the cashier working the station the manger was using) piped up saying she’s been seeing a lot of that.  Whitney’s theory is that the associates are just throwing down their used cards on the counter and then subsequently picking them up and giving them out again by accident.  The manager is willing to make it right and tells MamaG that she just needs to bring her purchases here to Whitney, who will honor the “already used” Rewards cards.  Crisis averted – score 2 – MamaG

3.     Frequent flyer trips.

In order to really get the best deals, you need to visit your local Yorkman’s (or as many in the tri-state area as you can) multiple times per week.  I have literally received a cashmere sweater for Jasper from MamaG who had found one for $7 on her bi-weekly quest.  You gotta know the territory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9U4Cbb4wg  (check out the 3:11 mark) Despite the fact that MamaG saves him millions annually by shopping at Yorkman’s, Smoke is known to give her a hard time and a quote heard frequently on the farm is, “Yorkman’s called.  They haven’t seen you in 48 hours and they’re making sure you’re okay.”

4.     Review and persevere – what’s right is right.

Immediately after returning to my house post day 1 of purchases, MamaG is examining her receipt (read: a hundred lines of code for the 3 items we purchased) and realizes they did NOT give her the senior citizen discount.  She wants that extra 10%, by gum.  I offer to give her the $6 if she lets it go, but what’s right is right.  The original victim cashier at the east side Yorkman’s we approached about the gift receipts was able to easily correct the problem.  Before he made the award winning call to the manager to resolve the gift receipt debacle, he was able to get that 10% back on MamaG’s Yorkman’s card, no problem.  Score 3 – MamaG

5.     Share the wealth.

Hopefully I’ve made MamaG’s gift for getting ridiculously amazing deals at Yorkman’s very, very clear.  I’m a witness that it is a sight to behold.  But, you should also know, MamaG is also an incredibly generous person and she does not keep this gift to herself.  Not only are our family members regular recipients of quality clothing at a low price, she benevolently bestows her discounts and wisdom to those in line around her.  She is full of stories about how she handed an almost expired coupon that she didn’t need to someone in front of her in line trying to use the wrong combination (silly fools) only to have that person kiss her feet and worship the ground she walks on.  She regularly jumps in to assist if an ill-equipped Yorkman’s patron comes up against a half-witted Yorkman’s cashier and is able to build the path of peace by deciphering acceptable discount combinations.  So, keep a look out, if you see a beautiful, benevolent, and intelligent woman hanging around the cash register at your local Yorkman’s helping people get a great deal, it could be MamaG. I think there’s actually a story of a man offering to buy her lunch because she saved him money. I’m sure MamaG will be weighing in in the comments section today, so she can elaborate.

Following that 2 day shopping trip (and a lifetime of observing her in her natural habitat), I never cease to be amazed.  She really is “Yorkman’s Coupon Wonder Woman” and as I sit here writing this in a gift from her from Yorkman’s, I am thankful.  And since she saved $34.68, Smoke should be thankful, too.  Even Bev is a recipient of the Yorkman’s gift, so we’ll stop poking fun (for today) and just offer our thanks.  Thanks, MamaG!  Keep on sharing the wealth!

So there you have it, guys. I know this post seems almost like it’s written in another language, and that is literally how I feel every time I go to Yorkman’s with MamaG. Here’s hoping we can find some SuperDotYellowDotBonusBuySeniorCitizens discounts today! (to save for a Christmas gift, of course- we wouldn’t want to buy anything to KEEP and USE in August!)

-Bev (well, Maude)