If there were any doubt....

I let my happy behind (as mentioned in previous post) get the better of me and pretty much had this baby wrapped up! I got a message from the DM on my voice mail yesterday. I called him back today, so sure that he was going to apologize and confirm what Customer Care had already told me. Nope. Not even close. I did not expect that and all of my "imagined" conversations had not even gone there, so to speak. He said that I had to buy something to get the free item and buy using a coupon "as payment" I wasn't really buying it and they couldn't let me get something for free. I tossed a few scenarios at him, explaining my understanding of a coupon. I asked about a 4 dollar bottle of shampoo that if I had a $3.99 coupon, I could use that and pay $0.01 but (using a coupon for the purchase) but a coupon that states B1G1 free, maximum value 2.29, I couldn't use to get the free bag - no he said. I said if the coupon stated save $2.19 (current price of lifesavers here) I could use it and get 2 bags free. I don't know if he answered that or if he did, I don't recall... he just said that the stores I had used them at should not have, and that they were trying to please the customer. I finally asked, so if I buy 1 @ 2.19, use this coupon I should get one from CVS and one from manufacturer? Again, no direct response that was clear cut. He said just in our conversation, coupons are so open to interpretation. I agree but mentioned that what he was saying was in direct conflict of what I was already told by Customer Care per there book that they were using. The lady on phone Monday night had several scenarios that she was reading from, then said, well that isn't the exact scenario... read another one... until she found the correct one. He didn't have a good answer for using a coupon on a sale item when I mentioned Michelle's excuse. He said I would be better off using my B1G1 free when it wasn't on sale... huh?!?! In the end, I tried to explain to him that it wasn't so much about getting to use my coupon but that I would have preferred a better, more professional response from Michelle as I had from Adam when I called back. I got off the phone, frustrated and promptly wrote cvs.com and asked for specific clarification. The more I thought about it, the more I felt he was taking up for the employees and not the consumer and that really irks me. As I mentioned to a friend at work, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that there is even a romantic connection between Michelle and the DM, after seeing his picture hanging at the "good" store. That is probably stretching it. So I have spent the last few hours scouring the internet to find the true meaning of what the verbage on coupons mean. I have found good interpretations to try and explain to ignorant cashiers, managers, district managers.... purchase is a item, transaction is entire group, but I want something more definite. I kept looking at my poor Lifesaver coupon and its "Limit one coupon per purchase." sentence. How do I prove that a single item is a purchase.... I checked a CVS receipt. It has a transaction number up top (good to use for transaction proof) and # items at bottom - not clear enough though for purchase. Finally it dawned on me. I dug an empty wrapper out of my trash and took the following picture - note the proof of purchase. Think it'll work?!? I sure do!