How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

Borders doesn't; their "Borders Reward" coupons have the same barcode. Supposedly, though, you can only use one coupon with your card during the cycle. I think I've used three before on different days; 40% off DVD box sets.

JC Penney doesn't with their 15% off survey coupons; yes, I shop at Penney's, and that survey coupon is good for 30 days. The catch is, it logs your IP and you can only do one new survey every 30 days. But you can print multiples.

Those are just two off the top of my head.

According to the article, Taco Bell is giving away free Blackjack Tacos ^{(^)} (if you dare).

Boston Market pulled out of our area years ago. I miss their meatloaf and mac and cheese.

downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

Glad to see I wasn't the only one that immediately thought of this.

downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

jaylectricity: downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

Yeah...why not? any time it takes would be cheaper than giving out thousands of pounds of chicken.

Love me some Boston Market. Some of the best sweet potatoes available outside Grandma's house.

jaylectricity: So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

A trivial problem. Hash the email address into a subsection of the barcode.

Boston Market? No thanks, I'll pass.

I had this for lunch on thursday. Pretty sweet deal.

ihatedumbpeople: jaylectricity: downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

Yeah...why not? any time it takes would be cheaper than giving out thousands of pounds of chicken.

Maybe I don't quite understand the complexities of a bar code.

RocketRod: According to the article, Taco Bell is giving away free Blackjack Tacos (^) (if you dare).

That plus Sonic's 50 cent corndog promotion is going to make being drunk tonight that much better.

i work in email and my company partners with revtrax. revtrax has ways of limiting, views, posting it elsewhere, printing etc. problem solved easily. boston markets E-CRM manager should be fired for being incompetent

bostonowns: revtrax has ways of limiting, views, posting it elsewhere, printing etc.

How so?

INTERTRON: How so?

I think it involves extracting the oil from a snake.

I love consumerist, if just for the comments like this gem:

"The nearest one to me is about 5 miles away. Since I live in the city and take the buses, it would take an hour just to get there..Plus have to stand in line and deal with the weirdos, plus have to pay the dollar. The opportunity cost is not worth it.
If there was one right down the block I would eat there 3 times a day until it ran out.
As for the value of the food itself, its very low. I assume that they dont make their own mashed potatoes, and the stores sell them by the box good enough to eat off of for a week for a dollar here, gravy packets are 2 for a dollar. Cornbread is just as cheap, a big box that'll feed you for a month costs roughly 4 dollars. And the chicken? 2 dollars a pound here, they're not doing anything special to it that would make me want to waste the time to eat there.
Plus boston market has a reputation for being a poor choice to eat at, thats all the more reason to not give a sh*t about this deal."

All that topped off by a "not to give a sh*t about this deal"

/wonder if that's from the Laughter OL person

guilt by association: Boston Market? No thanks, I'll pass.

There used to be one of these north of me in Vancouver, WA. Ate there once, had a "DO NOT WANT!" reaction to the food...

babyduckmonger: RocketRod: According to the article, Taco Bell is giving away free Blackjack Tacos (^) (if you dare).

That plus Sonic's 50 cent corndog promotion is going to make being drunk tonight that much better.

Oh...wow WHY such a long headline, subby. The headline from the article is Fark ready.

And I'm adding this for teh lulz. (new window)

didn't they learn from the KFC debacle?

runningscared: Oh...wow WHY such a long headline, subby. The headline from the article is Fark ready.

And I'm adding this for teh lulz. (new window)

Serious business
Link (new window)

runningscared: Oh...wow WHY such a long headline, subby. The headline from the article is Fark ready.

Because I like to make my own.

this is what happens when a place doesnt have Oprah sponsorship

/jk, itll still happen

drjekel_mrhyde: runningscared: Oh...wow WHY such a long headline, subby. The headline from the article is Fark ready.

And I'm adding this for teh lulz. (new window)

Serious business
Link (new window)

That story always cracks me up. It's like a Hollywood celebrity walking into a place and saying "Hey, do you know who I am?" expecting special treatment except they don't get into as much trouble as a politician does.

The English Major: runningscared: Oh...wow WHY such a long headline, subby. The headline from the article is Fark ready.

Because I like to make my own.

Right, I was hoping your sarcasm detector was in working order today. Sorry if I offended.

The English Major: downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

Borders doesn't; their "Borders Reward" coupons have the same barcode. Supposedly, though, you can only use one coupon with your card during the cycle. I think I've used three before on different days; 40% off DVD box sets.

Corporates often have trouble attracting/keeping competent IT types. Programmers don't tend to be 'corporate' enough

The English Major: JC Penney doesn't with their 15% off survey coupons; yes, I shop at Penney's, and that survey coupon is good for 30 days. The catch is, it logs your IP and you can only do one new survey every 30 days. But you can print multiples.

Heh

1) DHCP Release

2) Log into my DD-WRT'ed router

3) Change the MAC address

4) DHCP Renew

5) ISP gives me a new IP address.

/IP based blocking is retarded.

/considers changing my IP address periodically to be just another security procedure.

lordargent: The English Major: JC Penney doesn't with their 15% off survey coupons; yes, I shop at Penney's, and that survey coupon is good for 30 days. The catch is, it logs your IP and you can only do one new survey every 30 days. But you can print multiples.

Heh

1) DHCP Release

2) Log into my DD-WRT'ed router

3) Change the MAC address

4) DHCP Renew

5) ISP gives me a new IP address.

/IP based blocking is retarded.

/considers changing my IP address periodically to be just another security procedure.

Thank you.

jaylectricity: So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

Yes, and I would do it in perl.

There's no real cost difference between using the same vs generating them. These were going out via e-mail, not print. Just randomly generate a number, and throw it into GD Barcode to generate the image. Then wrap it up in an e-mail and send it.

Repeat until you're done with the customer list.

The English Major: I shop at Penney's

Most of Boston Market's food is too bland for my tastes. Lady Invictus loves it, though.

No issues with the local place. They gladly took the coupons. My son and I went in several times to in turn deliver the meals to seniors who usually did not get the chance to get out - it was a real treat for them. The manager asked what we were doing and told us that we didn't have to come back multiple times - she let us get the meals at the $1 price and we brought them to the old folks.

Actually, thecoupon was on their website. I had it for lunch last Thursday. The drink actually cost more than the meal did.

Granted, you're limited on the sides (mashed potatoes and gravy and a cornbread muffin) but it's still a sweet deal.

Winner Winner

dustman81: Actually, thecoupon was on their website. I had it for lunch last Thursday. The drink actually cost more than the meal did.

Granted, you're limited on the sides (mashed potatoes and gravy and a cornbread muffin) but it's still a sweet deal.

Huh... I got new potatoes. I was the first one to use it at the store though. They ran out of chicken at one store but gave my co-worker meatloaf instead.

Went today around 6pm and they decided to close the store early it seems...

lordargent: jaylectricity: So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

Yes, and I would do it in perl.

There's no real cost difference between using the same vs generating them. These were going out via e-mail, not print. Just randomly generate a number, and throw it into GD Barcode to generate the image. Then wrap it up in an e-mail and send it.

Repeat until you're done with the customer list.

The real problem is how do you know which ones ahve been used before?

Each store would have to have an internet connection to a database of used key codes, and they would have to be hashed in a way that prevents the hacker from generating them sequentially.

I've seen crazy coupons floating around in chatrooms, and usually you can use them dozens of times before the business find out and blocks them.

jaylectricity: downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

Yah, because other companies like UPS/FedEx could never generate the millions of unique barcodes that they do every day...

Or the airlines that print a brazillian unique bar codes daily....

and when the barcode is declined and you have a pissed off customer on your hands who was denied the promo that store manager is harassed for failing to give good customer service on fark forums and the consumerist site.

The English Major: Borders doesn't; their "Borders Reward" coupons have the same barcode. Supposedly, though, you can only use one coupon with your card during the cycle. I think I've used three before on different days; 40% off DVD box sets.

So you are willing to cheat Borders but not willing to just download the DVD boxed sets?

I had somebody send this coupon to me. The coupon itself actually encouraged people to send it to their friends, although BM wanted them to do so by following a link in the email.

jst3p: The English Major: Borders doesn't; their "Borders Reward" coupons have the same barcode. Supposedly, though, you can only use one coupon with your card during the cycle. I think I've used three before on different days; 40% off DVD box sets.

So you are willing to cheat Borders but not willing to just download the DVD boxed sets?

Hmm. Good point. However, I used to work for Borders Group, and I know the markups.

The English Major: jst3p: The English Major: Borders doesn't; their "Borders Reward" coupons have the same barcode. Supposedly, though, you can only use one coupon with your card during the cycle. I think I've used three before on different days; 40% off DVD box sets.

So you are willing to cheat Borders but not willing to just download the DVD boxed sets?

Hmm. Good point. However, I used to work for Borders Group, and I know the markups.

and knowing the markups makes it okay to cheat them? I guess they don't have to pay their employees, the overhead, build new stores.

I guess knowing how much money is wasted in the government I won't pay my taxes

jaylectricity: downstairs: How do you not have a system that can scan a barcode on a coupon to decline duplicates?

So you're gonna create an individual barcode for all hundreds of thousands of customers on their email list?

There's a coupon printer plug-in that does just that. I'm on email lists for a couple companies that use it. The plug-in doesn't allow printing to anything other than a physical printer (so no saving to PDFs or JPEGs unless you put it back in a scanner).

If I want to print more than one coupon, I need to do it from a different IP address. I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to ask for an email address during the printing process to prevent those who aren't on the email list from getting a coupon.

I have a Boston Market about a minute from me, so I printed off a bunch of coupons and went for lunch every day. Only once were they out of chicken & potatoes, but they offered me turkey & corn instead. I love pretty much everything from that place, so it was just as good a deal IMO.

/worked at Boston Market for a few months in high school, getting a kick etc. Great dick job when you have a loser manager and lke the food, though; all the food you wanted was free!

mansonozz: I have a Boston Market about a minute from me, so I printed off a bunch of coupons and went for lunch every day. Only once were they out of chicken & potatoes, but they offered me turkey & corn instead. I love pretty much everything from that place, so it was just as good a deal IMO.

/worked at Boston Market for a few months in high school, getting a kick etc. Great dick job when you have a loser manager and lke the food, though; all the food you wanted was free!


Only two times I have been to this chain, my chicken was undercooked and bloody both times. Two different locations, 5 years apart.

exvaxman: No issues with the local place. They gladly took the coupons. My son and I went in several times to in turn deliver the meals to seniors who usually did not get the chance to get out - it was a real treat for them. The manager asked what we were doing and told us that we didn't have to come back multiple times - she let us get the meals at the $1 price and we brought them to the old folks.

I'm sorry, I don't follow. If the problem these seniors have is that they don't get a chance to get out much, how is taking them yet another meal to be eaten alone and inside helping them any?

highwayrun: exvaxman: No issues with the local place. They gladly took the coupons. My son and I went in several times to in turn deliver the meals to seniors who usually did not get the chance to get out - it was a real treat for them. The manager asked what we were doing and told us that we didn't have to come back multiple times - she let us get the meals at the $1 price and we brought them to the old folks.

I'm sorry, I don't follow. If the problem these seniors have is that they don't get a chance to get out much, how is taking them yet another meal to be eaten alone and inside helping them any?

Most geezers are easy to please. The fact that it wasn't cafeteria food probably made their day.