Kohl’s has made a name for itself with its generous rewards program and coupon policy, setting the expectation that shoppers can score great deals. But lately, many customers are complaining that the coupons no longer apply to the brands they actually want.
Among them is TikToker @bobbydoblogs, who recently went viral after posting a video in which he calls out the department store for what he feels is a bait-and-switch tactic.
“Kohl’s, you piece of [expletive],” he starts. “You give me a coupon for 20% off. There is one pair of jeans that fit me in the whole entire department. OK? And the 20% don’t apply to those one particular jeans in my size. One pair.”
Despite the coupon not applying to the only pair of jeans that fit him, he still decided to purchase them. “So I couldn’t get 20% off, but I still bought them because it’s not easy to find jeans in my size,” he explains in the video.
Adding insult to injury, he says he was charged for a shopping bag. “What was I supposed to do? Walk out of the store holding a pair of jeans like some common thief or something?” he asks.
The TikToker concludes by accusing Kohl’s of misleading practices. “You guys brought me in on the false pretense that I was going to get 20% off. The one pair of jeans that I could not get 20% off. And you’re charging for a stupid bag.”
@bobbydoblogs If you get a coupon from Kohl’s make sure you read the Fine print before you drive all the way out there because the item that you buy probably don’t qualify for their coupon because that’s their trick to get you there oh and make sure you have extra money because you have to pay for the bags! ##Kohls ##Kohlsshopping ##kohlsfinds ##mensclothes ##Kohlsclothing ♬ original sound – Bobbydoblogs
Commenters chime in
The video, posted on Oct. 20, already accumulated more than 296,800 views, with many users going to the comments section to voice similar complaints.
“They sent me a 40% coupon and it wasn’t good on anything I needed,” one user commented.
“Kohls never again. it happened to me too!!” another shared.
Others shifted the blame to the brands themselves, rather than Kohl’s. “Read the coupon disclaimer before you purchase. Most name brands won’t allow Kohls to discount their products,” a commenter remarked.
Many retailers have exclusions on their coupons, and Kohl’s does have a list of coupon-eligible brands on its website. Despite this, employees in the r/employedbykohls subreddit complained that the company isn’t transparent enough about coupon limitations.
“Just stop offering coupons or have ‘KOHL’S BRANDS ONLY’ in huge letters, because as it is it just pisses people off,” wrote one employee. “At least half the negative surveys we get are people mad their coupons don’t work.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kohl’s via press email and to @bobbydoblogs via TikTok comment.
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