Shoppers angry with Belk Black Friday coupon giveaway

Did you wait in line at Belk early in the morning on Black Friday expecting to get a $15 to $250 coupon?

Were you surprised that the scratch-off coupon required a minimum purchase and was only about a 20% savings?

If so, you are not alone.

For many, this coupon giveaway was not worth the long wait in the cold.

Donna wrote: "I can share what wasn't fun on Black Friday and that was Belk's Black Friday "scratch off coupon" scam. They advertised "winning" a scratch off coupon valued between $15 & $250. That was not true. It was falsely advertised. Folks got up early to stand out in the freezing cold Friday morning to get a scratch off coupon in which you had to spend a minimum amount to take advantage of the coupon. Yes...you read it correctly. For example...If you scratched off a $15 coupon you had to spend $75. For a $20 coupon you had to spend $100, for a $50 coupon you had to spend $150. They never stated in any written advertisement fine print or in their TV ads that you would win a coupon good towards a certain amount purchased. They scammed their loyal customers Black Friday with their coupon deal and I for one am very upset. I waited in line for an hour in the cold for a stupid $20 scratch off coupon that was good on the purchase of $100 or more. Really? I could have gotten that deal from the comfort of my cozy bed on my laptop HAD I KNOWN THAT THIS WAS THE DEAL...but they falsely advertised their so called deal. Other shoppers at the Garner Belk store where I was at Friday morning were mad about it too. We all felt mislead. No one would have waited in line, in 30 degree temps, for a lousy coupon had that been what was advertised. They clearly said you could "WIN a $15 to $250 coupon", but NEVER said "coupon would be only good OFF a certain amount" and they also didn't state that the coupon was good for use only on November 24th either. Shame on Belk for scamming their loyal customers. I won't forget this. Bad taste in my mouth and I'm not alone. Shoppers fired up their Facebook page with their displeasure regarding the coupon scam as well as they should. It was wrong on so many levels. Total scam!!!"

And Donna is not alone.

"I felt like Belk tricked their customers. The coupon could not be used on doorbusters and every deal was a door buster, " said Rhonda B.

Christin B. commented, "I was so mad when I got to the counter and my coupon wouldn't work on my purchase. Because everything was a doorbuster and you had to use the coupon that day. I tore that coupon up and threw it in trash. I said if I can't use it no one will. I know that was mean but I did."

"Goldsboro Belk... what a rip off. Won't make that mistake again. I'm going straight to Kohl's in Garner next year. I got a shopping cart full there for $150 including tax, and saved $320, plus I have over $30 in Kohl's cash to spend between now and Dec 6," wrote Lisa D.

According to other shoppers who posted on the WRAL Smart Shopper Facebook page, their Belk stores honored the coupon at face value and did not require an additional purchase because the advertisements were not clear.

For those shoppers, their opinion of Belk was much more favorable.

Sherry H. wrote: "I spoke to the manager at the Lexington, NC Belk and he stood by his customers and gave us the the value amount on our scratch off without having to purchase any set amount. My hats off to the manager for doing the right thing for his customers."

"I was able to use my scratch off at face value. I got $15 off of my purchase without spending a certain amount. Cashier said they were honoring all scratch offs. She was very nice," wrote Kimberly P.

Overall, there seems to be a good deal of frustration with Belk coupons and exclusions.

Nancy M. shared: "That's the way all their coupons are. You can't use them on hardly anything unless it is regular price. I don't bother with them just a hassle if you don't read the fine print, which is so little you can't read it."

Sara D. wrote on the Belk Facebook page, "I went to your store this morning with your 20% and 30% off coupon that stated it could be used on sale or regular priced items. Of the 5 items I purchased, the coupon could not be used on anything. Seriously ridiculous. Doubt I will shop your store again."

We reached out to the Belk corporate office and their response was: "We never want to disappoint our customers, and we understand that there were a limited number of customers that expressed concerns about the Black Friday promotion. We'll take this feedback to help ensure we're continuing to provide the best customer experience we can."

If you are among those who are not happy about this promotion or you are one of the lucky shoppers who was at a store that honored the coupon at face value, let us know about your experience in the comments section.

And before you head to Belk with a coupon next time, make sure you read the fine print and hope that they have included all of the important details like purchase amount requirements and exclusions.