The Coupon Dater

A funny tale of couponing in the dating world

I know you’ve heard about serial killers. And serial coupon clippers. But have you ever heard of the serial coupon dater?

Well, I know one. I actually (briefly, like, for five days) dated him many years ago. But that was before he’d learned the coupon trick.

He was cheap when I dated him. Sad that I already knew this before our five days were up. I broke it off with him early on because of other issues other than frugality.

But what he evolved into takes cheap to a whole other level.

And the only reason we found out this guy is a serial coupon dater was because he started asking out several women we work with under the guise of “I have a two-for-one coupon for , want to join me?”

My coworkers would innocently agree (we’re all struggling artists, and always up for a deal) and bam! They’re on a date with him.

“I have a two-for-one coupon for <insert fast food item here>, want to join me?”

So he lures them in with the promise of free/cheap food, and pulls out The Accidental Date. Sneaky bugger.

The Old Bait-and-Switcheroo

At first, I only heard of him bait and switching one of my work friends.

She had no idea I’d briefly dated him when she confided it to me. (Nobody believes I did, anyway!)

“Wait, he did what?!”

I honk-laughed when she told me he’d asked her to go to Subway for a sandwich with a two-for-one coupon as bait.

He’d asked her to join him after work, and they went to Subway. She figured it was just a coworker thing.

It wasn’t until they’d ordered and were eating that he started to reveal his intentions.

She was committed to finishing her sandwich (I’d have done the same!) but told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t interested in pursuing anything romantic with him. Which didn’t stop him in the least from trying to entice her with coupons for burgers, donuts, and drinks for months.

She never fell for it again, despite his best efforts. She finally had to block him on multiple channels. I think she was the coupon date of his dreams, even though she wasn’t interested.

I thought it was a one-off weird quirky thing about this guy.

But then I learned he’d tried this with other coworkers, too.

Really?

That’s when I dubbed him The Serial Coupon Dater.

He’s always been a bit of an odd duck. But this was bizarre, even for him.

He even asked out coworkers who were married or in committed relationships, of which he acknowledged as he invited them out in such a way. At least with my one friend who agreed to join him, he didn’t pour on the romantic anti-charms he’d tried with my other friend.

I dubbed him The Serial Coupon Dater.

It’s gotten to the point that when new women start working with us (it’s an occasional job with staff that comes and goes fairly frequently) and they’re put in a situation where they have to work alone with him, I try to pull them aside to warn them.

Not in a “he’s a creep” sort of way. In a “he’s strange but harmless, and here’s what he does, feel free to say no” kind of way.

One friendly coworker said she’d worked with him several times and he hadn’t tried it with her. She was almost insulted. Being asked on a coupon date was seemingly a status symbol, one that I can’t understand unless it’s a cult status thing.

“I was asked on a coupon date!”

“So was I!”

<high fives>*

*this never happens. Ever. Women do not celebrate being asked on coupon dates. Women probably don’t even realize it’s a thing until they’re subjected to it. And then confused by it. Did this really happen?

I consoled her saying that I hadn’t been invited, either, leaving out the part that we’d dated for those five surreal days and he wouldn’t dare try it with me. Those stories are best served over drinks, not casual work chatter.

Once Is a Quirk, Twice Is Curiosity, More Is Serial

The first coworker who told me about this later told me she’d had someone else ask her to split a donut with him because he had a coupon.

Is this an epidemic? Is coupon dating a thing?

I hope these guys find the frugal women of their dreams. But I also hope, for their sake, they eventually figure out that this tactic is tacky and bait-and-switching isn’t cool.

Have you ever been asked on a coupon date? Did you go? What was the outcome?

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