When did Rite Aid turn into an Irish monastery circa 795AD?*

Dear Crazy Couponers,
KNOCK IT OFF!
Sincerely,
Me

Yesterday was Monday. As in, less than 48 hours since the new drugstore sales were posted. And yet, when I went to Rite Aid and CVS last night, shelves were already starting to be cleared! Where do you come from? How are you doing this? And why?

First stop after work on Monday was at Rite Aid.  BodiHeat wraps, free after unadvertised +Ups - gone. Lays Stax, same deal - also gone. Nivea lip balm, free after Facebook coupon - nearly gone. (In their main location with the other lip balms, in the same aisle as the cough drops, they were cleaned out. Luckily I knew there is usually a secondary batch of these in the skincare aisle with the other Nivea.)

Second stop, after rehearsal Monday night, at not one but two CVSs.  The free/moneymaker Oral-B toothbrushes - gone at both locations. I could have continued 1/4 mile up the road and tried a third store, but I was 99% sure they would be out, too.

What really grinds my gears, though, is that with the exception of the Nivea, none of these deals is even raincheckable.  The Rite Aid +Up Rewards were unadvertised, so there was nothing a cashier would have done for me. And the CVS toothbrush deal was contingent upon using a coupon that expired yesterday.

Now, CVS enforces a 2-per-person limit, so I will be charitable and lay that one at the feet of stores not ordering enough stock to keep up with anticipated demand. But I am blaming vultures for the Rite Aid troubles. On one blog I saw a commenter bragging - bragging! - that she had bought 12 of the BodiHeat and 16 Lays Stax on Sunday! I guarantee you that the only reason she didn't get more is that there were no more to be had. Congratulations on gorging yourself at the expense of the rest of us, who might have liked the chance to get maybe 1 or 2 of these.

I'm sorry, but those are the Crazy people who ruin it for the rest of us. Not only do they wreck it in the short term when they pillage the shelves like hungry Vikings, but in the long run, stores have to impose restrictive limits or cut back on the best deals. Again, I'm specifically talking about snapping up limited-time deals and buying ridiculous amounts of products you don't really need, not stocking up on staples and necessities. No one is going to blame you for loading up your cart with diapers or toilet paper, but 16 packages of potato chips? Really?

Unfortunately, the only response I can think of is a campaign of public shaming. Anyone who has the gall to brag about their Crazy, shelf-clearing ways in front of me is going to get an earful (eyeful? what do you call it when you rip someone a new one online?). Play nice, kids, and learn to share.

* This is the kind of obscure historical reference I enjoy, perhaps too much. I'm a medieval history major, which makes me a complete dork, even among history majors.