It only hurts your business by creating uncomfortable situations for both your customers and your employees.

What is a qualifier? A qualifier is a condition that the coupon must be used under. For example, get an ice cream for free with the purchase of any entrée, but only between 1 and 4 PM on Monday—Thursday. The chance that someone will want to purchase an entrée at your restaurant between the hours of 1 and 4 PM on a weekday are pretty slim, because the majority of the population is at work during those hours. And don’t think they don’t realize that. It just makes you look cheap in the end. If your plan is to give people a free ice cream for giving you real business, give them an ice cream, whenever they want it.

Imagine what happens when a customer brings in an “invalid” coupon and presents it to your employee.

“We also have this coupon for a free ice cream.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. If you look on the back of the coupon, you’ll see that it’s only valid Monday through Thursday.”

“Hmm, I didn’t see that. Where is it?”

“It’s halfway through the paragraph with the really small type …”

Sure, you’ll get their money for that visit. And you’ll give them a nice little slap in the face to remember you by.