Oh Meijer...you let me down

We all know that using coupons is a game of strategy. We have to find the best deals, match them with coupons, plan our transactions, and our stores to hit. All of this is time consuming, but usually worth it in the long run. HOWEVER, my strategy for Meijer was all a wash!!! I spent all of that time planning my strategy on the catalina deals...only to be told something totally different than their usual policy when I checked out. Almost all of the time, when we get these catalina deals of "Spend $20 get a $8 catalina", they calculate the $20 before coupons. At Meijer in Florence today, I was TOTALLY let down. I planned my strategy and transactions. When I spent $20 before coupons, it only gave me a $3 catalina. I politely told the cashier that I should have gotten an $8 catalina. She told me that I would have to speak to someone at customer service. This right there BLEW my catalina plan on my next 2 transactions. I went to customer service and was told that it was because I didn't spend $20 after my coupons were deducted. I asked her to verify this special in with her manager. He manager confirmed, over the phone, that it would not work if I used coupons. I asked her where in the ad did it state this? All she could say was that I only "spent" $13 as it showed my total on the bottom of the receipt. The manager agreed to fix it for that one transaction, but would not fix any others. I hope they get this straightened out for future sales. I don't care to go back to Meijer now, but I have these catalinas that must be used within 2 weeks. I know I will get over it, but it still makes me mad. A total waste of my time.