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- Shoppers have just days left to use any Bed Bath & Beyond coupons they may have been holding on to.
- The retailer filed for bankruptcy Sunday, and will stop accepting coupons after this Tuesday.
- It's struggled in recent years, closing stores and laying off workers to try to avoid bankruptcy.
Bargain hunters face a dilemma: wait for Bed Bath & Beyond's liquidation sales to start following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, or use its famous coupons before the end of Tuesday?
The filing Sunday capped months of troubles for the chain that included closing hundreds of stores and laying off workers in an effort to stay afloat. Some of those layoffs have come with allegations that the company is not paying severance to workers at some stores set to close before the bankruptcy filing.
Some have pointed to Bed Bath & Beyond's continuous issuing of coupons as one of their biggest mistakes, as some customers got so used to receiving the store's iconic "big blue" coupons they wouldn't set foot in a store without one.
Retail experts previously speculated that coupons could be honored for 30 days after the company filed for bankruptcy, but the retailer said in a customer FAQ it'd stop accepting them after April 25 as stores move into liquidation sales.
One retail expert told CNN the company likely doesn't want customers to be able to take a further 20% off already steep discounts during liquidation sales. The 360 remaining Bed Bath & Beyond stores, as well as 120 BuyBuy Baby stores, will start liquidating stock Wednesday.
The company will also allow returns of items bought in the next three days until May 24, but starting Wednesday all sales will be final.
Customers can still redeem points earned through the "Welcome Rewards" program through May 15, but the company said it will no longer award points. Gift cards can be used through May 8.
Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Sue Gove said: "Our teams have worked with incredible purpose to support and strengthen our beloved banners, Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY. We deeply appreciate our associates, customers, partners, and the communities we serve, and we remain steadfastly determined to serve them throughout this process."
Couples who used Bed Bath & Beyond for their wedding registry, a number that has dropped significantly in recent years, will have their data transferred to a new partner yet to be named.
Bed Bath & Beyond did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.