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Boscov’s ditched coupons years ago. But for now, they’ll take your Bed Bath & Beyond ones.

“We can introduce customers to Boscov’s who wouldn’t have gone otherwise,” CEO Jim Boscov said of Boscov's coupon policy.

The chairman and CEO of Boscov’s, Jim Boscov, on the floor of the Reading, Pa., store in March.
The chairman and CEO of Boscov’s, Jim Boscov, on the floor of the Reading, Pa., store in March.Read moreBRADLEY C BOWER

Boscov’s did away with coupons years ago. But when someone suggested accepting Bed Bath & Bath coupons at the company’s weekly advertising meeting, executives were all for it.

For consumers and the company, it’s a win-win, said Jim Boscov, chairman and CEO of the Reading-based department store chain.

“We can introduce customers to Boscov’s who wouldn’t have gone otherwise,” Boscov said.

“I’ve seen some comments on social media that say, ‘Hey, that’s nice. Good move,’ ” he added. “Some people say, ‘Good marketing.’ And yes, I hope it is. But it really is a way to make new friends.”

Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday, the beginning of what it calls a “winding down” process for the chain’s 360 stores, as well as its 120 Buy Buy Baby locations. The company also announced it would stop accepting its famous coupons as of Wednesday. Several chains, including Big Lots and the Container Store, said they would accept Bed Bath & Beyond coupons, for a limited time and with some caveats.

The deal at Boscov’s: Any shopper who brings a mailed Bed Bath & Beyond coupon to a Boscov’s store can get $10 off any one purchase of $50 or more through May 31.

It won’t matter if the coupon is expired, Boscov said, and there’d be nothing preventing someone with a few coupons from returning on multiple days to get $10 off several purchases of $50 or more (though store associates will, of course, take customer’s coupons after they use them).

It’s a rare moment for the company, which Boscov said eliminated coupons more than five years ago for several reasons. (Stores do offer “appreciation sales” for credit-card holders several times a year.)

First of all, “you want to shop when you need something,” not when you happen to have a coupon, Boscov said. And he said he often saw people get to the cash register only to find out that several of the items they had in hand weren’t eligible for the coupons. “I thought why frustrate people? Let’s have good pricing.”

He hopes Bed Bath & Beyond customers will find this if they come into a Boscov’s store to use a coupon. Ideally, he said, they’ll also be impressed with friendly employees and a similar selection to Bed Bath & Beyond.

And unlike Bed Bath & Beyond, Boscov’s, the largest family-owned and operated department store chain, is expanding, he added. The privately-owned company had $1.2 billion in sales last year and plans to open their 50th store this fall in West Virginia.

Still, Boscov said, he did not celebrate the Bed Bath & Beyond news this week.

“I was aware from what we hear in the market that it was a long time coming,” he said. But “it’s never good news because competition makes everybody better.”