Unintended Consequences of Extreme Couponing

I thought that THIS story from MSNBC.com was interesting in a couple of ways.  It details some unexpected problems that have emerged across the country as the trend of 'extreme couponing' (i.e. using dozens of coupons to cut grocery bills to near zero) continues to grow.

One unintended consequence, apparently, is a rash of thefts of stacks of Sunday newspapers from vending machines, as shoppers seek out more-and-more coupons. 

This article also revealed to me that most grocery stores apparently have detailed, if unwritten, policies limiting coupon use; like limits on the total number of coupons that can be redeemed at once, or a limit of one product per coupon.