Here's your Macy's 20% off coupon...but you just can't use it!!!

I have been shopping regularly at Macy's ever since I have moved to California (for about 2.5 years), I personally find it easier to shop at Macy's as its a lot easier to find the smaller sizes there.
Last weekend, I was at Macy's shopping for some apparel and watches and I wanted to use the 20% off coupon that I had received by mail. I was fairly certain that coupon wasn't valid on Watches but I was fairly certain that I could use it on the apparel. So, when I offered the coupon, the cashier told me that I would not be able to use it. I found that quite ironic because, I tend to buy the same brand and I remember using a similar coupon only a few months back. Not only that, I specifically went over the "Excludes:" list to make sure that the brand I was buying wasn't listed in it. I found it interesting and odd that the cashier didn't even have to look at the clothes or the brand name to tell me that I just cannot use the coupon, especially when the coupon says use it for apparel and accessories.
I was unhappy not because I had to spend more but because I really felt cheated. If I literally cannot use a coupon on any merchandise I buy, I really don't see the point in them sending this coupon, it almost seems like Macy's has just stuck to this strategy to ripoff customers. Well, most people like me that have taken the pain to go to the Macy's store would not just return home once we find the coupon to be invalid instead we would still go ahead and buy the merchandise to avoid the hassle of going shopping a second time or finding a better deal somewhere else.
From what I remember, it never used to be this way until a few months back. In fact, in most stores people are nice enough to give you the discount as long as you have your Macy's card. But this time it was awful and I've almost decided to search for another more straight forward and no-frill store to do my shopping rather than deal with such crookedness.