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Death of the Coupon
By JLP | April 17, 2008
According to this article, paper coupons are dying off and electronic coupons are taking their place. We don’t normally use coupons in our house. Why? Because 99% of the coupons are for stuff we have no business buying. Sure, there are good deals to be had from coupons, but neither my wife or I have the time or the desire to clip, organize, and use the coupons. If the article is correct, the days of clipping coupons are nearly history.
Grocery chains, food and drug manufacturers, and even coupon marketers themselves are going electronic. The concept is almost as simple as scissors and the Sunday paper: Visit a Web site, type in your loyalty codes, and find all the coupons waiting for you, electronically, at a store’s cash register or on your cell phone.
The hope is that these electronic discounts will revive the dying coupon business. Only 0.5% of the 285 billion coupons issued last year were redeemed, according to coupon processor NCH, down from an average of 1% a decade ago.
The article goes on to explain how electronic coupons work. It sounds interesting. Anything’s better than dealing with paper.
One thing I thought was one of her reasons why electronic coupons would catch on:
There’s no embarrassment. Coupons allow people who don’t like to be seen as cheapskates to get the discounts in stealth mode.
What, are we in junior high? I don’t see anything wrong with using coupons and I don’t think people should be embarrassed for using them. It’s the people like the little lady who shopped at my grocery store that get on my nerves. She was notorious for clipping the dates off the coupon. I always caught her because she always left some of the remnants of the date box so I was onto her game. Memories…
Topics: Budgeting |
April 17th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Yeah, what’s the big deal about clipping coupons. I’ve seen people clip coupons and then load their groceries into a Mercedes. Maybe that’s how they can afford the nice wheels - being frugal in other areas.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Safeway uses your club card (or your phone #) to add on the savings - there’s no need to clip coupons. This makes it easier for both parties!
April 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I don’t clip coupons any more since I don’t get the paper. Occasionally I will use the ones that get printed out with the receipt, but mostly just look for the best deal which is usually the store brand. We do clip and use the Costco coupons we get in the mail.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I love clipping coupons! The gas station up the street gives a free paper with any purchase of gas! So I get to fill up my tank and get the coupons for free! I don’t feel cheap using them. A penny saved is a penny earned!
By the way I love your site!!
April 17th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I get the Sunday paper for the coupons and for the news. I only clip the coupons if it is for something I am going to buy anyhow. Never for items that I get “store” brand, just because there is a coupon.
My biggest problem is the fact that I can take the coupon to the store, keep it in my front pocket, shop, pay for the items then get out to the car and realize I still have the coupon in my pocket.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Coupons can be a good way to save money. But, they can also be time consuming, so I only use the high value coupons - worth at least 75 cent. Also, young kids love to cut things out, so we put our kids to work cutting them out.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
We save somewhere between $5-10 every single time we go to the grocery store by using coupons. We get the sunday paper to read in the morning while drinking our coffee and talking and then Hers does the coupon clipping. I remember we once saved over $20 on a $70 grocery bill when the store was running triple coupons!
April 17th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I only recently got into using coupons and now I refuse to go shopping if I can’t use at least 10-15 in a trip. I have saved SO MUCH using my clipped-out coupons that I don’t really see them going away entirely.
April 17th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
I love coupons! I have to admit that I use them all of the time. However, I only use them on items that I purchase regularly or are free after coupon (I like to try out new products with free coupons).
April 18th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Maybe NYC has changed me but I despise coupon users who use more than one in a visit. Here’s why:
1) It takes SO long. If you are a user it better be with military precision, all coupons out and ready barcodes turned the correct way, and for products that you actually purchased. None of this o wait I have a coupon for that, where is it, nope this one is expired ect. Get in get out get on with your life
2) They are confusing to the dumkoffs that use them and the dumkoffs at the register. The coupon is good for one select size and one select quantity. Don’t try and change the terms and argue your point, or worse go back and try and correct your mistake by playing supermarket sweepstakes
3) They expire.
4) They are for worthless products. Honestly, compare the taste, health, value that the rival products offer and you will see why they are offering coupons. *One exception is new product coupons, marketers want you to try it and it’s usually a great deal, as in free.
You’ll save 10 times more paying attention to per unit cost and watching the scanner to make sure prices ring up correct. I like the idea of loading coupons to loyalty cards, even though they are a scam too, just for the fact that everyone want hate you so that you can save $5.
April 19th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I don’t specifically search out coupons as my time is more expensive, but if they fall into my lap e.g. if I get one in the mail or see on the internet and if they are for something I wanted to buy anyway I’d use them.
The absolute best internet coupons I’ve ever used were during the internet bubble. At that time I specifically looked for them - they were just way too good to pass up. The best were from PETS.COM as they had no minimum purchase. $20 would buy a lot of cat food, and they had $20 off no-minimum purchase coupons…. and their prices were low to begin with. So you get enough cat food to last for a while foe $4.99 delivery. Occasionally I’d feel guilty and spend $5 more on a toy. I kept wondering how they were making money with such coupons. Well, we know the answer to this question now. They weren’t making money.
April 19th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I love coupons! I especially love them when I can use them at the military commissary, while the item is on sale, during double coupon day. Trust me, I don’t buy retail, I don’t buy things not on sale, and I don’t buy things I don’t need just because I have a coupon. All that being said, I have kept a running log over the years of how much I have saved with those little paper clippings, and the amount is in the thousands. Why should the grocery store get that money? Hey, I earned it, fair & square. Mine!