Couponing Making a Comeback; Creating New Entrepreneurs
by Elana Centor

When I picked up the Sunday Star Tribune at my corner grocery store this morning, I was expecting a bigger, heavier newspaper.The Sunday Times, it is not.

It has been years since I read the print version of the Sunday paper but today I wasn't interested in the articles-- I had already read them online earlier-- I was there for the coupons.

In doing  research on coupons this week, I started feeling foolish for not being a couponer -- Not taking advantage of these cents off offers is, according to one article, throwing away cash.

Growing up my Aunt Lily was the coupon queen. She used to regale us with stories of her double and triple coupon points and how much money she was saving. For Lily it was a financially rewarding  game-- not that different from her regular Mah Jong or Canasta games, which always involved some kind of currency. Instead of dots, bams,kraks or dragons, the cards were 20 cents off  and buy one, get one free. Her opponent was not the neighbor down the street but the price she would have paid without the coupons.  In this game, she was always a winner.

While my mom once resisted buying a bunch of bananas because she had seen it a penny cheaper per pound at another grocery store, she was not a coupon clipper .She was also not a mah jong or canasta player. I did not grow up sitting around the kitchen table on Sundays, clipping, sorting and strategizing of all the money I was going to save by redeeming those MFC's--that's coupon speak for a manufacturer coupon( think P&G) All stores honor these.

My mom can tell you exactly how much the price of bananas has increased this year--to the penny--- but I never have seen her whip out a coupon in the checkout line. She does rebates, she does sales. She doesn't do coupons.l

Earlier this year I was standing in line behind a gentleman who was an obvious couponer. By the time the grocery clerk scanned, sorted and verified his coupons , he had knocked $38 from his grocery bill. I was impressed. He was embarassed and apologetic to all of us standing behind him who had to wait the extra 3-5 minutes for the coupon transaction to be completed. Note to grocery stores: Add coupon only lines.

CouponingThat, according to CMS--The Promotions Logistics Company-- is one of the key reasons many of us don't coupon.  We're embarassed to do it.

Consumers like my Aunt Lily  was,are confident and believe others think they are smart for saving so much money.

Then there are the rest of us who are self-conscious about making others wait and wait and wait while the grocery clerk inspects the coupons for a valid expiration date and to some part whether or not they are counterfeit.

Embarassed or not, couponing--which had been experiencing a 16 year decline -- is making a comeback.

Last year, consumers  redeemed $2.6 billion coupons--a far cry from the $7.9 billion redeemed in 1992. But, what is significant, is that it was the same amount that was redeemed the year before. And this year, manufacturers are anticipating as new venues for coupons become available -- the coupon biz will see an uptick.

Marketers issued 302 billion coupons in 2007, a 6% increase over the previous year.  However, that increase belies the fact that manufacturers reduced the number of promotional offers by over 8% while increasing the circulation of those offers by nearly 5%.

“Last year, brands saw coupons as more of a mass advertising media,” said Tilley.  “Instead of issuing a lot of finely-tuned, targeted marketing efforts, brands tended to use coupons to support competitive messaging or new product launches.”

New products and competitive messages require richer offerings to get the attention of potentially less receptive audiences.  Therefore, the broader messaging brought a significant increase in coupon values.  Average values increased 10 cents per coupon to $1.28, marking the highest level seen to date.  At a nearly 9% increase, 2007 also saw coupon values outpace price increases for the first time since 2004.

 

At 8:58 a.m this morning I began my  own coupon experiment. It ended at 9:12 a.m. I had cut out three coupons and if I use all of them, I will not have redeemed the $1.75 I paid to buy the paper.

My first impression was that the majority of the circulars focused on sales within the stores and that my paper had just a pittance of coupons.

I cut out a 50 cents off coupon for some toothpaste but then found a 2/$5 sale at Walgreens for the same brand. Given that I am not my mother's daughter and have no idea what a tube of toothpaste regularly costs I don't know whether I'm better of with the 2/$5 or my 50 cents off coupon.

That's where the professional couponers come in. People whoshare the coupon passion that my Aunt Lily did  are finding that their passion and strategy for winning at the checkout line not only provides weekly savings but is also an entrepreneurial opportunity to mentor coupon schlubs like me.

CouponCrissy was "discovered" earlier this year. She started her blog at the end of May and has a category on her blog for booking appearances and scheduling coupon classes.

From the Consumerist

At a local Publix, Crissy managed to get two-thirds off her grocery bill and at CVS picked up $140 worth of goods for $5. Often, she spends only $10 a week on groceries and that's with 3 kids and a husband. Check out some of her techniques and her favorite coupon web sites, inside...

Crissy's incredible results don't come without preparation. She usually spends an hour week getting prepared for her shopping trip which takes her 3 to 4 hours and includes 3 to 7 local stores.

Like any good soldier, Crissy starts by gathering her ammunition. She does this by buying 2 copies of the Sunday double paper which renders 4 sets of coupons. Next she hits her favorite web sites which include: gottadeal.com and hotcouponworld.com

CouponMomV2With an Alexis ranking of 45,410, The Coupon Mom promises to help you cut your grocery bill in half. There's a free e-book and so far half a million people have become members of this community.

Currently 90% of all coupons are distributed via the Sunday paper. That of course is changing. While some grocery chains will not accept coupons printed from the internet --big fraud problem-- many others will.

There is a growing trend towards coupons via mobile phones-- I tried to sign up for one service myQpon but before I completed the activation process they informed me that I had to recommend five other people before I could get to the good stuff. Ugh.

There are a growing number of websites where you can download those coupons  and the online version of the Sunday paper offers some coupons as well including wow-coupons,coupons.com and RetailMeNot.com.

Meanwhile, I do have a 50 cents off coupon on Cascade 2in1 actionPacs that I clipped from the Sunday paper.It says the offer is valid on any size so I will see what happens when I submit the coupon at Costco. that is if I remember that I have that coupon the next time I go to Costco.

Elana blogs about business culture at FunnyBusiness

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Submitted by Elana Centor (view blog) on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 12:01

Comments

 

I'm a recent coupon convert too

I've also recently started being diligent about cutting coupons and doing more strategic planning before I go to the grocery store - going to the store's on-line circular and planning my grocery list based on what's on sale - all in an effort to save some money.  The results have been mixed so far.  I've saved some money, at least according to the helpful info at the bottom of the receipt, but I've been spending just about the same as I normally would.  I'm not giving up yet though, I think I just have to be a little more strategic and not get sucked into buying things I might not buy if it weren't on sale.

Oh, and I bet you can use the 50 cents toothpaste coupon with the 2 for $5 sale - one of the coupon advice blogs I read said that stores often know what coupons will be in the Sunday paper and plan their sales accordingly, because they want you to buy the product.  Just keep in mind that you usually don't have to buy two to get the sales price - this is a mistake I have made a couple of times, it's not that big a deal when it's something like toothpaste but it has been a problem when it's something like fruit or vegetables that end up going bad before I can eat it all!

Now I'm off to buy the Sunday paper...

I blog about creating a life worth living at:  www.inventingmylife.blogspot.com

Submitted by LizzieH on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 11:41
 

Mother and daughter couponing and
difficulties couponing today

My daughter cut-out and organized coupons as a young adolescent for our household.  After she really began saving us money, I split the difference with her.

I still coupon regularly but find that I mostly cook with fresh foods - a lot of the coupons are not useful to me.  I also don't like coupons that require one to buy 2-3 of a product to get the savings.  Our household size doesn't accommodate those sizes.  I also find that in the Boston Sunday Globe it's harder to find coupons for juice than it is for cleaning products - many of which I don't use any ore because they aren't environmentally friendly.

 If I find more than two coupons in the Sunday paper that are useful, it's a great week.I will check out the sites you recommended.

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

Submitted by Candelaria Silva on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 12:56
 

Costco doesn't take manufacturer coupons

You'd be better off using the coupon at Wal-Mart of the grcoery store.  Costco occasionally releases their own coupon books, but those are the only coupons they take. 

 I'm a couponer all my life, but I've really stepped up my game in the past few months with the economy the way it is.  I use at least one coupon on every single shopping trip, no exceptions.  Wednesday night I got the sale ads out and compared prices, added my coupons and on one shopping trip I used coupons to reduce a $38 grocery bill to $10.16!

It's fun, and profitable.  I highly recommend it. 

Submitted by cliopatra on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 13:17
 

Great Advice

 Thanks for the toothpaste advice. I will do that. Good to know about Costco-- so what I don't know is is it cheaper to just buy the stuff at costco or am I better off with the coupon?  This is the part of couponing that will take a long time to learn-- I'm such a newbie.

 

 

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Submitted by Elana Centor on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 13:41
 

Thanks

I'll keep trying to clip.

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

Submitted by Candelaria Silva on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 13:51
 

My mom was a huge

My mom was a huge coupon-clipper when I was growing up. She'd put them into separate sections in a small, accordion-type binder that fit in her purse. I very rarely use them myself, though. Since I only buy food for myself, the time involved to search them out just doesn't seem worth it.

Another big thing I've noticed with coupons is that they're usually for new foods, and (more often that not) junk-food type items. They don't have coupons for fresh fruits and veggies, or for the organic frozen soup I buy.

Personal blog: Keep Up With Me
BlogHer blog: Singles/Fitness

Submitted by Zandria on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 16:02
 

I Concur

In the past year, I've found one coupon for a fresh food and that was for cherry tomatoes.  But, I do use them when I can and sometimes I leave coupons I don't use on the shelf by the product in the supermarket.

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

Submitted by Candelaria Silva on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 18:26
 

blog.candelariasilva.com Good

blog.candelariasilva.com

Good and plenty!

Submitted by Candelaria Silva on Sun, 07/06/2008 - 18:26
 

All kinds of deals/coupons - even healthy
stuff

I never used to use coupons because I am too busy/lazy to figure out the best ones but I started using this site: www.dealtaker.com where they have an online community of "deal-seekers" who spend a good amount of their day looking for and sharing the best deals and coupons on everything you could imagine.  I have seen coupons there for healthy foods from brands like Silk Soymilk, etc.

Submitted by agholmes on Thu, 07/31/2008 - 13:49
 

Coupons Galore

I am also an avid coupon hunter and I use www.daddyodeals.com

They have a section that lists printable and snail mail grocery coupons. Ever heard of a coupon train?  They have that too and it is great way to double up on your coupon savings.  It is fun too!  They also have Printable Retail and Restaurant coupons.  They even have a freebie section.  Yes, you can get something for free. Check it out and Happy Savings! 

Submitted by Toni P on Fri, 08/01/2008 - 16:43
 

Coupons

Couponing is serious business, last year I saved a documented 37,000 in coupons. That translates into 37 thousand bucks worth of free stuff.

A Little About Me:

My name is Aimee Jackson, I have been married 21 years to Richard and we have 4 children ranging in ages 20 thru 5. Brandon and Nate are at Howard Payne University, Brandon is a Mathematics Engineer Major and he plans on coaching, Nate is a Pre-Med major and plans on being an Anesthesioligist. Seattle, named after Chief Seattle, the first in the Suquamish tribe to convert to Catholicism and the Author of


"Man did not weave the web of life - he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."

Chief Seattle, 1854.

will be in 4th grade this year and our youngest, Fette Elizabeth will be in kindergarten. Basically I have one child graduating the University this year and one child entering kindergarten. WHEW!

I have always couponed, my mom cut coupons from the Sunday paper ( I have 7 brothers and sisters, and we ALWAYS had an exchange student or two!), and after marrying Richard, I quickly learned how to use coupons in commissary shopping to stretch our budget.

Approximatly 3 years ago Richards mother fell ill with Aggressive Glioblastoma, and I spent A LOT of time in the hospital. I left teaching and became a full time caretaker, with my down time I surfed the web a lot.

CVS became my pitfall!

TOPIC 1 (what do I do with all this stuff?!?)Keep your coupons organized. Everyone seems to have a slightly different approach to how to accomplish such a task. The best approach is to come up with your own then stick to it. Being consistent in how you file your coupons is the most important piece of the coupon organizational puzzle. If you keep switching your method you risk forgetting where things are when you are pushed for time at the grocery store.

I use baseball card inserts, you can buy these at Target or Walmart and they are found with the collector cards. I put them in a 3 ring binder, this system works the best for me and I am able to add or delete coupons quickly and find them quickly.

TOPIC 2 (where do I find more than whats just in my Sunday paper?)

There are dozens of Internet websites that I use. But mostly I rely on www.slickdeals.net

www.slickdeals.net

www.dealideal.com (coupon decoder!)

www.fatwallet.com

www.hotcouponworld.com

and places to order coupons: (these are just a couple)

www.earlybirdcoupons.com

www.couponsandforms.com

Magazine with coupons in it

ALL YOU, found at Walmart for 1.77, generally there are at least 2 coupons per issue for completly free items, so this makes it worth the investment.

Combining your coupon with other promotions going on in the store will save you a bundle. If you have a shopper's card, look for those items that you have a coupon for that are also discounted with your shopper's card. Double-up on 2-For sales, such as two cans of soup for a discounted price, plus your coupons.

I really take advantage of B1G1 sales, this is where the store is advertising Buy 1 product get 1 free, the free product is a store promotion and has nothing to do with coupon redemption; hence, you can use two coupons for 2 products even though 1 is completly free. For example: a store advertises Charmin B1G1 and the price is 2.29 for the 4 pack of Charmin. You have 2 1.00 off any size charmin q's. You buy the 2 Charmins and are charged 2.29 (one is free) Then you redeem 2 1.00 coupons- thus getting 2 packs of Charmin for .29cents OOP.

This is also an excellent time to use the coupons that specify that you save only when you buy two of the same product. Always shop with the grocery store printouts of what is on sale so that you don't miss any of the super buys.

Another way that I manage to save a ton is by looking at future ads and specifically setting q's aside for that sale. If I know far enough in advance, I may even take advantage from ordering extra q's from a web cutting service.

For example, I find out that CVS will have Pledge on sale in the next 7 days B1G1 store promotion. I find that www.couponsandforms.com have Manufacturer coupons for Pledge that are B1G1 Free for sale for 50cents each. I'll go ahead and order the minimum of 5 coupons (2.50) and then order another 5 (2.50) because for 5.00 total I am going to be able to buy 20 cans of Pledge. For me that is actually more than a years supply ( my goal is to always get a one year supply of whatever it is, if it has a stable shelf life and its free). 20 cans of Pledge retail for approximatly 4.59 a can, I just purchased 91.80 cents worth of Pledge for 5.00.

Topic 4 Coupon Decoding 

Topic 5 Super Stacking

Basically this is the process of combining instore promos with manufacturer coupons, but can also be done with manufacturer coupons.

Submitted by jackson6 on Sat, 09/06/2008 - 12:25