primitives discuss cutting out coupons

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11282237

Oh my.

Sherman A1 (10,935 posts)    Fri Mar 1, 2013, 04:23 AM

Why Americans Are Cutting Coupons Out of Their Lives

Nearly half (46%) of consumers who redeemed fewer coupons said they did so mainly because there were fewer coupons worth redeeming. While the total number of coupons has remained steady, the number of coupons that shoppers actually feel are valuable enough to use is on the decline.
 
Coupons are available nowadays for everything from clothing to restaurant meals. Still, for obvious reasons, consumers tend to be most likely to use coupons on household essentials—namely, groceries. And guess what? The number of coupons for food decreased by 6.5% last year, according to NCH. At the same time, there was an increase in coupons for goods that consumers are less likely to need on a weekly basis (various “non-food categories” like deodorants and cough remedies), or even be tempted to buy, including more coupons for new products featuring brands that shoppers haven’t heard of.
 
http://news.yahoo.com/why-americans-cutting-coupons-lives-130040807--finance.html

canoeist52 (1,502 posts)    Fri Mar 1, 2013, 07:42 AM

1. Also, even with the coupon, the generic store brand is usually cheaper.

Most coupons are for items we would never buy.

LiberalEsto (15,895 posts)    Fri Mar 1, 2013, 08:01 AM

2. Sometimes the coupons require you to buy TWO of an item and if you've never tried the product before, you usually want to buy only one to see if it's any good.
 
Or the coupon is for something you want, but to get it you have to buy one or two other items that you don't want.
 
Also, sometimes the coupon is only good for a couple of weeks or a month, and expires before you get a chance to use it.
 
These are all cute little tricks that the manufacturers use to make it harder to actually redeem the coupons, while making themselves appear nice for offering coupons.

GoCubsGo (12,351 posts)    Fri Mar 1, 2013, 08:47 AM

3. That's the real killer for me.

I live alone. I don't always need multiples of things, especially the perishable items. I'll make exceptions when I can get a great deal on something if I can stack a store coupon with them. But, otherwise, they eventually wind up in the recycle bin--if I even bother clipping them in the first place. It's a good idea to have a stockpile of non-perishables for emergency purposes, so for some things, I don't mind having to buy two of them.
 
The thing that really irks me about the coupons for new items is that they come out before the items wind up on the store shelves. One never sees them until AFTER the coupon expires! Most of the grocery chains will allow you to load electronic coupons onto your loyalty cards. The thing is, they often have coupons for items they don't even carry. Drives me nuts.

cbayer (118,298 posts)    Fri Mar 1, 2013, 02:13 PM

4. I used to be an avid coupon cutter, but no more.

It became a pain that just didn't pay off and I often ended up buying things that I really didn't need.
 
Now I look at the sales circulars on-line and build my lists around that. I think I save more money that way.

!!@#!?*&!!$?!!!--I'll have to delete out the coupon-clipping scene from an upcoming chapter of "the cbayer primitive meets franksolich".

Damn.  All that wasted literary effort, only to have to delete it.

Curmudgeoness (9,759 posts)   Fri Mar 1, 2013, 06:23 PM

5. I used to use coupons all the time.

I used them for groceries, non-food items, meals, just about everything. But that has been years ago. I think the only coupons I use anymore are for toilet paper, because I am a toilet paper snob and 25 cents off is 25 cents.
 
Years ago, coupons would be good for at least 3 months. Anymore, they expire in that many weeks.
 
Coupons are for less money than they used to be.

Meal coupons are now useless, since all I see is "buy one get one" coupons. If I feel like running into McDonalds for a sandwich, and I am always alone if I do that, the last thing I need is two sandwiches----and they aren't something that will keep as leftovers for the next day. I often go out to eat alone, so these buy one get one offers don't work.
 
As stated before, generic products are almost always cheaper, even with the savings of a coupon----by quite a bit. And generic products have gotten as good as the name brands. Years ago, you could tell the difference and the quality was lacking, but no more. I rarely buy name brands anymore.....except for toilet paper.

^^^must have a sensitive bottom, to have to use lotioned-and-scented bathroom tissue.

[chitownchica]

I used to clip coupons, litter my purse with them, and then end up throwing them away because I forgot to use them.  It's true that a lot of the coupons aren't as good as they used  to be, but  damn, this just goes to show the primitives will whine about anything. 

Boo hoo, those evil corporations aren't discounting enough! They are robbing us blind by giving a lesser price than retail!

Poor me, no one wants to be seen in public with me, so I can't get anyone to buy one so  I can have one free. Damn you traitorous rethuglikkan restaurant owners! God knows I'm too picky to find one thing on the menu that I could get free and eat later.  Plus, I don't eat leftovers. It's beneath my dignity. 

Buy one get one is a scam because I'm too lazy to carry the free one home for later.  They should pay me a living wage to get that shit home!


I honestly don't know why they don't just end it all. Life is so unfair.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

They just don't know how to do it.  Granted, I'm not a coupon king like the esteemed proprietor of the DUFU blog, PJ Comix, but if you get all of the circulars from around town and go to Wal-Mart, they'll price match you.  Using coupons will add on your savings.  Now there's even a smartphone app that offers rebates on grocery items through PayPal.  There are ways to get deals, you just have to know what the hell you're doing.

[franksolich]

I honestly don't know why they don't just end it all.

I don't understand either, and I wish they would.

[chitownchica]

They just don't know how to do it.  Granted, I'm not a coupon king like the esteemed proprietor of the DUFU blog, PJ Comix, but if you get all of the circulars from around town and go to Wal-Mart, they'll price match you.  Using coupons will add on your savings.  Now there's even a smartphone app that offers rebates on grocery items through PayPal.  There are ways to get deals, you just have to know what the hell you're doing.

You are right. There are great deals to be had. I mainly load coupons and deals on my loyalty card.  Since they track purchases, many times the deals are personalized based on what you like.

There are so many ways to save.  It just takes a bit of planning.

[chitownchica]

I don't understand either, and I wish they would.

I have a coupon for razors. I would kindly donate it to the cause.

[GOBUCKS]

I see teams of coupon women at the store. They're always puttering in twos or threes, with huge binders full of coupons and pages of notes.

I always wonder what they do with thirty boxes of frozen waffles.



 

[Skul]

I see teams of coupon women at the store. They're always puttering in twos or threes, with huge binders full of coupons and pages of notes.

I always wonder what they do with thirty boxes of frozen waffles.

I see you've met my wife. 

[Ballygrl]

The coupons have gotten worse ever since that darn show on TLC came out.

[BattleHymn]

There are not many replies to that thread, which is not surprising. 

Long ago, many of the primitives figured out that the best sort of discount is the five-finger discount, since it allows them to stretch their budget of $0 (after weed and prescription medications) a lot further.