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November 7, 2009

Cut it out! Coupon clippers can save big

By Terry Hannum

Contributing Writer

Manufacturer coupons seem as if they have been around forever, but it was a pretty new idea in the 1970s, taking the place of green stamp incentive books and regular sale items.

The three main types of coupons _ manufacturers, in-store and Internet-generated _ offer money off discounts to encourage shoppers to select a specific brand of product.

As coupons are like free money, it is surprising to some that many people do not use them because successful saving with coupons can be very tempting.

The majority of consumer-goods corporations strive to find markets, the buyers of their products.

When there are choices that a shopper can make between one brand and another, the companies seek out ways to encourage the buyer to select their brand over another. Shelf placement, packaging and pricing are all carefully researched along with many other factors to draw in customers.

When the playing field of competitive companies selling similar products becomes too evenly matched, coupons can give just enough sway for a shopper to make a decision. Coupons can also encourage people to try a new product on the market.

Coupons are advertising, and advertising can be expensive, so the pay offs need to justify the expense. Do enough people use coupons enough to make the effort worthwhile?

According to howstuffworks.com, the simple answer is that companies wouldn’t still be offering coupons if they didn’t work.

This site explains what happens to coupons once they are turned over to a cashier when someone is making a purchase. The short summary is that the only automation is right at the grocery check-out with the scanner, every other stage of the process is done by hand. Large retail grocers can have more than $40,000 in coupon slips a day.

Do women use coupons more than men? The seemingly sexist answer is “definitely” because in most households, regardless of employment status, women do the shopping. Menu planning and household budgets also are typically left up to women, although exceptions abound.

The age range of coupon clippers has also been thoroughly researched to reveal that women, beginning around 25 years of age are the people who have a special envelope for coupons or a random stack in the car. This younger generation of coupon-holders may be trying to save food dollars, especially if they are just beginning a family. The hands-down leaders of coupon clippers are America’s senior citizens. Fixed incomes and frustration over rising grocery prices make coupon use a regular practice.

For many shoppers there is a marked gap between the coupons that they clip and the coupons that they actually use. Many people who were interviewed stated that they clip coupons on restful Sunday afternoons, store them, perhaps even in an official coupon book organizer and dispose of them when they have expired.

Students in classes like one offered at South Kortright Central School on state Route 10 between South Kortright and Hobart are taught about small businesses and personal finances. Class Educator Melissa Saunders recently took her class on a tour in the Oneonta Price Chopper grocery store. The assignment was to have a meal menu prepared, a list of ingredient items ready and to shop on a set budget, sticking to their list. They learned about unit pricing information, quantity comparisons and how coupons can save money.

High school senior Teresa Andreno observed that coupons encourage people to shop and maybe even to eat healthier. Andreno noticed that some healthy foods can be more expensive and coupons make it easier to afford them. Angela Zustovich stated that coupons are a really good idea and a great way to save money.

Jon Denario, a senior, explained that he typically has waited in the car while his mother does grocery shopping. After this field trip shopping experience, he said, he now fully understands why it takes her so long in the store.

Comparing prices and working off of a budget takes a lot of time. Looking over coupons to determine which products apply and if there are any restrictions would take even more time.

Samantha Fancher speculated that in order for someone to save a noticeable amount of money on a grocery budget, coupon clipping would need to be an organized habit.

Fancher’s observation fit well with a local chain grocery store manager in Oneonta who reported that although the store does not conduct any independent surveys, there are those customers who use many coupons on a regular basis and those who use none. Store managers of three grocery chains in the region where there are multiple stores within the area stated that any official reports and comments can only be made through the corporate offices

A good example of the difficulty of shopping is buying toilet paper. This is a necessity item on the grocery list and the aisle of choices is daunting. It appears that every company varies the number of rolls in the packages, offers two-ply or one, has several roll size choices and plenty of coupon use opportunities. Again, getting into the habit of using coupons is the best way to becoming a proficient coupon money saver.

Fancher had mentioned that coupons offered just enough of a discount that shoppers might choose to buy a more expensive brand that, with the coupon, would be about the same price as a lesser-quality product.

High school junior Tony Logan discussed some of the class shopping experiences and brought up the issue of what is called “layering.” Logan had explained that they would have saved a lot more money during their class experience if they would have used more coupons and had used a store card. The store cards can look like a credit card and, when swiped at the register, give discounts on in-store sale items. Layering would be using the store card to take advantage of a sale item along with a manufacturer’s coupon that would take additional money off.

Some people interviewed stated that they do not use food product coupons because they are often times geared toward highly packaged, processed food items. There are exceptions, with discounts on natural food items, produce and fresh meats and cheeses, but Andreno mentioned that coupons can be for nonfood items such as make-up and other personal grooming products, travel and hotel discounts, literature and apparel. Both Andreno and Zustovich said that discount coupons for clothing are especially good to use.

As the holiday season draws near and trips to the grocery store are more frequent with fuller carts, shoppers can take advantage of free money by using coupons to save. It becomes a game that offers challenge, organization and plenty of bragging rights about how much money can be saved.

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