Coupons: GOOD for Consumers… but BAD for Manufacturers? I Think Not!
I recently received this email from Hip2Save reader, Lucy…
[h2s_box]First of all, thanks for all your hard work into letting us know about all the great deals out there! 🙂 I felt the need to contact you because as I was talking to someone about my couponing and all the great deals and I was shocked by the response I got. They told me I should be ashamed of myself because I should think about the manufacturers and the people who work for the manufacturers (factory workers) and their families and how they lose money because of people like us who don’t pay what it should be (normal price). Since you know a lot of things about couponing, I want a response into how this isn’t true or how I can tell this person they are wrong. I would greatly appreciate your help. [/h2s_box]
This such a great topic for discussion! First, I would like to point out that manufacturers are responsible for creating and releasing coupons to be used by consumers. If manufacturer’s were truly losing money as a result of coupons, then they would stop releasing coupons. So the question is why do manufacturers issue coupons (i.e. what’s in it for them?!). I personally believe that the 2 main reasons are listed below…
Increase Brand Recognition/Attract New Customers
If I have a coupon for Scott Toilet paper, that is the first brand that I am going to check out when I get to the toilet paper aisle at the store. I will look past the 10-20 other brands to zoom in on the Scott brand. Even if I decide not to purchase Scott Toilet paper at that time, I have still made a connection with the brand and will likely recognize it on future shopping trips.
Promote New Products
When a manufacturer releases a new product, they often release coupons as well. These money-saving coupons encourage consumers to try out the product for little out-of-pocket expense. Obviously, the manufacturers hope that you will fall in love with the new product and then continue to purchase it with or without coupons.
And the truth is that as hard as it is to admit, I have in fact purchased items at full-price with no coupons because I love the products that much!
So what are your thoughts?! Are coupons good for consumers and bad for manufacturers or are they a win-win for everyone? Please share in the comments! 🙂
I think that coupons SHOULDN’T hurt customers, but most people are abusing the system.
We know about the fraudulent ones who photocopies coupons, but what about those who use several computers to print several coupons? Technically, that’s not cheating the system, but the way I see it, manufacturers want to reach out to a lot of potential customers, not only those who are greedy enough to print as much as they can, as fast as they can.
When people copy coupons, they can be traced back to their computer. They will get banned from printing coupons from the webste ever again.
Being traced is not to all. I have copied, but not have been banned…
Why did you copy coupons?
What a generalized statement. When you say “most” people are commiting are abusing coupon policies, in-store and from manufacturers, you are insinuating that couponers are commiting a crime. You should truly be careful; those comments are defaming. Most couponers do not abuse the system, and if they did, they would be turned away from stored. I do not abuse the system, in fact when I take my binder of coupons and store policies with me, I do it to keep a checks and balance system not just towards store workers, but to keep myself knowledgeable as well. Most parents, especially homemakers and caretakers, do not have time to take a coffee break, let alone break the law.
“Most”?? Really?! I would love to see those statistics…which is really my way of saying I HIGHLY doubt you can back up that accusation toward the majority of us couponers.
Since i started couponing, I use far more brands/products than I did prior to couponing. This can only benefit companies who make/sell the product.
Well point made. Its a win-win for all but probably those employees who are not informed well misinterpret couponing to stealing and thats why give us a hard time. Sometimes this lack of information creeps at the top which is why stores like safeway also say no-no to internet coupons. Last weekend I tried to redeem a free 2litre pepsi next coupon (mailed at home) at Safeway near South San francisco. The first one had a Manager who denied scanning my coupon because she found facebook.com written on it. The other one also refused to accept it but my husband was quick enough to scan it while the cashier was trying to embarrass me. Since it worked, he had no other option but to take it. Being a newbie, I didn’t know what their policies exactly are but has it happened to others as well at Safeway?
I heard that manufacturers write off the coupons as donation, that is a GREAT plus for them at the end of year!!
Some are a donation but that is only for a undisclosed coupons that might be indirectly mis-used ! There are some donational coupons that manufactures do write off when supporting a certain charity or event. However, for the most part they have more to gain from the consumer. Remember they are still making money since the consumer is purchasing at a retail value!
Think of it this way… A company isn’t hurting from coupons and here is several reasons why: A coupon to a company is like marketing. Companies all pay to market their items, right? So they figure if they make X amount of coupons for an item, people will be more apt to try something new. And it’s true. I have a perfect example: I got a good deal on Clear brand conditioner a while back. I liked it so much that I have actually paid the full price $4.99 multiple times. Just become I am a couponer doesn’t mean that I’m going to only buy whats extremely cheap/free. Personally, I like a good product, so I am willing to spend a little out of pocket for an item if it is a good one. But back to the coupons- I would have never tried Clear brand had they not had a good coupon and deal. Therefor, that company has gotten a new customer and have made more off of me than lost (because of coupons). Make sense?
Excellent point! I love the “marketing” aspect you point out here!
I think they don’t hurt at all. I used to be a tide person, would not even look at the other brands. Now that I’ve tried gain, whisk, purex etc I no longer am a tide person :). All because of coupons. I tried a lot of new stuff, and lets not even talk about make up, which is ridiculously expensive. Some products I love, others I’ll pass up even if free 🙂
Last year over 5 BILLION coupons were printed. That’s a lot. Only 5%-ish percent were redeemed. Think about how many Sunday newspapers are distributed each week…50 million nation wide(a guess)? Think about How many SmartSources and Redplum inserts have to printed up to go along with those. EACH week. Now Kraft one of the biggest grocery manufacturers, i think a year or 2 ago, made a 20 BILLION dollar profit as a company(think about what total % are Kraft companies items). Coupons are a marketing write-off. Remember a Box of cereal only probably costs $0.10 to make and even with distribution costs, using a $0.55/1 coupon on a $4 box of cereal….Well again, coupons are really a win-win for companies.
Well said
268.5 billion coupons were sent out in 1996; think how that number has increased in over the last decade or so!
Coupons reduce the financial risk to the consumer when trying a new product. There are many many products I have only tried because I had a coupon for it. If the product can speak for itself then it is a win/win for all parties.
Why should I feel guilty about getting a good deal? That has got to be the weirdest argument against using coupons. The price I pay for a good has nothing to do with the amount the employee who is manufacturing it makes. That is up to management to make sure that employee is getting a fair wage.
Marketing 101 tells us that coupons are one of the cheapest ways to entice consumers to try or use a product. Added to that it is a fact that consumers using coupons end up purchasing larger amount of the product. Grocery stores and retail stores know that coupons improve their sales. Coupon shoppers spend more time in the store and the longer a shopper spends in the store the more theytend buy.
I use coupons when convenient and it happens to work out with things I need anyway, etc. But anyone who thinks that extreme couponing is hurting ANYONE needs to consider that for every extreme couponer there are thousands of people who NEVER use coupons at all. The corporations are still ahead. NO ONE should judge ANYONE else who wants to use coupons – even to the extreme. I really would like to know how ANYONE could actually commit FRAUD by using legitimate coupons! REALLY?!?
Amen sista!
I’ve been in Germany for 9 months now and I’ m amazed at how much cheaper the major brands are! They don’t use coupons here and the TVA tax is already added to the price but it’s priced lower in general. For instance , I was able to get the l’oreal elnett hair spray for 2.99 Euros. It sells for about 12.99 in the States. All the major shampoos and body washes are about 1.50 to 1.99. Nutella is about half price here. Chocolate, jellies are also much cheaper. My point is the manufacturers are in it to make profit , they wouldn’t give us all those coupons if that didn’t benefit them in the first place. They probably factor in the coupons when they set their prices. The stuff we get for free are another story. It’s a combination of manufacturer and store discounts. It brings the costumers in the store and we end up buying more.
Most of the items you’re mentioning are produced in Europe, which is why the price is so low. Try purchasing ranch dressing, M&Ms, or Coke products overseas. The price is significantly higher than what you’d pay in the US.
Mm I did mention that they were major brands. I’m not just talking about European brands. Even American brands are cheaper. And no coke is not that expensive here. The only stuff that are more expensive are the stuff that are typically American and only made inAmerica ( like pop tarts, peanut butter and stuff like that). I was amazed at how I could get a huge fabric softener bottle for 1. 79 euros!
Before I got into couponing, I rarely used coupons. Oh, I would look through the coupon inserts and see a coupon I might use, but when I would take it to the store with me, inevitably it would be cheaper to buy the store brand than the name brand item. I would try out new products if the price was really good, but usually that wasn’t the case. After I started learning how to coupon the right way by following coupon sites such as Hip2save, I learned about the whole timing aspect of using the coupons. I learned how to take advantage of a good deal by buying more than one item at a time, even if I didn’t need the item at the moment. And my use and purchases of name brand items skyrocketed. If I had not used coupons, I would not have given their products a chance.
Economists have devoted substantial theoretical and empirical work to analyzing advertising decisions, while the other predominant form of short-run non-price competition—promotions—has received almost no attention. According to a 1993 survey, the typical nondurable goods manufacturer spent more money on promotions than on advertising.The costs of couponing are by far the largest component of promotion budgets. In 1996, manufacturers of consumer packaged goods distributed 268.5 billion coupons, of which 5.3 billion (2%) were redeemed. The average face value for coupons redeemed by consumers in 1996 was 69 cents, so consumers used
coupons worth approximately $3.5 billion.Other researchers have addressed the promotional dimensions of couponing and emphasize, for instance, how coupons
might affect the likelihood that a consumer will try a new product, or how coupons might shift the point in time when a consumer decides to purchase a product.
Coupons increase sales for manufacturer’s. I can’t tell you how many items I buy just because of the coupons put out for it. Many times, I buy stuff I don’t need because of the deal I’m getting. Other times, I might be ready to buy a store/generic brand, but a coupon will entice me to purchase a certain brand, just like manufacturer’s expect. In addition to that, think of all the new products that come out. Coupons entice customers to try that new product and many people become loyal users and will buy the product without a coupon. I don’t know the exact stats now, but only a small percentage of all coupons circulated are actually redeemed. The comment about manufacturer’s losing money reminds me of all the cashiers over the years that have claimed that I was stealing/robbing/cheating the store because I took advantage of sales and deals with coupons. Anyone ignorant enough to believe that stores or manufacturer’s lose money because of coupons should not use them, but send them to me instead. I will not feel guilty for maximizing my savings using the system manufacturer’s love and consistently use.
amen………….
The market value of say a product sold to a store let say Target sold In large quantities could be at a rate of .10cents per package/box of toilet paper. When it is up on that shelf think of the price we pay for the package or roll. According to Target they get their money back from Manufacturers (of course) when we use coupons. However, Target also gets other benefits for that particular acceptance of coupon. There is a lot more to do that. But Im tired of typing 🙂
Coupons get product off the shelf and into grocery carts. Consumers see what other shoppers are reaching for on the shelf, what they are carrying around in their carts and what they are putting on the checkout counter. It’s all about exposure. And I don’t know how many cashiers have asked me if a new product they are ringing up is good (even though I have to reply that I don’t know, it’s the first time I’ve purchased it) and that they think they’ll try it themselves.
The only thing about coupons that hurts anyone is if they are misused. Otherwise, it’s a win-win. When going for my BS, I took a marketing class and it talked about coupons enabled manufacturers to target multiple demographics….those who could afford a higher price point and would not use coupons…..and those who were budget-conscious and price mattered. A coupon may make the difference to the consumer when choosing too….say one item costs $1 and the other $1.75 with a $1 off coupon – well, the coupon would actually make the higher priced item more attactive to a shopper that was not brand loyal. It’s really an ingenious thing when you think about it! And yes as mentioned previously, price per item is really low and is usually quite marked up. IMHO, the person that was mouthy about something they clearly did not know about…..chances are even trying to “enlighten” them won’t even work….but rest assured….we understand the excite about your couponing and good deals!! 🙂
This actually makes a whole lot of sense and it is quite ingenious. When I was working and had a very good income, I NEVER used coupons and never price-compared. Not because I didn’t want to save money, but because I didn’t have the time to price-compare, organize and clip…if I made $50/hour, it didn’t make sense for me to spend an hour trying to save $7 on couponed items, half of which I wouldn’t even use. Besides, I was working close to 70 hours a week and coupons were definitely out of the question – but on the flip side, I was making money so the time-savings of in and out of the store in 10 minutes was worth it to me (now I spend nearly an hour every trip, and that’s not even counting all the organization and clipping that goes into couponing). Now that I’m not working, every penny counts and I coupon both out of necessity and hobby!
If manufacturers were losing money by printing coupons, they would stop doing it!!
True that!
Op, that person is sorely misinformed. Consumers buying products (with or w/o coupons) are what keeps people employed!! Coupons are marketing… FREE money we can use on our purchase!! You shoukd ask them if they would throw away a bucket of change if it landed on their doorstep every Sunday morning???
I’ve gotten plenty of “freebie” items come to me in the mail from manufacturers to promote their new product. The cost to organize and mail actual items to individual households must so *SO* much greater than paying SmartSource/Red Plum to publish a few coupons and have the customer do all the legwork to go and buy these items. Can you imagine the cost to manufacture, distribute, and mail samples to individual consumers? Yet companies still do it because it benefits them in the end…it’s advertising. Duh. Coupons are not discounts that companies give people out of generosity – it’s advertising/marketing! Same reason why they pay millions of dollars for a 30 second spot in Super Bowl commercials. Coupons greatly benefit the vendors (I ALWAYS end up buying something I need at the store that’s not on sale like produce, meat, etc. which I would not necessarily have gone to that store to buy…it saves gas and time). Besides, the customer ends up paying all sales tax on the couponed items (which benefits everyone in the state). If the company were not better off for it at the end, they would absolutely stop publishing coupons. The huge companies that can afford to use coupons as advertising can do so because of economies of scale. It is THAT MUCH CHEAPER for them to manufacture items because they sell so many of them. Which is why you don’t see small manufacturer coupons as often. It’s simple economics. No matter how many serious couponers we think are out there, I bet the number of non-couponers is far greater.
If coupons are so terrible, they shouldn’t offer them 🙂
How else would I be able to stimulate the economy? I only bring home about 60% of my teaching salary after retirement, taxes, and insurance. Since I began couponing, I have bought more for my family and for donation purposes than ever before. I am helping create a need jobs at all levels of the drugstores and grocery stores, transportation of merchandise, manufacturing, and websites for deals, coupons. In addition, I am buying ink, paper, shelves for my stockpile. I am also rebating at Staples and Menards, which supports the US postal service.
My husband and I don’t teach for the money, but you can’t keep working at a job if you can’t make enough to live on. I am proud of what I do at work and to make ends meet at home. I’m sure there are some, even friends and family, who joke about our frugal ways, but we feel as rich as kings on the small income we have!
My husband teaches, and let me say, I personally put in funds so that his classes have extra supplies for the year, as well as supplies I get on discount from couponing. Teachers need coupons.
We do the same. God bless you for the commitment your family makes to children. I also have some couponing moms who bring me stuff for my classroom: hand soap to keep at the sink, GermX, and school supplies for those who cannot afford it. Thank you to all who do that for your children’s teachers!
We own a bussiness and in NO way do companies want to loose money. Coupons are profitable to the companies or they would not offer them. Plain and simple.
It is all about marketing. I am a graphic designer and advertising is not cheap. All in all, a coupon as a form of advertising is much cheaper than other methods. I too have found several brands I now prefer because I tried them with a coupon and wouldn’t have otherwise. Also, since I save money with coupons, I end up buying more of other products. If you go to coupons.com website, they have a lot of information for businesses explaining the benefits of coupons. This might help give you some ammo for your next conversation!
Coupons are a form of price discrimination which is totally legal, logical, and efficient, economically speaking. Not everyone wants to pay $3 for a box of cereal, but that manufacturer wants you to buy its cereal, even if you are not willing to pay the full price, so to increase demand, they charge some people (those who use coupons) less. It makes sense.
For me personally, I have tried some products I would not have otherwise. I can recommend them to others and (potentially) buy them again at a higher price.
Coupons are a cheap form of advertising for manufactueres. I may use coupons for every item I buy (well almost), I also recommend products I buy and like to my coworkers. Just today I was raving about velveta skillets.
My little sister (who tends to roll her eyes at couponing, unless I’ve gotten something for her) is majoring in business and had to learn about coupons from the manufacturer’s side of things. The vast majority of coupons are never even used. So even the most “extreme couponer” is still not making a dent in their profits. Now, if everyone started doing serious couponing, it might present a problem. But as long as the coupons are out there, the company intends for them to be used.
And some things that I’ve initially gotten for free through couponing/samples have definitely become staples in my house.
Everyone who has said it’s all about marketing is right. I work for a market research company and when companies want to know how many millions of dollars their new product will make they have to identify the right marketing mix–where their marketing money should be spent. This includes advertisements you typically think of like print ads, tv and radio spots, but it also includes how much money they plan to spend on coupons, samples, and other less traditional forms of marketing all of we hipsters have come to love. 🙂
I think they put coupons out there, they shouldn’t be upset that the consumer uses them!!
This question made me giggle a bit, perhaps this person thought companies provide coupons as reverse psychology because they don’t want us to use them? Maybe going to Costco and sampling the demos is shameful too? Companies want our business and anyone who uses their product and loves it is an inexpensive walking billboard. Misconception regarding couponers may come from extreme shows. For the most part, we buy items we are personally going to use, we don’t clear shelves or have some massive hoard. Using coupons is practical and very wise. It’s also nice and rewarding to take time with cashiers and other shoppers when they inquire how to save.
Does anybody honestly think that big corporations will do anything that will hurt their bottom line? They aren’t giving us coupons out of the goodness of their hearts, in the end they profit off of it (which I think is great, makes this a win-win). After all the manufactures can and do set limits when they need to. Printing limits, max number of coupons per shopping trip, etc. As long as your not photocoping, stealing coupons or trying to pull a fast one on the cashier you are fine and have nothing to be ashamed of.
That is just the most idiotic argument ever. Tell that person he/she should never buy anything on sale because it will hurt the store having the sale. Tell her she should go to the cash register and offer to pay full price for the sale item, as she should not want to hurt the employees of the store/company and their families. Inane! She is totally confusing retail with charity.
Ok, i am a “responsible” couponer. By that, I mean I follow the couponing rules. I believe that coupons help the manufacturer in the since that, without a coupon, I may not buy the product. Store brands are becoming very tasty and if there is a savings of store brand over a brand name, I may not buy it. Don’t get me wrong, I dont skimp on TP but I wait for coupon and sales to buy if I can. Most Brand name Products are only usually .10-.50 more than Store Brand so a coupon would urge me to buy a Brand Name product, therefore giving them more business!
How about the people who use clipping services? I was told by Walgreens management that they can no longer special order products. In addition they will only start taking 4-5 like coupons from a single customer per day. I am sure some of the enforcement is left up to the manager but I was told Walgreens was threatened by the manufactures that will not reimburse them if there is a suspicious amount of like coupons from any store. I am not an “extreme” coupon user but I am friends with several who are they are hopping mad over this.
If you think coupons hurt manufacturers/workers, you don’t know a thing about marketing.
Releasing coupons as part of a promotion for a product is also a way for the companies to manipulate demand. It’s a tool operating managers use. Also, the cost of the coupons to the manufacturers is very carefully considered before they are released. I think it’s funny that some people don’t understand how businesses use coupons. Seriously, how long have coupons been around?
P.S., I graduate this month with my B.S. in business management-minor in business administration. Rest assured, manufacturers are not being hurt by coupon users. LOL
I read a lot of the comments, (but not all) and agree with most in regards to the marketing aspects and how that is a great win for companies as it is one of the cheapest marketing approaches out there. So I will not comment further in that regard.
But there are other aspects to why companies issue coupons. A really big one is managing the supply chain. This is especially important with products with fairly short expiration dates. What is worse, selling a product with a smaller margin (while still maintaining market share/brand awareness), or having to handle tons of refunds to grocery chains for expired products? That is a huge cost to handle all those returns, disposal of product, etc. Plus expired products have a zero margin and a total loss on the product cost. However the losses do not end there. It costs money for all the people to handle refunds, and tracking out-dated products. These man hours are a total loss and the human cost is normally the most expensive for all these companies. Companies LOVE coupons when it keeps the supply chain flowing and reduces expired products.
A last point is also in regards to obtaining shelf space in stores. There are millions of products that are vying to get the shelf space currently being occupied by some other product. It is really cut throat to get a product on the shelf, and then onto a shelf at eye level. You must make sure your product keeps moving out the door to get premium shelf space. Stores have to monitor revenue/margin per sq/ft and if your product is moving too slow then the space will be reduced, moved to a less appealing option or replaced. Coupons are amazing as they can keep products moving even in cyclical down cycles for that product. New printable coupons are even better as they can be implemented quickly (thinks coupons.com) if inventory levels suddenly show to be above average. If the inventory problem is only in certain parts of the country then coupons can be quickly launched and distributed by zip code almost immediately. Before internet coupons, manufactures relied on newspaper coupons and store ads, but this had to be done weeks or months in advance.
Coupons do not hurt a stores margins as they are reimbursed cost +handling. They move product reducing out of dates thus also reducing store labor cost in handling expired products and also with customer satisfaction for not getting old/bad merchandise. The cost of coupons for manufacturing is actually a non-event as most coupons are not redeemed, but enough do that it is a cheap on-demand tool for managing their entire supply chain.
Maybe slightly off topic… What is your opinion about the Old Navy app ” snap appy” where you can get $5.00 off a $5.00 purchase with the unique coded snap five? My family owns a few phones and tablets. We get the snap fives fairly regularly. I have 3 stores near me. One in particular will limit the entire family to only one. Two stores don’t care and even let my 2year old twin boys each be customers and redeem clothes or toys. Most of the times I buy an item worth $5 and get it for free. But I also buy others like jeans and jackets also. I have three young kids that are constantly outgrowing clothes and Old Navy has savd me a ton. I am also so surprised when store clerks at ON don’t even now about how to get the snap appy savings. I run into a bunch of people that i share the knowledge with. I did the same with viggle gift cards wgen using Viggle was much easier. Sorry for the long post, but I guess my question is if I am abusing the system if I have the electronic devices and I spend my time trying to obtain the $5 off$5 coupons? Sometimes the clerks make me feel like I am stealing from them, some feel I am stealing from them personally….
Well, if you have the devices with the apps, I guess you are entitled to them–until Old Navy revises the rules of use or stops being so generous with the coupons, something we have certainly seen happen elsewhere. But surely you can see why stores–and individuals–might not totally embrace a family with “a few phones and tablets” that “mostly” picks up multiple free $5 items. If there were things–jeans, jackets–that you truly needed, you’d buy them. Getting only multiple free items suggests greed. Only you know if that’s so, but the fact that you are questioning it is telling.
I’m going off now but Elaine can you please share how are you earning with this app, I’ve been trying it for over a week now but with no success. I’ve tried snapping the logo on clothes, paper tag, shopping bag, online, but to my dismay, nothing has worked so far 🙁
For sure, being a marketing major. I know that these companies have a quota for all these spendings. Brand loyalty, footfalls are the other factors to be accounted as well. But in this digital age, there seems to be a race to have more and more number of people logging into your app on daily basis. $5/5 is just a way to bring you on there daily, don’t feel bad, it’s a bait actually 😉
Maddy, I usually take an Old Navy price tag and take one device and snap shots once a day (from the comfort of my own home and wifi), I usually do it in the early morning or evenings after I put kids to bed. Around 8pm (central) seems like when it is usually available and Saturday mornings. When I snap, if I see the 5 off 25 or the 15 off 75 roll by, usually I think there will be a snap five. If one device gets a snap five, I hurry and do the others. My feeling is that there is a time window or certain day that they release the coupons. It does take time to try and do it. I invest my time in that just as much as people who print coupons off the internet.
I feel like if Old Navy did not want to allow you to to use the 5 off 5, then make it 5 off 10 or something. Old Navy should change the terms and conditions if they feel they should not give away “free” things. I have satisfied the terms and conditions, then I have not stolen from them. What about the “extreme” couponers that get $900 worth of groceries for free? Are they stealing also? Are they greedy? They spent the time to find the coupons and sales, and if they abide by store and manufacturer rules, then they should be allowed to use the coupons they have collected.
Thank you Elaine for the tip about the app. Like you said, if you satisfy their terms & conditions, there is nothing to feel bad about or be guilty for 🙂 Rather IMO these giant companies be ashamed for selling us an item at $20 worth just $1.
Most companies are so greddy, so if I can get a item for free or cheap, you but I am going to!!!
The more I think about this and read comment after comment saying more or less the same thing, the more I think the anticouponer was simply trying to rain on Lucy’s savings parade. It’s just such a *strange* argument. Since Lucy didn’t have a response, I’m thinking maybe she’s a new couponer and perhaps the anticouponer perceived Lucy to be bragging or being greedy in some manner. I know I can’t stomach the “share your savings” posts on many blogs. Any time I make the mistake of clicking on one, I see a multitude of what I consider to be ethical couponing infractions, not to mention the boasts about “99 percent savings shopping trips!!!” that net these people all the processed foods they can possibly eat. (And it’s not sour grapes–we like to eat real food and we understand that we have to pay for it, just as those who subsist on processed foods will eventually pay for it, too.)
Just a few weeks ago when Piperlime was offering the $25 credit, lots of people were trying very hard to place an order when the promotion abruptly ended and orders were being cancelled, yet there were people proudly posting that their four orders shipped. I was rather sickened by it, though of course I don’t know the poster’s situation. (Maybe his/her four children had no shoes? Maybe they were for donation?) Nonetheless, I thought it was in poor taste to post about it, considering how many people were unable to place an order at all or had their order cancelled. Perhaps the anticouponer experienced some coupon negativity somewhere along the way (couponer-cleared shelves? being made to feel like a criminal for couponing?) and simply got defensive when the topic arose and chose a *bizarre* anticouponing argument.
Could you imagine my husband asked me a similar question the other day: “Do you think that manufacturers will stop issuing coupons, because of people like you getting free stuff?” I was stunned. I don’t buy Sunday paper and mainly use printables from 2 computers. We don’t have a big stockpile – any extras go to our church food bank and his family. I have been couponing for three years since our daughter was born and I though my husband knows better than that. I said that I sometimes pay full price for products. Now, after this discussion I know a better response – that coupons are just another marketing tool, like creating commercials with celebrities and paying them millions of dollars. Thank you so much, Collin for this post and all readers who commented!
I like many others have used new products because of coupons. I just got the Clear Shampoo that I would never have tried any other way. But a big one recently is the Burger King Iced Coffee. It was on sale recently for 45 cents. I usually would not splurge on something like coffee but at 45 cents I thought why not. Well the sale has now been off for about a month and I am now addicted lol. I have stopped I would say 6 out of 7 days each week and bought an iced coffee at $2.49 per day. So they have more then got their money back from me. Its the same for an in store product.
My husband’s view is coupons are a scourge on consumers who don’t coupon. His thought: If no consumers ever used coupons, all that paper, ink, time, and energy could be saved (by me and the manufacturer) and he could buy things at lower cost without wasting time on coupons.
I do agree to this to a certain extent. If no one couponed or paid attention to advertising, the companies wouldn’t do it and the products would be cheaper overall. I also think it is one of those “perfect world” scenarios – since it isn’t going to happen, I am going to continue using coupons to save the money.
Hmm well I did not read every comment, but what I did read I am surprised that some people who read this site sound like they are anti coupon. I only print my two coupons from my own laptop even though we have 4 computer because the others belong other members of my family. I coupon to save my family as much money as possible so I can stay home. I agree with Collin saying that if manufacturers were losing money they would not put out coupons for their products. I also agree with the statement that even if u do not buy a certain brand at a certain time but u have a coupon then later u may just buy that brand when it is on sale. So then the company may still get u to pay a little more for their brand with a sale and offering a coupon then not offering coupons and people still saving money by buying the cheaper brand instead of x brand with a coupon. These companies that offer coupons are top selling brands and it is a form of advertising to promote their brand, not cost them money. Companies like Proctor and Gamble have not stayed in business because they are losing money offering coupons. Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but what about rebates and Try Me Free offers- these must be costing companies too much money as they still offer them. I am an honest couponer and I always will be and will always use coupons. My final say is this Couponing helps people survive and provide for their families. It is not about greed (for most of us anyway). one bad apple (the greedy ones) does not spoil the rest of us. To those who assume couponers are greedy GET OVER IT 🙂
By the same method that this person says you are cheating then workers then I guess when she goes shopping in stores she should not buy anything on sale because the store ish selling the product cheaper and eating the less profit to get you In the store! Yet it never is taken out of the workers paycheck and I see coupons as the same thing a sale direct from the manufacture! In fact it even leads to added jobs for the employees who create and process the coupons and reimburse the stores! It’s a win win for so many!
I always thought that coupons were a win-win for consumers, manufacturers, and stores. However, the changes that have been made to store coupon policies, and even the coupons themselves, have caused me to question that. If it really is good for everyone, why would a manufacturer limit the number of their coupons that a customer can use, or why would a store put a limit on how many they will accept? And why have coupon values gone down so much when the costs of the products have seemed to increase? I still use coupons, but all of these changes do make me wonder.
I think stores put a limit on the number of coupons so the everyone can have their chance at buying the products (no shelf clearers). It is also to get these couponers in their stores another time to do another shopping trip. They might get some extra items purchased because they ran out of milk or eggs (happens to me all the time). To go to another store would waste time and money, so I just pay a little more and buy it where I am already shopping, for convenience. But truthfully, I don’t know why separate order check-outs don’t occur more often to get around coupon limits.
Wow, I’m really surprised. Manufacturers choose how many coupons to release, as a business decision, to promote their product, for the sole purpose of increasing product movement on that particular item. They WANT you to use them. Business 101, you’re only as good as your % of sales increase over last years sales. Manufacturers are businesses that not only promote new products with coupons but constantly have to show an increase in sales from one year to the next. In the business community if you are showing a decrease over the previous year investors tend to shy away form you. Ever notice that the slower moving cereal brands and new cereals have higher value coupons available than their more popular brands? That’s by design. It doesn’t matter if I buy 10 items with coupons or 10 different people buy 1 item each, at the end of the day the item movement is the same, and no more coupons were redeemed than the manufacturer put out there for the purpose of increasing the sales on said item. As far as the store you’re shopping at, why do you think they advertise items that have coupons available? To increase their sales, that’s by design to, because of the same business reasons, to show a positive sales trend. And again, it doesn’t matter if one person used 10 coupons on the same item, or 10 people use one coupon each. At the end of the day, the store gets reimbursed for 10 coupons..no difference. Trust me, I’ve had the unique opportunity to be on both sides of the issue.
Coupons: GOOD for Consumers… but BAD for Manufacturers? I Think Not!
This is my opinion:
First of all the companies have to advertise their products for consumers to know what is out there.
Second I am a tax person and the money that is being reimbursed will be a tax right off on the business as business expenses. This is a good thing for the company. so don’t feel bad give the haters and all those people that are to LAZY to do what we do, this information.
Most of the shoppers I see are not using coupons. And if they are it is just few. Rarely do I see a coupon binder. I asked a cashier recently about the volume of coupons and was told MOST of the shoppers do not use coupons or only a few. There is just a small percentage of us that are serious couponers that are willing to dedicate the time to really save. I brought some of the new triscuits to work to share. I paid under a $1 a box. Two of my coworkers told me the liked them so much they bought them full price… I offered to send the link to print the coupons, but they said no, too much trouble, too much work, not enough time. I get teased and made fun of because of my frugalness. I started looking for ways to really save a few years ago so I could increase my retirement 401K percent. I have always been frugal, bought store brands, shopped sales, some coupons, but watching the match ups really made the difference. I will print from multiple computers occasionally. But not to an excess. I am sure that will be controlled eventually though as technology improves. But I also think ways to save will improve too!