grocery coupons in japan?

[melonpan]

sooooo, moderators, pls feel free to delete (yes, go ahead) or move this topic as you see fit!

ive been more interested in trying to prepare things very cheaply. buying in season, mostly. but when it comes to prepared foods, canned veggies, convenience products, ice cream, i have begun learning how to coupon and buy with the sales cycles.

in the u.s. at least, the couponing thing is a big deal with respect to processed foods. i dont know how it started or exactly how it all works (with the expense of printing, distributing and processing coupons why do the u.s. companies feel the need to use coupons?) but if youre a careful shopper you can really get some canned foods cheaply or even free. cereal too. im not talking about nearly expired goods or weird off brands. or just a one time thing. im talking over and over and over again. and i wont even go into health and beauty products since this is mainly a food forum (but you NEVER need to pay for toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant or razors if you live near a metro area! i had no idea until a few months ago!).

is there a coupon system for grocery products in japan?

just curious. i dont know about korea either.

[prasantrin]

I've never seen coupons like in the US or Canada, but in my area of Japan, some only Co-op has special prices for members (never buy-one-get-one, though). They just don't really do that kind of stuff here, at least not in my area.

[melonpan]

where i live there is also a salvage company who sells cosmetically damaged, nearly expired or discontinued grocery items for cents on the dollar. they dont take coupons but the shit is cheap. produce tends to be cheap there too.

i tend to get my produce at korean/chinese markets though because they are MUCH cheaper there and also fresher with a wider variety. i dont understand why they dont do a killing, killing off the regular american groceries' produce sections but i guess most americans just wont venture into korean or chinese markets. i have never gone into hispanic groceries though so i guess i can understand. but i dont need to go to a hispanic grocery when the produce prices are so great at the korean grocery!

the japanese grocery marks up produce way too much and i will not buy there. i just purchase specialty items that i cannot get at the korean market.

i LOVE the farmers market however. very cheap (i have to avoid some farmers though. not so cheap!) and of course, always in season.

anyway. i just had to add that.

[I8U8]

I'm not familiar with the US coupon system, but I am used to the system of coupons printed on the back of supermarket dockets in Australia. I haven't seen these in Japan however.

So how to save a Yen or two?

What I've become familiar with in Japan is the Point Card system. For example, most larger supermarkets and department stores issue credit cards (e.g. Odakyu Card) that award points with purchases. Alternatively, some stores (bakeries and dry cleaners are common examples) issue stickers / stamps to put in a book, redeemable for a small gift or discount.

The interest rates on savings are so low in Japan, that there is little incentive to put your money in the bank. Department Stores (Isetan is one example) take advantage of this by offering higher interest rates if you deposit money with them. At the end of the year, the money is returned, with interest, in the form of vouchers that can only be used to purchase products within the store.

Some places have discount coupons for subscribers on their websites, which you can print out at home. Membership to some restaurants also entitle you to discounts or even a free meal (there's always a catch however) on birthdays.

There are also many 100 Yen (hyaku en) shops (actually 105 Yen after tax) that can keep you going in a pinch.

For restaurants and other products / services, you can pick up free coupon books (such as Hot Pepper), which are published monthly, and offer either discounts or 'two-for-one' type deals.

If you live in the most highly-populated areas, you can often pick up free samples of new products in marketing campaigns. However, this is happening less and less.

If you live a little out of the city you can often pick up seasonal vegetables in stalls by the road side at very reasonable prices. The early bird definitely catches the worm.

E-commerce sites (such as Rakuten, with point and loyalty schemes of its own) also often result in small savings.

Places like the ubiquitous Costco offer the slightly cheaper bulk purchase option.

There are undoubtedly more options. These are just a few.

Edited December 16, 2008 by I8U8 (log)

[prasantrin]

I recently read about a store that was selling goods past their "best by" dates for very very cheap prices. I can't remember where in Japan it was located, though. They were actually told to stop (by a local or federal goverment agency, I can't remember which), but since it's not illegal to sell the products, they have continued. Their prices are around Y10 or Y20 for a bottled beverage (non-alcoholic), etc.

[smallworld]

I'm not familiar with the US coupon system, but I am used to the system of coupons printed on the back of supermarket dockets in Australia. I haven't seen these in Japan however.

So how to save a Yen or two?

What I've become familiar with in Japan is the Point Card system. For example, most larger supermarkets and department stores issue credit cards (e.g. Odakyu Card) that award points with purchases. Alternatively, some stores (bakeries and dry cleaners are common examples) issue stickers / stamps to put in a book, redeemable for a small gift or discount.

←

Is "docket" Australianese for receipt? In recent years I've been seeing coupons printed on the back of Ito Yokado receipts. That and Costco are the only times I've seen coupons for food here.

I despise point cards. If I carried around all the cards that shops have tried to give me in the past few years, I'd need five wallets. I have a few that I use, but otherwise consider them a waste of time and space as I'm never able to fill them up before they expire. Does anyone have better luck?