Manufacturer's or store coupons for food

[JAZ]

I have to admit that I'm prejudiced against coupons -- I rarely use them unless they're stuck on a product I'm already buying. I don't look for them in papers and flyers, and even when they're included in products I've already bought, they're never for something I actually want to buy -- for instance, I buy cat litter and included is a coupon for a litter box liner, which I have no intent of buying. Or I buy English muffins and get a coupon for Egg Beaters.

Mostly, though, I don't like coupons because I really hate being stuck in line at the grocery store behind someone who has a couple dozen coupons for the clerk to process. It's bad enough when they all scan properly, but invariably the customer has gotten the wrong size item for the coupon, or something else happens to make a long process even longer. I wish coupons would just go away.

But I know people who collect coupons and use them regularly, and claim they save a lot of money that way. So there must be another side to coupons, and at any rate they seem to be with us for good. So what's the deal? Do you use them, and if so, how? Do you only use them if they're for something you would buy otherwise? Do you try new products? Do you actively scout out coupons, or is it just an opportunistic fluke if you come across one that you think you might use?

[Chris Hennes]

Do you try new products?

I love this part of coupons: the ability to try a new product basically risk-free. I must admit to refusing to deal with the things, but they amuse my wife (an accountant, go figure...). I see no more reason to be annoyed by someone with coupons than to be annoyed by someone with a full cart. I'm sure I piss off anyone in line behind me with my cart full of exotic produce, half of which the cashier has to look up on the sheet having not memorized the codes. Oh well, I don't stop buying epazote just because it takes a little longer to check out.

[Pierogi]

Back in the day, I used to be an avid coupon user. Not to the extent where I ever got groceries for free, or got money back from the store, but I regularly used to get between $10 and $20 off each grocery bill by using coupons. That was when local chains would offer double (or triple) face value.

THAT all changed when the SoCal grocery workers went on strike in about 2003 or so. The chains dropped the multiple value deals for manufacturer's coupons like a hot potato, and never brought them back once the strike settled. In addition, it seemed to me like the majority of manufacturer's stopped OFFERING coupons. The last few coupon inserts in the Sunday papers have been about a quarter the size they once were, and it's all for processed food like Velveeta, fruit juices, Pillsbury products, box mixes and jarred pasta sauces. In other words, stuff I don't use.

Very, very rarely these days, I will use a coupon I get handed to me at checkout, or if one of the inserts has a coupon for dog food. But not so much even that anymore.

And I'm completely insulted when a manufacturer offers me $0.25 off a $5 box of Cascade (I'm lookin' at you Proctor & Gamble.....). That's barely worth my time to find it, cut it out, schlep it to the store, and redeem it.

[Dave the Cook]

The slightest evidence of coupons at checkout is sufficient reason for me to seek out another line. I'll even go back and search for something else to add to my order so as to avoid witnessing the transaction. Coupon obsession, in my experience, is correlated with last-minute haggling, flyer-lawyering, and check writing.

[Chris Hennes]

Coupon obsession, in my experience, is correlated with last-minute haggling, flyer-lawyering, and check writing.

I buy that there is a strong correlation there. But do remember that not ALL "couponers" are bat-shiat insane. And I still think it's unfair to think that couponers are any more annoying at checkout that those of us with a dozen bags of unidentifiable produce (of which I am one, though I have at least learned to memorize the SKU for the epazote!) And my wife wouldn't be caught dead writing a check.

[David A. Goldfarb]

They seem mainly to be for processed foods that I don't buy, so I tend not to bother.

I think most supermarket chains have replaced store coupons with loyalty discounts you get by scanning your card before checking out. That I do. These discounts are more likely to apply to fresh foods that I actually do buy.

[DanM]

I don't hunt for coupons, but I do use them if they are useful. I find them a great way to stock up on pantry items. For example, I found a $1 off coupon for apple sauce cups that my daughter likes. I used the opportunity to buy 3 packs, which is about a month worth.

[lancastermike]

yes

[jorach]

I'd use them if they were for things I was planning to buy anyways but they're normally for highly processed stuff that I don't bother with.

[MelissaH]

I'm with many of you: if they're for something I'd need anyway, I'll use them. But I don't go out of my way to find coupons. As far as the time factor, I figure that everyone has something to delay the checkout process. For some people, it's check-writing (even though the cash registers can print those up for you so all you have to do is sign away) or haggling. Some people clip coupons. I'm in the Produce Identification Derby group, although when I shop at Wegmans it's not a problem because there, you sticker your own.

MelissaH

[andiesenji]

I use coupons for things that I am going to buy anyway. I occasionally try something new if I get a coupon for a free product or for a significant savings.

However, I do save coupons for things I certainly do not use (Pampers, for instance) and once a month donate them to a local food bank to be given out to their clients.

There are a lot of people, especially families with children, and especially the military families around here, who could not subsist as well as they do if it were not for coupons.

I print out online coupons from online coupon services, mostly couponbug.com both for the food bank and for people who don't have internet service or a printer.

I don't mind standing in line behind people who use a lot of coupons because times are hard and this is how some people have to survive. There were times in my earlier life when I had to scrimp and save and use every coupon and I don't remember anyone criticizing me.

Edited April 11, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[kayb]

When I was a new mother, I avidly looked for and used coupons for diapers, baby food, formula and the like. I'd typically save about $10 a week on just baby items, and $10 a week when you have an elementary schooler, a toddler and a newborn is pretty significant (plus the fact that was 21 years ago, when $10 was worth more than it is today).

Today, I'm in the store-discount-card and use-a-coupon-if-I-happen-on-to-one-for-something-I-use category. More typically, I'll get one in the mail for something I might conceivably use, stick it up on the fridge with a magnet, and forget about it until after it's expired.

The only exceptions are the PetSmart coupons for dog food and grooming services. I covet those, and use them faithfully.

[bmwrtmike]

Yes. The wife is a coupon freek. we couldn't afford to shop the way we were after she lost her job. This is now her full time job. We are still eating good, and she doesn't need to go back to work now. We save about 70% on every trip now. Don't be haters, you might need to use coupons one day.

[Moopheus]

They seem mainly to be for processed foods that I don't buy, so I tend not to bother.

I think most supermarket chains have replaced store coupons with loyalty discounts you get by scanning your card before checking out. That I do. These discounts are more likely to apply to fresh foods that I actually do buy.

Same here, except that the local supermarket does not seem to actually require the card; the cashiers will enter one for you if you don't have one. I don't like them, because I don't like having my purchases tracked. It's so rare for there to be a coupon for something I want that it's not worth the bother of looking for them. And most of my food comes from local produce markets, ethnic specialty shops, or the CSA anyway.

Edited April 12, 2011 by Moopheus (log)

[ScoopKW]

I only seem to get manufacturer's coupons for Hot Pockets and other processed crap that I would never buy. Nothing healthy ever seems to merit a coupon, so I don't bother. If there were coupons for vegetables, raw meat and fish or even grain, I'd use them more often.

The one exception is my local "Smith's" store, which does in-store coupons for flour, butter and orange juice. I use those whenever I can. The best is when they send me coupons for "$5 off your $20 grocery bill." That's ideal -- no muss, no fuss.

That being said, I much prefer shopping at the Asian and Mexican markets -- 10 pounds of potatoes for $1, 4 pounds of onions for $1, etc. With prices like that, who needs coupons?

And don't even get me started about people who pronounce it "Q-pon."

[Toliver]

I don't like them, because I don't like having my purchases tracked.

Instead of swiping a card, you can sometimes just enter a phone number in the device at checkout to receive the store's member benefits. The trick is not to use your own phone number. That way they can't track your purchases.

You will find that usually someone will have already created a dummy membership phone number of XXX (the area code of your area) 867-5309. That phone number was the title of a Top 40 song "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone in 1982. It works in my area code at my local grocery store.

edited for clarity

Edited April 12, 2011 by Toliver (log)

[lancastermike]

I use coupons for things that I am going to buy anyway. I occasionally try something new if I get a coupon for a free product or for a significant savings.

However, I do save coupons for things I certainly do not use (Pampers, for instance) and once a month donate them to a local food bank to be given out to their clients.

There are a lot of people, especially families with children, and especially the military families around here, who could not subsist as well as they do if it were not for coupons.

I print out online coupons from online coupon services, mostly couponbug.com both for the food bank and for people who don't have internet service or a printer.

I don't mind standing in line behind people who use a lot of coupons because times are hard and this is how some people have to survive. There were times in my earlier life when I had to scrimp and save and use every coupon and I don't remember anyone criticizing me.

I agree, I certainly am not detained if folks in line use a bunch of coupons. I salute people who stretch their dollars to be able to feed their families. I just do not understand on any level the hatred for coupons and for people who use them. Perhaps they are just peasants. I use them too so find another line when you see me. I'd feel awfully guilty if I held you up.

[heidih]

If the clerk is good it should only add a few seconds to scan them as their registers should be comparing the items to the coupon. The problem is when something is expired or does not match the coupon- then the discussion can be lengthy. In my Safeway derivative their policy is usually just to let it go because they are super conscious of moving their lines along.

As others have noted, I rarely use them because I almost never see anything of use. The store card does get use as it includes fresh produce and meat. Then again I am in Southern California and a product of that strike that was noted above so coupons are not much seen in these parts.

[OliverB]

I use them at art supply stores (40% off an item can be quite a lot of savings) but never at the grocery store. The ones I see are for crap I'd never buy, and even if, I have no intention of keeping track of these things and their expiration date so I can save 50 cent.

I do use the safeway card, couldn't care less if they track what I buy (and do get the occasional free sandwich or $10 off). If they track it with my safeway card or with my credit card, what's the difference? it's not like I'm stocking up on illegal weapons or drugs or anything like that, at least not at Safeway, LOL.

(I actually like advertisement targeted to me. Ads are a necessity, I'd rather see some I find interesting, than some I could not care less for)

Costco is nice, they send out the coupon book which I immediately throw away, but once there they have all the coupons at the register and swipe them anyway :-)

But the piles of ads and coupons in the mail and the paper go immediately into the recycling, I wish I could turn that flood of paper off.

[David A. Goldfarb]

This is a case where I'm not too concerned about purchase tracking. The Stop&Shop doesn't send me junk mail or spam. If they offered it when I signed up for the card, I would have opted out. If they can figure out a way to market things I buy to me, I don't see any harm in that.

Edited April 13, 2011 by David A. Goldfarb (log)

[toolprincess]

Qpons (coopons) can save you money. I am not very diligent about using them but occasionally the Harris-Teeter here offers Triple coupons which is quite a nice savings if you have them for items you buy. I don't use a lot of them but the ones for household supplies, dog food, cat food, litter and cereal are useful when I remember to use them.

[JAZ]

I don't mind standing in line behind people who use a lot of coupons because times are hard and this is how some people have to survive. There were times in my earlier life when I had to scrimp and save and use every coupon and I don't remember anyone criticizing me.

I agree, I certainly am not detained if folks in line use a bunch of coupons. I salute people who stretch their dollars to be able to feed their families. I just do not understand on any level the hatred for coupons and for people who use them.

I have no hatred for people who use coupons. I don't mind standing in line behind people who have coupons for the items they're purchasing (anymore than I mind standing in line for anyone else, that is). I completely understand and sympathize with people who want or need to save money. I just think that people who use coupons should know what their coupons are actually for.

My experience is probably not typical, because I have abysmal grocery store line karma. But here are three of my recent experiences behind people with coupons. And I swear I am not making this up.

#1. I get in line behind a guy who has a big cart of groceries, but almost all of his purchases are already rung up. He hands the clerk a very thick stack of coupons -- I don't know how many, but the stack was easily an inch thick. The clerk starts scanning them. Several of them don't scan -- or, rather, they're for items he hasn't actually purchased. He points out the items the coupons are supposed to be for, but they're the wrong size or brand or whatever. So then he doesn't want the items that the coupons are not for. The clerk has to figure out what those items are for, find them (they've already been bagged) and return them.

#2. I get in a line that appears to have one person in it. Oh, except that there's actually a person whose order is halfway done, but who has left to go get more items. She comes back with a cart full of more stuff and gets back in line to finish her transaction. One of her items is baby formula, and she has a coupon. It's not for the size she has. She argues. The clerk calls a manager. The coupon is still not for the size she has. She doesn't really want the larger size, which the coupon is good for, so she takes time to decide. She does decide she wants the coupon size, so the clerk leaves to go get it. Oh, did I mention that this was at 5:30 on a Friday evening, and the store was packed?

#3. I get in a line where it appears the woman ahead of me is completely done -- all her bags are in the cart. She pulls out a binder (I am not making this up) and starts pulling out coupons. In stacks. Big stacks. I honestly can't believe that even with a full cart, she's bought enough items for all these coupons to be redeemable. Apparently, they aren't. It's like some kind of coupon lottery for her -- as if she must have something in her stack for the items she's bought. Having learned something from my previous experiences, I wait for a couple of minutes while she pulls out more stacks. I put my items back in my cart, move to another line behind two people and still get done while she is pulling out coupons.

I know these people are not typical. I know that most people who use coupons are organized and only use coupons for the items they're buying. But I'm sorry, I see coupons in someone's hand and I make a beeline to another cashier.

[maggiethecat]

I'm interested and amazed about the chafe-in-line behind a couponer. This has never happened to me,probably because I don't go to the Chicago versions of Publix and Albertson's. (Jewel and Dominicks)The places I shop have good sales, but never coupons. I find this topic totally fascinating because it's so alien from my grocery shopping experience.

[natasha1270]

I am not organized enough to be a couponer (although I secretly wish I was) and have never witnessed any extreme couponing. In fact, I can't recall the last time I saw anyone using a coupon at the grocery stores in my area but I know they must be out there! On the rare occasions I find and use a coupon. it is almost always for an item I am already using - either snipped or affixed to the product packaging or in one of those store coupon dispensers. Occasionally I happen across a coupon on the product website.

TLC just started airing a show called Extreme Couponing and I wonder if this will spur people on.

http://tlc.com/extremecouponing

Stores fear and cash registers cringe when my friends wife hits the aisles. I get the impression that she has somehow parlayed 1 purchase of toothpaste, razors, etc into a coupon fueled closet busting lifetime supply.

[andiesenji]

It may seem odd to some people but the stores really do benefit significantly when customers use coupons.

Manufacturers pay up front for shelf sites - that is, to get their products in a prime location.

Often this is based not only on sales of the product but when these products are purchased with a manufacturer's coupon.

When these factors are considered, the statistics don't show if the sales are to one person with 100 coupons or 100 persons with one coupon each. They just show a positive response for a particular product and if the manufacturer wants to push that product, the store (or chain) will receive a bonus or premium for product placement in a prime location.

Unfortunately, small manufactures can't compete with the big boys, which is why their products are on the lowest or highest shelves, not near the eye-level slots that come at a premium price and that is why you seldom see coupons for these products.

Many small companies have a semi-annual coupon promotion so don't expect to see them monthly, and usually they are much less than those offered by the big companies.

That's one of the reasons I buy products from small manufacturers, when they have a superior product. I don't want to see these things disappear from my store shelves.