Serious question...are you using more coupons in this economy?
 

I'm going to be interviewed for tv at 1 because of my business being direct mail advertising and the number of coupons we mail out to residents.

So I'm curious what everyone is doing when it comes to being able to save additional dollars by using coupons.

No, I despise them, I feel like if I use them I will be perceived as a cheapskate. Why that bothers me I have no idea.

yes, I am.... but I don't know if it's the economy or the addition to the household...formula, esp the kind she has to be on, is really expensive

Interesting,the majority of my advertisers want people to take advantage of the savings because at least it means you're choosing them.I even have one restaurant that's adding our website to their coupon in March to encourage people to print all the coupons they want.

I don't get the newspaper and the coupons in the "Value Pack" mailing (or whatever it's called) are always the same and never anything I need/use. So, no, I don't use coupons.

I recently had a conversation with the manager of one of the local markets, Mr. Nzoner ... Publics. He mentioned that coupon redemption in their store had almost doubled in the last six months.

FAX

Thank you for that info Mr Fax

Yes, we've started clipping coupons again. In our earlier years of marriage, we did, then as I started making more money we just kinda stopped. Now, with this ecomomy, we're doing it again. By "we" I mean my wife.

The Wall Street Journal just had an article on internet coupon sites being used alot more as well.

Do you clip from local papers only or do you print off the computer as well?

I use them because I'm bombarded with them. For some reason my apartment building gets free newspapers and the free entertainment guide thing that everyone else gets. They're full of coupons too good to pass up.

Nothing by direct mail tho. I'd probably use them too.

Yes. The wifey tends to cut them out of the paper more. I dont because I am too lazy and anything like that to me is more "junk mail". She saves it all and clips them more now though.

I dont use them, but wife does all the time.

Clips from the Sunday paper, and from the internet as well.


To me, its too much work to save 5-7 bucks at the grocery store.

I use them for pizza chains (Papa John's, Dominoes, Pizza Hut). If McDonald's has them for McRibs, I generally use those too.

I use them, especially the BOGO Quiznos the last few months.

The best formula is free.

true

Absolutely....we have always used coupons, but even more so now.

When we eat fast food (which is rare), we purposely go somewhere that we have coupons for. Same thing with pizza...we have our favorite, but will be willing to go with a secondary choice if we have a coupon.

Also....the ValuePak's always have the car wash coupons....those things are like gold.

I don't, but I really have no reason not to. I really should.

I don't have access to very many of them. Most of the time they are to fast food chains I don't eat at.

But given my propencity to be a cheap piece of shit, I would use them if I had them.

Coupons is a funny word. What is the origin on Coupon?
How do you say it? Do you say Coopon or do you say cue-pon.

We used to do grocery coupons often, but they're a lot of work, so now we just use the occasional fast-food coupon in the mail. I don't know that any of our changes have been economically-based, though.

Sounds like this is the theme, but my fiancee is a religious coupon user. I've started saving more of them for her to look through, but I usually just buy things that are on sale rather than use a coupon. As long as I'm saving money, I don't really care how I save it.

Yes.

Definitely: Here ya go. Feel free to give rep! Uh positive rep.

www.couponmom.com

You'll really need them when you kill someone's kids because you're texting your girlfriend having phone sex while you're driving.

I work in retail as a manager so when I close I count down all the coupons. I've noticed nearly a doubling in the recent months as well.

I don't use them for the simple fact I buy what I need that day. Most coupons are for shit that I am not needing right there. I find if I buy what I can using coupons it ususally goes to waste more often than not. I guess I should use them for non parishable items, but I don't know when's the last time I was like Damnit. I need to pick up string beans

I'm calling your sexuallity into question Hogfarmer.

Also the thing that sucks is you could use hi vee coupons and they could have a sale, and they would still be higher than aldi's or wal mart.

I'm not afraid to use them. I use a 10% of Lowes coupon everytime I go in there.

I have a hard time justifying the time spent clipping them and then searching through them while at the supermarket.

Not to mention, I tend to buy the generic brand when I can. If that makes me a cheapskate then I guess I am.

They are pretty much the exact same as the national brand and even without a coupon tend to be cheaper than the national brand.

We've always used coupons, so it hasn't changed much. We kiss them now, though.

This. Plus most of the food coupons I receive in the mail are dominos, papa johns, pizza hut, arbys, KFC etc. I stay away from that crap.

I don't clip but have used the web sites for selected items I use. easier to find. since I don't get a newspaper.

Fast food give you a loose ass?

As in full of fat and jiggly? Not me, I look great, but it does give others a 'loose' ass and other areas.

No, does it give you diarrhea, upset stomach, scooty booty, etc?

why the heck wouldn't someone use coupons?

if i can get something that costs $50 for $30, why not?

i guess i'm not rich enough yet, but it seems that i can accumulate more stuff if i use coupons.

I use em' if I have a use for them. like, 2 for one movie movie ticket pricing at the new theatre downtown. etc. but the majority of coupons never get used in our household.

No, it's just gross and unhealthy.

True, but I wouldn't have to go to Aldi or Wal-Mart, which is a total win for me. Hy-Vee stores are so much nicer/cleaner.

No, I'm not using more. I'm finding the quality and quantity of the coupons are not as good as they used to be.

ROFLROFLROFLROFL

quantity. LOL

My wife always clips the grocery coupons. I do the shopping and sometimes I remember to use them. We use the coupons to the local pizza joint/sub shop pretty regularly. I don't know why anyone would feel odd using them, that's why the businesses print them.

What does that mean?

My parents [mother, really] instilled the economist thing in me from early on.
It's an interesting phenomenon, where the value of a purchase isn't entirely it's quality or utility, but the bargain you got.

Normal people: "I had a burger and fries at xxx, it was really tasty"
"Awesome!!"



BL's clan: "I had a burger and fries at xxx, they were half price on Tuesdays, so it was a real good deal."
"Awesome!!"

Seeing as couper is French for 'to cut' . . .

EDIT: Yup

<DL><DT class=highlight>coupon http://www.etymonline.com/graphics/dictionary.gif <DD class=highlight>1822, "certificate of interest due on a bond" (which could be cut from the bond and presented for payment), from Fr. coupon, from O.Fr. coupon "piece cut off," from couper "to cut," from coup "a blow." Meaning widened to "discount ticket" 1860s by British travel agent Thomas Cook. The specific advertising sense is from 1906. </DD></DL>

Yeah. Do your parents ever get pissed off at you if you don't get the best value?

Me: I had a really good meal at XXXXX last night.
Mom: Did you use a coupon? They are in the phone book, and the newspaper, and last weeks issue of PENNY POWER.
Me: Nope.
Mom: OMGWTF?!?

She was never where she got upset if we chose not to use a coupon, and she's really come around in her later years. Now that it's her and dad alone, seems like they're always stopping in somewhere just because they have a hankering for it. Mom of old wouldn't be caught dead paying Red Robin prices, present day Mom LOVES the place [though part of their appeal is their annual birthday free meal coupon].
Worst it would get would be, say, her birthday. . . Where you want to eat on your birthday, mom? Well I have a coupon for . . .

ROFL ROFL

We've always been pretty good about using coupons. The monthly Costco pack, Entertainment book, directly mailers, and online promo codes.

And it extends to everything, I really love my amplifier/receiver and my speakers. But the effed up thing is, I partially love them because I researched and found them to be great products, AND I partially love them because I tracked down great deals on them.
Sometimes it's nice to derive satisfaction from the act of being economical, and sometimes it's perverse, . . . most often when I go to the market and talk the vendor into giving me a whole flat of some fruit or vegetable for just a little more than a 1/2 or 1/4 flat, then I get home and have to figure out how to consume a whole damn flat of xxxx before it goes bad.

i have the beast 12 pack i bought for 2:99 at hi vee best money spent ever

the aldi's in lenexa has been surprisingly good. I even filled out some form because they basicly load up my sweet valley cola and entire box of refried beans and get me the hell out of there. Hi vee is pretty good, clean, and I think they pay employees well. I go there sometimes but yesterday I was looking at TV dinners and they were like 3 bucks. I can buy 3 mcdoubles for that. 3 more dollars and I got two double deuces of natty ice.

Coupons sometimes...but every year for the past 4-5 I buy a "gold card" from the High School here in town for $10. On the back of the card it has specials at most of the local resturants in town. Like 10% off or 2 for 1 deals if you have the card.

I spend $10 for the card and easily save $75 to $100 each year on the specials. :D

We've always been big coupon users, so I guess the answer to your question is no.

I could really give a shit if anyone else thinks I'm being "cheap" when I watch $50 melt off my total at the grocery store...

What are coupon sponsors doing to get more coupons in peoples hands? I know of one resturaunt in KC that does a monthly email coupon to customers and that is a good deal for them as well as the customers.

no, I don't use coupons. But I usually look for whats on sale when I go grocery shopping and mainly buy those

If they're instore
stuck on the product shelf
or on the product it's self

We recently did an aggressive BOGO offer to our frequent customers. (Restaurant business.) We put very few limits on it and let them print in multiple times and give it out to friends. We had some restaurants redeeming 30 in one day. By far the biggest response we've seen.

I clip etc from the newspaper; I typically save (between Chopper card & coupons) about $15/wk.

I'm not going to make time in my life to pick through junk-mail looking to save thirty-five cents or whatever.

Unless they are large dollar coupons I don't bother with them. Generally we go generic where we can and I don't waste time looking for coupons on the products we do buy. If I happen to run across a useful coupon I may use it, I may not.

I just don't want to spend the time trying to dig up coupons that may expire before I ever get around to using it. Plus, I am not going to go out and buy something I normally wouldn't just because it had a coupon.

I'll usually use them on expensive things live laundry soap, dishwaher soap etc. I'll also use them if I know I'll next X number of things for upcoming meals, or if the coupons can compliment discounts given by the store.

It's a little routine on Sunday mornings; I can fly through and clip coupons in about 5 minutes. Usually saves me enough to offset the cost of beer!

Yeah - I do this. The grocery stores here put up their weekly ads on Thursdays. I always check those online and make my grocery list accordingly.

Word.

Personally,I've got 5 new businesses coming on board so far for my March publication that mails to over 45,000 residences.One of them,a pizza chain is even having a banner made to hang in their business advertising our website to let customers know they can go there and print as many coupons as they'd like.

It means that there are less BOGO free coupons or the amount of discount you get is less especially for restaurants.

For instance Pizza Hut's coupons used to be for one Large Specialty Pizza for $14.99, add a $1.00 for supreme and add another $9.00 for a second pizza which could be another specialty. NOW, they are $14.99 for up to three toppings and get a one topping pizza for $9 more.

The same pizzas we used to order for just over $26.00 are now $32.00. We stopped ordering from PH unless they give out the coupon or offer the deal they used to have. Which, in the last four months has been very rare.

Dillons and Hen House used to have double coupon days. I don't hear of them having them much anymore. Hyvee and Price Chopper have good sales and if you have a coupon then you might get something a few pennies less than what you would pay for full price at Walmart Neighborhood Market.

About the mailings of coupons in the KC area, one of the best deals is Mia Ranchito's free White cheese dip with the purchase of any entree. They come four to a page and they have no expiration date. They allow you to use more than one at a table. There have been times we have had a party of ten or twelve and we've used three or four of those coupons at our table and they were very nice to honor them without question. The dip is $6.50ish on the menu.

I love that place.