If you are looking to locate good discounts and substantial savings, free manufacturers coupons are easy to find. Die-hard bargain hunters hoping to realize maximum savings easily obtain these valuable vouchers via many virtual and conventional forums. Likewise, purveyors, vendors, and merchants promote a variety of products and services with these popular marketing devices. Long retailer [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Last week, we discussed the behavior of a small percentage of coupon users who become so deal hungry that they chase down every deal in sight. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that… I love the thrill of getting products free with coupons!) But when coupon shoppers take things a [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Q: “I am a cashier in a grocery store and am writing to you about the dark side of coupon use. You don’t have a concept of the abuse we go through daily at the hands of our coupon-clipping customers. I am amazed at the number of people who feel [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features After last week’s column on why people might choose not to use coupons, I received these e-mails from readers: “I had a horrifying experience at my local supermarket last week and found myself crying all the way home. Cashiers who single out coupon shoppers for bad treatment are getting more [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Last week, we took a look at the demographics of a typical coupon user. Did you know that the heaviest users of coupons make more than $70,000 per year? According to studies by Nielsen Co., those who use coupons the least earn less than $20,000 per year. Why don’t lower-income [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Each year, I read through the new Nielsen Co. statistics on coupon usage with great interest. It’s a common misconception among non-coupon users that coupon shoppers have low incomes, are disadvantaged or are struggling financially and need to use coupons to get by. Nothing could be further from the truth! [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Most of my reader mail is positive, but I also receive comments from readers who aren’t completely on board with the whole idea of coupon shopping. Occasionally, the questions that show up in my inbox surprise me. Here’s one. Q: “Jill, don’t you ever think about what you are doing [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Q: “Recently you wrote in your column about the ethics of point-of-sale coupon pads, and how shoppers shouldn’t take more than they can reasonably use. Here is a hypothetical version of a similar situation. Your family loves Cereal X. A supermarket ad has it listed for a terrific price; it’s [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Q: “I get the newspaper delivered every week. Some weeks the coupons are so good that I head to the store and buy extra copies to get more coupons. Lately I have noticed that the coupon inserts are being stolen out of the paper! I hate getting home only to [...]
By Jill Cataldo CTW Features Q: “Our grocery store will not double coupons until a shopper has purchased items totaling $25. They will only double six coupons. Is the store allowed to set its own rules?” A: We’ve visited the topic of stores’ coupon policies many times in this column, and it may surprise you [...]