Am I the only person around that wishes stores would do away with coupons?

[MELSMICE]

First let me say that I love to find a bargain & save money. I always shop sales, clearance racks & always get the BOGO's at the supermarket. But............................I really wish that companies would do away with coupons & just lower the prices of their products.

Am I the only one that doesn't have the time to clip coupons weekly? I used to when my DD's were younger, but now I own my own business (a dance studio), they're older, they are involved in more things & have more homework that they sometimes need help with.

A while ago I just started shopping at the discount supermarkets (Aldi & Sav-A-Lot) because I just don't have the time to do the coupon thing. I am actually saving more money anyway by going to the discount stores.

If I had the time I would probably do couponing again, but I just don't. It does bother me that stores just don't lower their prices. I feel like it's almost an insult to the consumer by charging so much when in all reality if it's on sale & you have a coupon, they are probably still making a profit on it.

Just my 2 cents!!

 

[Serena]

 

[jipsy]

Yes I totally agree. If they didn't spend so much money printing the coupons, they could lower the price.

 

[liznboys]

I do too. They are just a pain!

 

[minnieandmickeymouse]

Yes I wish they could do away with coupons if they would lower their prices.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

If you think coupons are pain what about rebates? I'm going to give up on Best Buy, Office Depot/Max and Staples and just buy my hardware mail order.

 

[poohandwendy]

The thing is, coupons aren't a replacement for lowering prices, they are a buying incentive. They aren't for the consumer, they are for the manufacturer or store.

Most coupons are manufacturer coupons meant to get you to try their product with the hope that you will be impressed enough that you be hooked on that product, will try even more of their other products and tell your friends to try them. Store coupons are meant to get you into the store where they are guaranteed other 'impulse' premium priced purchases, because they KNOW that people tend to buy more (regular priced) items than they intend when at the store. Either way, the ultimate goal is that you pay regular prices.

It's not about lowering prices, it is about gaining more product loyal consumers (ie profit $$$) through incentive. So when someone says ''why don't they just cut out the middleman(coupons) and lower prices?", I say, don't count on it, they make more money with incentives that bring you in to pay premium prices in the long run.

 

[cgcw]

Before DS9 was born, I was a coupon-a-holic. I would go into the stores and almost walk away without paying anything for the items I bought. I enjoyed the challenge of it all.

I just didn't have the time anymore. I also have started shopping at Aldi's and it helps a lot to cut down the cost. I never thought I would shop at Aldi's but now I find that I prefer some of their brands over the name brands. The only things I don't buy at Aldi's is meat, paper goods and coffee. My kids even like the chips and cookies.

Our other $$ saving trick is the have DH do the shopping. I tend to be an impulse shopper but not my DH. I browse through the sale ads for the bigger grocery stores and write a list. DH will stop on the way home from work and buy only what's on the list. I believe the grocery store chain term is "cherry picking" when people buy only the sale items and nothing more.

 

[gdulaney]

I absolutely love using coupons. We use coupons for groceries, when we eat out, for things that we usually buy, and for items that are our little luxuries. We also use an entertainment card, I do surveys, we do mystery shops (for dinners), and I only pay about two bills with a check...the rest are paid with either the AMEX or Disney Visa for point accumulation (we then pay of the credit cards in full each and every month).

Do I believe it's worth the time? Yep...Our first night we ate at the Rock Bottom Brewery...for FREE. How? I'd done a test drive, which received an incentive (a $50 AMEX gift card).

Thursday and Friday night were spent at Saratoga Springs, we're DVC members...so it was a point thing. Both nights we ate at Bahama Breeze....FREE. Now Bahama Breeze is both really yummy and to our pocketbook, it's pretty pricey. But I do a number of reward sites that earn gift cards...I choose Darden Restaurants...and we eat for free (actually --- since my hubby got two drinks at the bar before we were seated, I think it ended up being $15 or so for one night). I also usually try to get gas gift cards too...these are especially great with gas being so expensive.

While on vacation, we at breakfast one morning at IHOP, using a coupon, and for both of our meals it was under $10. We did a time-share presentation that rewarded us with 2 two-day tickets to Universal. Had to pay for parking (used the Disney visa)....ate at the Nascar cafe (we had a coupon for that).

On the cruise ship (we cruised using DVC points) we applied $125 in Disney Dollars to our shipboard account (thanks Disney Visa). We also applied $50 in Disney Dollars that I received from one of my shopping sites.

We did our laundry onboard using the free laundry soap that I bought at Target (travel size was $.99 and I had a $1.00 coupon). We could have eaten at Hard Rock in Grand Cayman or Cozumel (I brought along coupons for buy 1, get 1 and for $$ off merchandise), but decided not to. I shared those coupons and coupons for Carlos and Charlies and Senor Frog's with some of our fellow cruisers.

I usually save about 45-55% off our groceries...using coupons in tandem with store specials and I've got to say that I really love coupons. Once you get a routine down...it really doesn't take too much time. It helps to have very few brand loyalities (for example, ours include ketchup, soda, and several other items).

Ginny

ps...Target has a massive clearance sale going right now. Great deals on Round-up, Weed Be Gone, fans, etc.

 

[Pop Daddy]

I will not use a coupon because I am a man

 

[Missy1961]

I have mixed feelings about coupons. Sure, sometimes they save me money on products I use, but I have to cut out the coupon, remember to bring it with me, and remember to give it to the cashier. And I hate the coupons that are $x off if you buy 2 (or 3). For instance, I wanted to try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I found a coupon, $1 off if I bought 2. Well, I get to the store, each box costs about $5! So I'd have to spend $9! Not much of a savings, IMHO. But last week, the hair color stuff I use was on sale for $2 off, plus I had a $2 coupon. That was good. I love coupons for restaurants that I go to alot. I like reward points/dollars from my credit cards. I have noticed less coupons in the papers recently. Maybe the manufacturers are getting sick of it too.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

I don't mind coupons for groceries but what drives me absolutely nuts is the weekly coupons for sales at Foley's. (In other parts of the country it is Robinson May or May Co). Constantly I am getting mail for the latest coupon sale and then they are also in the paper.

Just lower the darn price rather than have folks constantly clipping the correctly dated coupon. It has gotten to the point that I just throw away their mail and if I know I'm going to shop there I cut the coupon out of the paper.

Ugh

 

[orvilleair]

Coupons are fine with me. It's the little "value cards" that my wife has on her key rings. Krogers Plus Card, CVS, the list goes on. I lost mine, and will never shop at Krogers for that reason. They should make the prices the same whether I have a Plus card or not. I won't carry these cards or put any on my key chain.

 

[vhoffman]

My husband won't use coupons to buy Tampax. He says I'm lucky he picks them up for me at all!

 

[nkjzmom]

I used to clip coupons when my oldest 2 were little...I just don't have enough hands to keep up with coupons, kids, my list, products, a cart......

I will look through all the coupons occasionally and I have found that they are generally for products I don't use. They tend to have the same type of products every Sunday, like toothpaste, cleaners, etc.....how often does anyone go through those kinds of things? Not every week!! It's a waste of my time and effort....I just shop sales.

 

[Barb]

I'm a big fan of the clip-less coupon programs like at CVS. I love loyalty programs and would do the card over coupons any day! It's so much easier to swipe a card then play around with paper coupons. My key chain is loaded with loyalty cards.

 

[Nancy]

We hear all the time about how we should just lower prices and do away with the cards...so that's what the company did (sort of). We went to a program called Consistent Low Prices. What we did was lower the prices on thousands of items throughout the store. We still have sales with the Shoppers Club, but nothing like we used to...and now we have customers complain because they don't save as much money as they used to with their cards! You just can't win. Coupons, per say, don't make the store too much money and if they double coupon value the stores eat the cost of that double value.

By the way WNY is one of the areas in the country that has the highest coupon use. Manufacturers love us!

 

[browneyes]

I love coupons. I just wish stores would do away with their stupid extra value/bonus card thingies.

 

[gr8tpanther]

My Mother brings me the coupons every week and every week I throw them in the trash. She thinks I want them even though I tell her I don't use them. They are a complete waste of time and just something for the garbage man to take away.

 

[Cindy B]

I paid for our first Disney trip solely from the money I saved doing manufacturers coupons. I would take the total from coupons, and put it aside. In November there was enough for our first trip (about $1,100)

Just yesterday I saved $11. Not much by some peoples standards (Previously I would have saved at least $25-45)., but it was something.

The manufacturers coupons here stink. It is usually Buy 3, etc. I will only clip 50 cents or higher. Fortunately we get doulbe coupon all the time, and triple occasionally.

I also do test drive incentives, reward cards, and other things.

I do wish the stores had lower prices, but I know how to make the coupon work for me. I used it on a BOGO, making the lower cost signafactly lower. Many times the store has to give me money because the item is free.