Why Americans Are Cutting Coupons Out of Their Lives

[Sherman A1]

Nearly half (46%) of consumers who redeemed fewer coupons said they did so mainly because there were fewer coupons worth redeeming. While the total number of coupons has remained steady, the number of coupons that shoppers actually feel are valuable enough to use is on the decline.

Coupons are available nowadays for everything from clothing to restaurant meals. Still, for obvious reasons, consumers tend to be most likely to use coupons on household essentials—namely, groceries. And guess what? The number of coupons for food decreased by 6.5% last year, according to NCH. At the same time, there was an increase in coupons for goods that consumers are less likely to need on a weekly basis (various “non-food categories” like deodorants and cough remedies), or even be tempted to buy, including more coupons for new products featuring brands that shoppers haven’t heard of.

http://news.yahoo.com/why-americans-cutting-coupons-lives-130040807--finance.html

[canoeist52]

1. Also, even with the coupon, the generic store brand is usually cheaper.

Most coupons are for items we would never buy.

[RebelOne]

7. That's right. Most of the coupons are for name-brand items.

I buy store brands and they are a hell of a lot cheaper even without coupons than the name brands. I shop mostly at Kroger here in North Georgia. They have a large cosmetic section and the prices on name brands are even less than Walgreen's or CVS. I used to buy beauty products quite often at Ulta, but Kroger's prices are much less.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Sometimes the coupons require you to buy TWO of an item

and if you've never tried the product before, you usually want to buy only one to see if it's any good.

Or the coupon is for something you want, but to get it you have to buy one or two other items that you don't want.

Also, sometimes the coupon is only good for a couple of weeks or a month, and expires before you get a chance to use it.

These are all cute little tricks that the manufacturers use to make it harder to actually redeem the coupons, while making themselves appear nice for offering coupons.

[GoCubsGo]

3. That's the real killer for me.

I live alone. I don't always need multiples of things, especially the perishable items. I'll make exceptions when I can get a great deal on something if I can stack a store coupon with them. But, otherwise, they eventually wind up in the recycle bin--if I even bother clipping them in the first place. It's a good idea to have a stockpile of non-perishables for emergency purposes, so for some things, I don't mind having to buy two of them.

The thing that really irks me about the coupons for new items is that they come out before the items wind up on the store shelves. One never sees them until AFTER the coupon expires! Most of the grocery chains will allow you to load electronic coupons onto your loyalty cards. The thing is, they often have coupons for items they don't even carry. Drives me nuts.

[cbayer]

4. I used to be an avid coupon cutter, but no more.

It became a pain that just didn't pay off and I often ended up buying things that I really didn't need.

Now I look at the sales circulars on-line and build my lists around that. I think I save more money that way.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. I used to use coupons all the time.

I used them for groceries, non-food items, meals, just about everything. But that has been years ago. I think the only coupons I use anymore are for toilet paper, because I am a toilet paper snob and 25 cents off is 25 cents.

Years ago, coupons would be good for at least 3 months. Anymore, they expire in that many weeks.

Coupons are for less money than they used to be.

Meal coupons are now useless, since all I see is "buy one get one" coupons. If I feel like running into McDonalds for a sandwich, and I am always alone if I do that, the last thing I need is two sandwiches----and they aren't something that will keep as leftovers for the next day. I often go out to eat alone, so these buy one get one offers don't work.

As stated before, generic products are almost always cheaper, even with the savings of a coupon----by quite a bit. And generic products have gotten as good as the name brands. Years ago, you could tell the difference and the quality was lacking, but no more. I rarely buy name brands anymore.....except for toilet paper.

[RebelOne]

8. If by chance, you have a Kroger where you live (mostly in the South),

the store brand toilet paper is just as good as any of the name brands.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. I don't have a Kroger around.

The only chain grocery store around is Giant Eagle and Aldi. And WalMart, but that is not going to happen.

I figure that this can be one of those luxuries, and I do wait for a sale.

My sister is also a TP snob, and she does have a Kroger near her. I will tell her to try it, but she may not listen....Charmin Ultra Soft or nothing for her (and me). You have to know the back story to appreciate our attitude....when we were young, my father got a "great deal" of several cases of TP. It was unbleached, rough as sandpaper, and slick as waxed paper.....and it lasted for YEARS. Some frugal deals are not really deals.

[RebelOne]

21. There is an Aldi just down the road from me,

but most of what they sell are brands I have never heard of, so I don't go there too often.

[Curmudgeoness]

22. You really should try Aldi.

Yes, they only sell their own brand, unless it is a buyout or some special on a name brand. But I will tell you that I do not have any problem with anything I get there. It is just as good as the name brands, and for half the price (at least). I would bet that their brand in made on the same conveyor line as the name brands. You will save a lot of money if you find that you like their brand.

There is only one thing, after years of shopping there, that was sub-par. It was a boneless ham and it tasted like bologna to me. But that is it.

[Phentex]

6. I don't get the paper anymore but bought one recently just for coupons...

it was not worth it at all. Like everybody said, they aren't usually good on products I buy, although it seems like I used to find them for deodorant and other non food items.

[Curmudgeoness]

10. If you use any Proctor and Gamble products,

once a month, there is a pack of coupons on all their products.....and it is often accompanied by sales on those same products at many stores. If you know when that booklet of coupons are in the paper, and you use these products, you could buy the paper on those Sundays. I find that buying generic products or Suave and other lower price products are still cheaper.

[Sherman A1]

12. Agreed

We get a suburban paper with the Target, Kmart ads and some coupons delivered each week for free on the weekends. I will go through the coupons and cut them out, my wife sorts them, taking a very few and then we give the remainder to a young lady with whom I work (particularly diaper and such).

If they didn't come free, I wouldn't bother.

Welcome to DU!

[MADem]

14. Some stores have those irritating "loyalty cards" that will provide a discount, too.

Our family loyalty cards are in the names of long-deceased family members or pets. It's kind of funny to see how they sell the information from those registrations.

[dimbear]

23. Those are becoming almost obligatory. It's the information age closing in.

Safeway is an example. A shopper definitely needs to join their club to do at all well.

Painless, and they learn all about you. Devil you do, devil you don't.

[Not Sure]

24. You don't have to give them "your" information to join the club

I shop at Tom Thumb (owned by Safeway) and Kroger frequently. At the Tom Thumb I just give them my home phone number, which was apparently used by "Mr. Smith" before I got that phone line some ten years ago. I just go along with it when they mention anything to do with Mr. Smith.

When I go to the Kroger, I use an old City Market card a cashier gave me in Colorado. It has the Kroger logo on the back and I've used it successfully ever since moving to Texas.

I get the discounts and they get bogus data. And when I do have to give them an address, it's always 1060 W. Addison

[TimberValley]

15. the coupons are just not worth the trouble.

and many of them are for things people would probably not normally buy.

[TexasBushwhacker]

16. I buy store brands and fresh food

For the most part I just don't eat all the processed boxed food - hamburger helpers and frozen dinners. I prefer to use my loyalty card at Kroger, because then I get discounts on gas. There used to be stores that doubled or even tripled coupons, but no more.They just aren't worth the hassle.

[distantearlywarning]

17. Would love to use coupons, but they are only for junky foods

We cook from scratch most nights and rarely eat boxed or processed foods. I never see coupons for fresh veggies or meats from the meat counter.

The only thing I ever redeem coupons for is stuff like cleaning products and deodorant, and then not that often.

[Kaleva]

18. Couponing can be time consuming

But i found it to be kind of a challenge and a fun thing to do so that made the time spent finding the coupons and matching them with store sales worthwhile.

[fizzgig]

19. the coupons in the paper usually aren't worth a damn

but the coupons i get through my kroger card are awesome. i get books of coupons on them every month and a lot of times they're for things i already buy. and those items are usually on sale while the coupons are running, so i can get some killer deals.

[Sherman A1]

20. Agreed

Seems to be that over the last year or so, they have become much less valuable or require multiple purchases in order to use them. We simply stopped buying the newspaper on Sunday as a result. Without coupons that had any meaning for us, the paper became simply a vehicle to convey the Target, K-Mart, Best Buy and a few Ads into our home. Seemed silly to purchase just to buy the ads so we cut out that expense entirely.