Researchers proposed that the reason for the coupon-hating is "the modern consumer tends to prize status and luxury over thrift."I was kind of thrown by this one. Just today, I stocked up at the grocery store and combined coupons with sales to save $23 on my groceries. I was so excited to see that total come down. That is an extra $23 in my bank account that I can use on something else I need. That's money in my pocket. In fact, as I left the store, I noticed that people were leaving the self-checkouts without picking up their store coupons that print up with their receipts, and I wondered how people could just throw money away like that.
I didn't always use coupons. It's something that I started doing recently as my paychecks got smaller and smaller. Obviously, as the economy worsens, more people are going to be in the same boat as me.
If you're worried about what others are thinking of you as you redeem your grocery coupons, do what you can to minimize your check-out time, as waiting in line seems to be everyone's pet peeve. I pull my coupons as I make my shopping list, keep them paper clipped to my list in store, and the ones that don't get used get put away before I get in line. It took longer to bag my groceries today than it did to scan my coupons.
Also, be careful with those printable coupons. You can trust the ones from Smart Source or Coupons.com (which you see in the sidebar on my blog). A lot of times, they're the same coupons that come in the Sunday paper. My local Target takes them without a problem, and one of their cashiers even tells me when there's a good coupon on their website. At my local Jewel, they sometimes call a manager over, so I stopped using the printables there. At my local Whole Foods, I haven't had problems, but then again, I know the cashiers. And I've heard horror stories about Wal-mart refusing coupons, so I avoid it. Your mileage may vary, but as you get better at using coupons, you'll find out for yourself how to best save time while saving money.
No comments:
Post a Comment