I was going through my Sunday papers yesterday afternoon and came across an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch titled, “Coupons are great – when used correctly”. There has been a huge surge of interest in how to save more money at the store with coupons these days thanks to things like job losses and reality TV shows like TLC’s “Extreme Couponing”.
It is my desire to show you how to honestly and ethically use coupons. I admit that I have bought coupons from sites such as eBay in the past. I am really contemplating if I will do that in the future. I generally buy them for things that I am buying large quantities of for an event at my church such as brownie mixes and pasta, but I have bought them for personal use as well.
I think that what it comes down to is that if we don’t honestly and ethically use the coupons that manufacturers release we are really hurting ourselves in the long run. You may wonder how did I come to that conclusion. I feel that if we don’t redeem coupons in an ethical and honest manner the manufacturer will stop releasing the “good” coupons. The stores will stop accepting multiple coupons or even doubling coupons (I have read that Kroger stores in Texas are no longer doubling or tripling coupons). When a store doubles coupons it is a loss for them, they only get reimbursed the face value of the coupon plus an $0.08 handling allowance.
Please be an honest and ethical couponer, buy only the item that the coupon is intended for and for the quantity that the coupon states.
Here is a link to the article – “Coupons are great – when used correctly”
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
~Ann
3 comments:
Didn't know how to email you so letting you know about the possible $1 Coupon Doubler next week. For the Mommas mentioned that Giant will be running their Ad, and the Martin's Ad is usually very similar. I've already posted something in my blog about it, but will have to see Sunday.
Thanks for the tip - I read it on Hot coupon World, I have found that although the ad's are consistent the $1 coupon doublers aren't. Pennsylvania had them about 6 weeks ago. We haven't had them in Richmond since late September. I have learned to wait until I actually see the ad with Martin's.
Very interesting. *Most* of the article I agree with. I disagree with the "transfer" part. That means that I cannot give my coupons to anyone else b/c technically that would be a transfer, right? So is my MIL breaking couponning law by collecting unwanted Q's from her neighbors and giving them to me?
I have mixed feelings. I agree that coupons should be used for the product they are for. I don't agree with limiting the number of coupons used, within reason (ie, no more than 10-20 of the same Q). I think it all boils down to that couponning has picked up recently and they are "losing" more $ than they want to. They don't really want us to save money with coupons, they just want us to buy their product and are willing to give us a few pennies to buy their brand... but don't we dare save dollars!
Sorry, this was a rant, and I don't even use coupons that much anymore. But, when I do use coupons, I use them for what they were made for: to save me money.
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