Extreme couponing

[NoMoreRetail]

I have a question and if it is already been addressed somewhere else then I am sorry. But I was wondering if someone could explain extreme couponing to me. I never understood how these people are really saving money buy buying a ton of the same thing. Also how are the stores allowing so many coupons per transaction. Every coupon that I have ever gotten for items that are sold at grocery stores say they are only worth 1/25 of a $1 or something along those lines. So wouldn't the stores be loosing money off of these people?

[Kiwi]

It has been exposed that most of the stores were breaking their own coupon policies for the shows to make a bigger discount for the show. They would allow the wrong size, different product, take expired coupons and even coupon fraud. Google "was coupon fraud on TLC extreme couponers"

Some of the techniques the EXCouponers use that are still legit at SOME stores.

Coupon stacking - this is when the store has the item on sale (or has a store coupon for it) and they have a manufacturer coupon so there is a double discount.

Double coupon days - when the store allows a customer to get double value on their coupon or use two coupons on a single product so again the discount is doubled.

Set price coupons - these are when a coupon automatically takes $X off the total regardless of the price of the item. I personally had this a few times, I had a coupon for $4.99 12 pack of water and the water was on sale for $2.99 but the coupon still rang in to take $4.99 off.

Some stores have catalina coupons that print at the register so spend $50 get $5 off your next purchase.

There is a difference between smart coupon users and extreme coupon users. The smart couponer is polite, they use the coupons just for the items they are intended and respect the stores policy.

[csquared]

Extreme couponing can be an addiction, just like gambling. If done correctly, it can save money. Some people do use the overstocking to support charities/food banks (where it will not be waisted), there by stretching their donations.

A good coupon (from the store's perspective) should have a limit and/or a minimum purchase. The idea is to get the customer to buy more or buy something they normally wouldn't. It can also be used to reward a good customer. This should result in a small reduction in profits, short term, to increase profits longs term by building new brand loyalty.

Bad coupons and not following coupon policy can cause a store to lose money. As it is not every customer, letting an extreme couponer side is thought to be "good customer service" (yes, it was painful for me to type that). You'll hear excuses like "the bad publicity will hurt us more" commonly used. The problem is that there is no hard data to prove either side of the argument, as we have no idea how much the "bad publicity" will cost.

[PepperElf]

sometimes buying extra can pay off too - say if you have toilet paper on sale for dirt cheap. you know you'll need it again eventually anyway so stock on up.

The problem is some asshats think this means they have the right to buy up the entire stock and get their panties in a bind if the store sets limits on how many you can buy. cos ... hey face it, it's less costly to piss off one asshat customer by establishing limits, than it is to piss off 10 others who want a chance to buy it too. that one customer may spend $XXXX in the store but the other customers combined will likely spend more than that. So in the long run, keeping bigger numbers happy and shopping pays off more.

[Slayer]

Everyone pretty much hit everything right on point. Just wanted to include:

I never understood how these people are really saving money buy buying a ton of the same thing. Also how are the stores allowing so many coupons per transaction. Every coupon that I have ever gotten for items that are sold at grocery stores say they are only worth 1/25 of a $1 or something along those lines. So wouldn't the stores be loosing money off of these people?

The 1/25 or 1/10 or whatever isn't for the face value of the coupon. It's more the 'cash value' of it so people can't come in and just ask for the face value. Though I rarely see that anymore. If the coupon is $1, then the customer saves $1 and the store gets back $1 plus 8 cents for handling.

As PepperElf said, stocking up on something that you know you will need like toilet paper can save a lot in the end. Instead of paying $9-10 for a pack, I can pay $3-4 and store the extra. I do that often with items that have a long expiry.

I actually prefer to shop once at the beginning of the sale to get usually 4-6 items of whatever it is. Then I'll go back at the end of the sale to either get a bit more or get a rain check (which I like better).

I'm just a normal couponer. I don't have the energy, large access to tons of coupons or storage space to be an extreme couponer lol. I don't know anyone that is.

The show is a biiiiig exaggeration.

[NoMoreRetail]

Thanks everyone! I did what Kiwi said and found a lot of blog post and news articles about the TLC show. I had kind of figured a lot of it was too good to be true! It sad that people like that Jamie chick are causing stores to really crack down on coupons.

I enjoy saving money on items and if you can get non perishables for 60% off that is great. But I would never start hoarding items like some of these people do. Toilet paper or laundry detergent would be good things to stock up on. If I could get it dirt cheap, I would buy only a few bottles and give the rest to my family or friends. I would never totally buy out all of the stock in the store and most defiantly not have years worth stock piled in the house. I think it is real sad that some of these people have so much crap that they have it stashed in all parts of the house, including under their kids beds. Also what I still don't get is the people who buy 60 bottles of mustard or 100's of cat treats when no one in the family likes mustard and they don't have a cat. I guess that is the addiction?

My husband doesn't even want to bother with coupons. He says that it is not worth his time to clip coupons and then try to get the exact item on the coupon. He feels that people who are going to complain over not being able to save 2 or 3 bucks on their grocery transaction or any transaction for that matter really need to reevaluate their spending habits.

[csquared]

Also what I still don't get is the people who buy 60 bottles of mustard or 100's of cat treats when no one in the family likes mustard and they don't have a cat. I guess that is the addiction?

That is the addiction. It is a form of shop-aholic.

My husband doesn't even want to bother with coupons. He says that it is not worth his time to clip coupons and then try to get the exact item on the coupon. He feels that people who are going to complain over not being able to save 2 or 3 bucks on their grocery transaction or any transaction for that matter really need to reevaluate their spending habits.

There are many ways to save. The question is, what are you willing to give up? How much of a discount will convince you to buy Pepsi over Coke? Even cheaper still, buy the store brand cola. Or, give up soda all together and drink water (tap, not bottled).

Here is my advice on saving money
1. Stop buying stuff you don't need: Junk food, snack food, bottled water, soda, convenience items
2. Buy generic where the generics are good enough quality (dish soap that won't clean the dishes is not a value at any price)
3. Buy bulk/family size for non-perishables or items you go through fast enough
4. Figure out which store has the best price most of the time. Get your meats from A, produce from B and dairy from C. Chasing between store to get the best price each time will cost you in gasoline and time. And you should be looking at the prices at a club store. You will probably save enough to cover the cost.

Add coupon clipping to that and you will save a few pennies more.

Remember, my advice is free and worth every penny!

[Slayer]

If stores allow it, you can price match so you don't have to run around.

[kansasgal]

Couponing CAN save you money, and I do it religiously (or whatever) every month. I had a fully stocked pantry at the house when it burned, and after doing inventory, I realized that I had over $3000 worth of food stocked up. Multiple jars of mayo (we go through at least 2 jars a month), cans of chicken (they were on sale, I had a coupon...eh, it was worth it at the time), ketchup, hamburger helper, etc. I coupon because shopping for 5 people can get expensive, so what usually happens is I shop at the beginning of the month, use all of the coupons I have for groceries, and I usually save about 30-40% off of my bill, which greatly helps the budget.

[Kiwi]

My husband doesn't even want to bother with coupons. He says that it is not worth his time to clip coupons and then try to get the exact item on the coupon. He feels that people who are going to complain over not being able to save 2 or 3 bucks on their grocery transaction or any transaction for that matter really need to reevaluate their spending habits.

Well I can and have saved more than $2-3 on my grocery bill, my biggest haul I saved $83 on a $150 purchase so if you on a tight budget that money is really needed elsewhere and if the store gets reimbursed why not?

When I wasn't allowed to work my boyfriend and I needed every single penny, there was no extra $1 let along $5 to spend because we didn't want to use a coupon.

I only spend maybe 10 minutes a week on coupons and checking out flyers, I have a hard time because 99% of it is for processed packaged food and we try to stick to fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. However the other way I do save is only buying in season fruit and vegetables. No buying strawberries in winter, no buying squash in spring etc. There are also websites that send the coupons directly to your house, just yesterday I got a coupon for a car service that is usually $89 down to $59 and we have to pay for that service anyway so why not save $30? I also got a coupon for $1 off our regular brand of shampoo so for an extra 4 seconds work handing the coupon to the cashier I save a buck.

It's just like buying the brand on sale, if you are not brand loyal why not spend that money on other things you want or need. I am not going to pay $3 more for milk that isn't on sale. It's all coming from the same processing facility anyway. Last week I needed yams, the regular yams were $1.29lb and the organic yams were on sale $0.89lb so I got organic for cheaper than regular yams all because I spend a few minutes scanning the stores flyer.

The key is not spending hours on it, 10 minutes a week to scan the flyer and coupons online should net you savings. The key is do not buy things you wouldn't normally buy and do not pay more for the item (with the coupon savings) than you would for the brand you like. The second one is REALLY common! We buy generic brands a lot and quite often even with the coupon the brand name is still more expensive.

Another trick I use is I shop twice a week and know what store has which item cheaper, so I buy what I know is cheaper at each store. Store 1 on monday, store 2 on thursday. Our preferred coffee is $2.80 a brick at store X, the same exact brand is over $4 at the other store we shop at. So I make sure when I am shopping at store X I get our coffee for the week and I save. Same product, no extra time spent just savings by being savy.

[NoMoreRetail]

That is what I am having a problem with. I wold love to save some money on the grocery bill. I just don't get how some people can walk away with Tide that normally sells for 11.99 but they get it for like 3 bucks! I am trying to follow some blogs but I still don't get it. Some of the coupons are great, but they are not THAT great.

[Indigo]

It is possible to get things majorly marked down through coupons and sales - however as a member of a family that has couponed for more than a decade, I will say it is getting harder. Food prices have gone up and coupon values have gone down. Take Campbell's cream soups - they are now over $1 for one can and most of the time the coupons are less than $1 off of 4.

Now with coupons and sales you can do pretty well - especially if you live somewhere near a store that doubles or triples coupons. We've got a household of five (parents, me, two teen boys) plus four dogs and a cat - that's a decent amount of mouths to feed. We save money on produce by growing our own so most of our grocery trips are for meat, some processed food, and toiletries. Other than basic milk, eggs, bread - we don't grocery shop unless it's a major couponing event like super doubles or triples. Right now in my area is triple coupons - we go through all of our coupons to get the best deals. Yes, couponing to the extent we do does take time - but it has saved us over $10,000 every year (and we've only been keeping track of that the last 3 years).

As for the show Extreme Couponing - I hate it. It has made it so much harder for those of us who have been doing it for so long. Thankfully we've built up good relationships with the managers of the stores we shop at - and we're not afraid to tell off another couponer if they're trying to break the rules.

[Aethian]

Another thing to look out for is the grocery stores that have their own gas stations. Get there card and not only can you, sometimes, load coupons onto the card IE no clipping, but you can get a discount in gas. Here when my BF is his boss bought a new ring for his wife. The store he got the ring at was associated with the grocery store somehow and was able to get a 1.00 off his per gallon price of gas.

Just with the added food that BF has had to buy since I cook for him and since I like eating during the day, he's gotten up to .20 of per gallon of gas. It adds up fast.

[CalyCoRose]

With the soups, I always check the latest "clearance" section of my local grocery store. The soup cans are usually priced at around 75 cents per can. Plus, the local grocery store I go to also doubles coupons that are 99 cents or below. However, sometimes the cans can be dented, so you're going to have watch out with that. I did get a nice glass Pyrex 8x8 pan for $3. It was heavily discounted AND I had a 2 dollar (all USD prices) coupon. (I think the thing was like $10.99, discounted 50% and then I had that 2 dollar coupon).

Otherwise, the grocery store I go to allows us to piggy back a manufacturer's coupon with a store coupon. Which helps greatly.

[PepperElf]

He says that it is not worth his time to clip coupons and then try to get the exact item on the coupon.

That also depends on the coupons in question.

where i am now, we have some free newspapers with coupons. doesn't cost us anything to sit down and look over to see if anything's worth getting.

plus the local grocery store mails us coupons based on what we buy. including coupons for free stuff. might as well use them no? ;-)