Earlier this week, Yahoo and Time Magazine published a story with this title, citing research from NCH Marketing. Are Americans cutting coupons out of their lives? From the story:
Did American consumers suddenly get rich, or just get sick of using coupons? Not likely. Did the number of coupons issued shrink last year? No again. Then why did the number of redeemed coupons decrease dramatically?
According to NCH Marketing Services, manufacturers sent 305 billion coupons into circulation in the U.S. last year. That’s roughly the same total as 2011. However, the number of coupons used by consumers in 2012 measured 2.9 billion, representing a dip of 17% compared to the year before.
Surely, some consumers scaled back on coupons or stopped using them entirely because they were in better positions financially and no longer felt the need. But in the NCH’s survey, the top answer given by consumers who said they were using fewer coupons is simply this:
“I can’t find coupons for the products I want to buy.”
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…
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.
What’s more, the coupons that did continue offering discounts on foods tended to be less generous last year. The average face value of coupons dropped, while more coupons required shoppers to buy two or more food products in order to get a discount.
So no wonder people are used fewer coupons last year: There was less reason to use them.
Last week, I shared similar data from a recent report by Inmar, who also covers couponing trends. They noted lower coupon values and multiple-purchase requirements have increased significantly over the past year too.
The comments under the Yahoo article are interesting too – more than 2700 of them and counting. Many people are agreeing that there aren’t coupons for the products they buy, while others ask the obvious – “You don’t use toilet paper? Shampoo? Toothpaste?” But there are also many valid points, like when coupon values drop to the point where the store brands are cheaper, that’s what people are turning to.
LilBlossom says
Yes, I use toiletpaper. And last time I purchased it, I got it for cheaper through Amazon.com than I have through my local stores. And I still have about 6-7 tubes of Dove deodorant from the sale at CVS 2 years ago. I go through 1-2 tubes a year, and thus I am set for a few more years. Hubby still has a stack too. Toothpaste, we buy Sensodyne when it’s on sale. We’re toothpaste snobs.
So yeah, previous years sales have set me up good for a few more years and so I can wait a year or two for good coupons for toiletries. And I don’t use any commercial cleaner except dish detergent and laundry detergent, and I stock up on the laundry detergent once or twice a year. The dish detergent I get Dawn at CVS when they have their P&G buy $30 get $10 ECB sale. No coupons, because $0.25 from one paper just isn’t worth the “savings”. I have some tubes of Lysol wipes for emergencies, $1 @ Staples a few months back. Otherwise I clean with vinegar. Commercial cleaners give me a migraine. So I’m down to using printables mostly, and getting the newspapers when it has some high value coupons paired with a good sale. So, a few times a year.
D. Clawed says
Shorter expiration dates don’t help. We rarely have a coupon that lasts through an entire high/low pricing cycle. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t!
Also, I think technology has gotten better at making sure the product matches the coupon EXACTLY. Almost too good….now even beeping when you are doing all the right things and purchasing the product the coupon is intended for.
And last, stores/cashiers have a knee jerk “refuse” response when something beeps. Just yesterday I had a $5 off your next purchase Catalina from Jewel from purchasing granola bars. The cashier looked at it and did not even try to scan it and said, “I’m sorry, you have to use this on cereal.” I insisted, and she scanned it and of course it was fine. How many people would have said, “Oh, sorry,” and put it back in their purse?
Oh, and coupon refusal happens all the time for lack of .01 cent adjustments because consumers don’t know they can ask them to enforce their policies! Thank you Jill, Mashup, and Deranged for all you have taught me!!!
Coupon savings says
I think it is more that stores and manufacturers got wiser and there are next to no double or triple dips in promotions, catalinas are rare. Plus the limit 1 or 2 of the same Q. The 30 cents off a non sale price is higher than costco. When stuff was free, people were glad to take non-grocery items home too. Walmart had declining sales for 2 years now it is thriving because people went back there from Jewel, Walgreens etc.
thespian says
My answer about the shampoo thing is: I use Suave. It costs $1.59 around here for the small bottles and $2.29 for the big ones. You can give me coupons all year round for Pantene and Fructis, both of which I quite like, but unless the coupons get it down under about $2.50 apiece (which the BOGO Pantenes two weeks ago did), I’m not going to opt for your more expensive product. I just cannot afford that right now.
(and maybe not then. Have you tried the Suave Professionals Rosemary and Mint? It’s an Aveeno clone, and it’s absolutely scrumptious. Really invigorating. I had a 50 cents off any Suave product coupon when they introduced it, and it was ‘buy the shampoo get the conditioner free’ bundled, or I might never have tried it, but it’s really a lovely wake up scent.)
Frugal Skills says
I’ve drastically reduced my couponing over the last year. The shorter expiration dates, lower coupon values, and multiple-purchase requirements certainly contributed, but the main reason is because I got tired of dealing with the stores.
I got tired of going to the store only to see the shelf cleared off. I got tired of waiting at the customer service desk for a raincheck. The local grocery store limits you to three items per raincheck, so forget about stocking up. I can’t tell you how many times I spent 30+ minutes gathering and printing coupons only to have my time completely wasted because the store refused to keep the shelf stocked.
I got tired of stores not knowing their own coupon policies. I stopped visiting Rite Aid completely after a horrible experience with one of their managers, and the horrible “support” I received when I called up their corporate hotline to complain.
I save a lot of money on food these days by doing 90% of my shopping at Aldi and local ethnic markets. I’d rather use some of that savings to pay a little extra for toiletries if it means not having to deal with bare shelves, rainchecks, wasted time, and overall frustration. When the coupons become worth it again, i.e. better face values and expiration dates, then I’ll reconsider my stance. But right now, I’m not going out of my way to use a $1.00/3 expensive brand name shampoo coupon even if there is a sale.
Carrie77 says
People with insane stockpiles that they’ll never use … people clearing shelves and then selling their items at garage sales and on Facebook resale groups …
I totally agree with the poster who said that, so often, time (not to mention paper and ink) is wasted due to shelves being cleared of any good sale item. And there’s the hassle of ignorant employees, the fact that gas is through the roof, and I am often carting two kids around with me.
Hello, Aldi.