subject: Coupons, Luxury or Necessity? [print this page] Coupons, Luxury or Necessity? Coupons, Luxury or Necessity?
During the Great Depression, coupons started becoming a mainstream staple in American households. Family's struggled to put food on the table and paper coupons from the Sunday circular helped them shave a few pennies from their weekly grocery bill. Nearly eight decades later, as America finds itself in another tough economic time, couponing is returning to popularity.
The Nielson Company measures what consumers buy by monitoring shopping behavior for more than 250,000 households in 25 countries. According to Nielson, "40 percent of global online consumers save money by using coupons." So the big question, and one that seems relatively easy to answer, is this, "Is Coupon Popularity Based on Luxury or Necessity?"
The truth is, both. There are consumers who use comprehensive online sites like MySavings.com to cut down on the weekly grocery bill by utilizing the easy-to-use search feature to find deals strictly on items on their list everything from Breath Right Nasal Strips to Hostess Cupcakes to Eggo Waffles.
There are also the savvy consumers who browse the different aggregated sites to see what deals are out there maybe to buy something they didn't initially intend to purchase. While browsing MySavings.com's free printable coupons section, I came across a coupon for two smoothies at Jamba Juice for $5. This is a luxury coupon. I don't need a smoothie, but I love them and always wanted to try one at Jamba Juice, so I printed it out.
While on the same section of the site, I came across a $1 off coupon for any Morning Star product. This is a coupon of necessity. My daughter loves vegetable burgers and Morning Star is our favorite brand. I printed out the coupon and plan on using it later today.
I also found a coupon for TGI Friday's chain restaurant, "Two for One Entrees With Purchase." With a 20-month-old, I don't get out to eat as often as I'd like. But this coupon gave me a great idea for date night with my husband. Necessity? No. Luxury? Yes.
A few posts down, I found the jackpot - $1 off coupon for Pampers' Thick Care Wipes. If you're a parent, then you know how expensive diapers and wipes can get. I printed out this coupon of necessity right away and will be using it later today when I buy my Morning Star vegetable burgers. So there you have it, coupons can be both a luxury and a necessity. How do you coupon?
