Info about Free Offers
Use Coupons to Shop Smart on Grocery
Use Coupons to Shop Smart on Grocery
One way that stores aim to steer your shopping trolley is to tempt you to buy things you would not normally consider. They offer you coupons and money-off vouchers. Stores call this 'capture and exploit'. First, they aim to bring new customers in to their store with their discount vouchers and codes. This is the capture part. For regular customers, they aim to exploit impulse spending by offering promotions on what are really luxury items. You can use these promotions to turn the tables on the stores.
Coupons - Are They New?
Billions are offered by manufacturers and stores in coupon savings. Coupons are as old as the hills and in fact the first grocery coupon was created in 1894, when you could exchange one for a free glass of Coca-Cola. Things have moved on a lot since then. The first coupons began appearing on the internet in the middle of the 1990s. In the US, shoppers use over four billion coupons a year, saving them nearly the same amount in dollars. Over 77 per cent of households use coupons. Weirdly, the more you earn, the more likely you are to use coupons.
You Don't Need Coupons to Save
We are going to look at all the places you can find coupons and how to manage them. But you do not actually need to have coupons to save money. All you need to do is to plan in an effective way. Later, we are going to look at those 2-for-1 sales and all of those seasonal offers. They can offer you as good and sometimes better savings than a fistful of coupons.
Big Discounts
Discount vouchers are used by plenty of stores to try to capture new customers. This is particularly true if you buy online and have your groceries delivered. But you can also present these vouchers at a store. Why not switch if you need to stock up and the store's prices are competitive? You could save as much as 20 per cent or more as a new customer. To make full use of this system, you will need to shift your buying from one store to another. Check to see what counts as being a new customer. You may qualify if you have not made a purchase from them for a few months.
Rain-check Vouchers
Some stores will hand out special vouchers that you can use when their special offer products are out of stock. After all, that is why you visited the store in the first place. If you see empty shelves or freezer cabinets where a genuine special offer should have been and you had intended to buy them, head straight for the Customer Service desk. Ask for a voucher. You can then take advantage of the special offer when stocks are replenished, even though the special offer period might have ended.
Special Coupons
Another way stores handle situations when their special offers have run out is to give you a coupon so that you can buy the same product, but a different brand. You will be able to buy it at the special offer price even though that brand is not discounted. You will usually have to use the coupon on the day. Once again, make your way to the Customer Service desk and even if they do not offer rain-check coupons, they might offer this alternative.
Problem Vouchers
Some stores will offer money vouchers, which you can set against your shopping bill. These are given out if you have had a problem with something you have bought from the store; maybe one egg of a dozen was bad. Sometimes they will give them out if special offer products are out of stock. They are usually given out at the discretion of the store manager.