For decades now, ATMs have made it easy for us to get a hold of our money. Now they can help us save money, too. A new breed of in-store automatic teller machines are offering coupons that you can use right there in the store where you plan to shop. The Australian grocery chain Coles is pioneering the concept, in[Read More…]
Have you ever heard of the Brand Coupon Network? Probably not. Ever heard of Coupon Network? If you’re a printable coupon fan, you most likely have. And that’s the basis of a lawsuit that accuses Coupon Network of stealing the similarly-sounding company’s name, idea and business. And the Brand Coupon Network wants it all back. The Brand Coupon Network is[Read More…]
Add another store to the list of those that are doing away with double coupons – and this time, for a change, it’s not Kroger. Instead, it’s Michigan-based Meijer, which has quietly announced that it will discontinue doubling coupons in all of its nearly 200 stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, effective August 26th. “It’s true that we[Read More…]
(Update: All three defendants were ultimately sentenced to 50 hours each of community service and ordered to pay restitution. Dalton’s sum was $614.92, Bailey’s was $626.95 and Heath, the cashier, was ordered to pay back a total of $2,267.97.) Some enterprising coupon counterfeiters have apparently learned that it doesn’t matter if your coupons look real – if you get a[Read More…]
Hope you enjoyed it these past few years, because “extreme couponing” is apparently dead. At least that’s according to a couple of new reports, which say marketers have managed to turn “extreme couponing” into just plain “couponing” again. Well, it was fun while it lasted. The pair of mid-year coupon reports, from NCH Marketing and Inmar, show that manufacturers have[Read More…]
In its ubiquitous receipt-comparison ad campaign, Walmart targets dozens of regional supermarkets and national drug store chains, in an effort to show that the typical shopper can save more by shopping at Walmart. But have you ever seen Walmart compare itself with Target? It hasn’t happened. Perhaps that’s because a new study shows that Target may be winning the “Walmart[Read More…]
The last thing the world needed, and the last thing Mary Potter Kenyon wanted to write, was another “how-to” coupon book. Because it’s not the “how”, but the “why” that has long fascinated her. Why did coupons first come into existence? Why do some marketers have a love-hate relationship with them? And why are some people drawn to, even obsessed[Read More…]
Those looking to buy and sell coupons online have one less option on where to do it. Shortly after eBay announced new restrictions on the sale of manufacturer’s coupons (read: “eBay Cracks Down on Coupon Sales”), the online shopping site eCRATER decided to ban the practice altogether. The lesser-known shopping site suddenly became popular among eBay coupon sellers last week,[Read More…]
When coupon use declined sharply last year, many observers (some, gleefully) declared it was the end of the era of extreme couponing. It was just a fad, a phase, and we would all just go find a new hobby. But perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the coupons themselves last year were lousy. Manufacturers don’t print[Read More…]
Pity poor RadioShack. The past-its-prime electronics chain has tried rebranding itself (remember when it tried to act cool and call itself “The Shack”?). It’s trying to refresh its product assortment, eliminating gadgets that might have seemed high-tech decades ago (like VHS tape rewinders – yours for just $23.99!) Now, RadioShack executives are trying to explain away another terrible quarter by[Read More…]
