Do you find “Extreme Couponing” a little too – extreme? (read: “Extreme Couponing Pays Off, For Producers”). Can’t get into watching people cram their carts with candy bars or condiments just because they can get them for free? Don’t find alleged coupon fraud entertaining? Well, then Oprah Winfrey has something for you – if she can convince you to tune[Read More…]
You may have been following the recent case of the alleged SavvyShopperSite coupon counterfeiters arrested last month in Phoenix (read: Cops Crack Crooked Coupon Caper), but an earlier coupon counterfeiting case is now coming to a close. And compared to the multi-million-dollar Phoenix case, what this other counterfeit coupon case was lacking in its financial scope, it more than made[Read More…]
Like any good deal-hunter, you’ve probably signed up for various emailed newsletters and offers from your favorite companies, hoping they’ll send you coupons. And you’ve probably become overwhelmed and annoyed at all the emailed newsletters and offers that arrive in your inbox that don’t include coupons at all. So what does a company have to do, to stand out from[Read More…]
“Consumers are planning to spend more money on back-to-school items this year,” says a recent PriceGrabber survey. Why? Perhaps because they’re lazy. Couponers may cringe to find that using coupons was only the fourth most popular way to save on school supplies. It came behind price cuts, sales and the number-one answer: free shipping, cited by 74%. Which means most[Read More…]
It’s been nearly six months since JCPenney killed coupons, nearly killing off its business in the process. Less publicized at around the same time, was the news that luxury handbag maker Coach made the same move, eliminating coupons at its factory stores. Since then, JCPenney has been forced to revise its new pricing strategy, but it’s not budging on coupons.[Read More…]
If you still expect your grocery store to turn that 50-cent coupon of yours into a dollar-off discount, one retailer says you might as well be living in the Stone Age. The “practice of double-couponing has become a marketing tool of the past,” a spokesman for southern California supermarket chain Vons tells the Orange County Register. Ouch. Tucked away at[Read More…]
Their coupons are confiscated and their website is no more, but the three Phoenix women accused of operating a multi-million dollar counterfeit coupon ring say they’re innocent. Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson and Amiko Fountain all pleaded not guilty Wednesday, in Maricopa County (Arizona) Superior Court. Johnson and Fountain, whose families claim they didn’t know the coupons they’re accused of helping[Read More…]
Here are a few tips for retailers who want to issue a high-value coupon to their best customers: Don’t forget to put some restrictions on the coupon Don’t put it online, allowing unlimited prints Don’t encourage recipients to “forward to a friend” Men’s clothing chain Jos. A. Bank learned all of this the hard way, when it retracted a coupon[Read More…]
Love it or hate it, much of the credit (or blame) for the current coupon craze has to go to TLC’s TV series “Extreme Couponing”. It’s been a hit for TLC, but a lightning rod for critics who say it glorifies hoarding, displays questionable couponing ethics and even seems to condone outright fraud. But if any of it phases the[Read More…]
When it comes to privacy in this age of data collection and identity theft, many savvy consumers are careful about what personal information they’re willing to share. That said, we’re apparently willing to lower our guard for a Cheez Doodles coupon. A new poll commissioned by digital advertising company Placecast asked how people feel about companies’ use of their personal[Read More…]
