Everyone loves a good popularity contest. Which is why, as you may have read this week, media outlets pounced on a survey that proclaimed Trader Joe’s the most popular grocery store in the country. Some even gleefully pointed out that Walmart was ranked as the “worst”. But the truth, as they say, is a little more complicated. The fact remains[Read More…]
Whatever happened to customer service? It seems more retailers are asking you to serve yourself – and claiming it’s a convenience. The customer is always right, it’s said, but exactly how many customers are clamoring to scan, bag, price match and otherwise do all the work themselves? While supermarkets and other retailers are eager to show how hip and high-tech[Read More…]
Forget cash and credit cards, how’d you like to scan your eyeball or palm print in order to pay for your groceries? It may seem far-fetched, but some are seeing that in our future. As grocery stores increasingly emphasize convenience and speed of checkout, the very act of paying for everything seems to slow things down. Have you ever tried[Read More…]
Couponers can get into spirited debates over things like shelf clearing, clipping services and whether you can combine a cents-off coupon with a buy-one-get-one-free coupon. But the most lively debate is sometimes reserved for what to CALL those little scraps of paper. Is it “coo-pon”, or “cyoo-pon”?? A North Carolina State University doctoral student is aiming to end that linguistic[Read More…]
We love little pieces of paper when they have a discount printed on them. But when it comes time to pay the post-coupon balance, we’d rather forego the paper and pull out the plastic. That’s according to a new study on how most of us pay at the grocery store. In its annual Grocery Retailing Payments Study, the National Grocers[Read More…]
It’s something we’ve all heard, about the best way to stick to a healthy diet: don’t shop when you’re hungry. A new study shows there’s some truth to that. Throw coupons into the mix, and shopping while hungry could be even more hazardous to your health. The study, “Fattening Fasting: Hungry Grocery Shoppers Buy More Calories, Not More Food“, appears[Read More…]
Studies, surveys and simple observations have shown that more men are going grocery shopping, and using coupons these days. But are they any good at it? Just ask their wives – as soon as they stop laughing. A new survey says women still do the majority of the shopping and coupon-clipping. And many of the women say it’s because they’re[Read More…]
There are those who see grocery shopping as a chore, who head to the nearest supermarket, grab what they need and get out. Others watch the sales and clip coupons in order to get the best deals. Still others go to greater lengths. Have you ever prepared multiple shopping lists, organized multiple sets of coupons and shopped at multiple stores[Read More…]
Stores want our loyalty, and so do manufacturers – but in this economy, an increasing number of us are most loyal to coupons, sales and wherever we can get the best savings. A new survey finds that frugality remains in fashion, and the longer that’s true, the more likely it could become a permanent habit. If you’ve gotten used to[Read More…]
Many coupon users believe that extreme couponers ruined everything. Their over-the-top exploits, celebrated on TV, caused retailers and manufacturers to crack down. Coupon policies got stricter, coupon redemption requirements got more complicated and coupon values went down. But if things don’t get better soon, it may not be extreme couponers’ fault anymore. You can blame casual couponers, who just want[Read More…]
