Everyone's looking for ways to pinch pennies these days, and some are turning to an old favorite...coupons.
Back in the early 1990s, people were a lot more coupon conscious than they were just ten years ago.
Now with the economy the way it is, more people are turning back to the good old fashioned coupon.
Sherry Wendorff of Barry looks forward to her shopping trips at County Market. That's because with her handful of coupons, she saves money.
"The last time they had the penny pincher coupons, I started out with and 80 dollar bill and ended up with a 30 dollar bill," says Wendorff.
Wendorff told me some people may think clipping coupons is a big hassel, but with savings like she sees, she doesn't know why everyone doesn't do it. More people are clipping coupons these days, mainly because of the economy, but also because they seem to be everywhere. In newspapers, on line, and some stores mail them to your house. Heidi Meyer is the Marketing Manager for Niemann Food. She tells me usually, the company sees five percent of the people who get coupons from Niemanns redeem them. These days, the number is more like 22 to 25 %.
"One of the biggest trends that we've seen is that consumers are actrually purchasing items due to coupons. Before, people had that brand in mind they wanted to buy, and never strayed away from that," says Meyer.
Corporate wide, Niemann Foods has seen a 20% increase in coupon use. And few people probably know why coupons are a win, win, win situation.
"For the consumer, you're seeing an automatic discount right at the register. Thats' money in your pocket right away. For the retailer, we get paid back for those coupons. There's nothing out of our pockets," says Meyer.
And for the manufacturer, coupons are a way to get customers to buy their product. Back to shopper Sherry Wendorff, she's happy with her total savings for this trip.
"$37.24," says Wendorff.
And the whole coupon world is cyclical. She now has more coupons to use on the back of her reciept.
Heidi Meyer told KHQA on Niemann's website www.freshtraditions.com, you can create your own shopping list, and if there are any coupons you can use for the items on your list, they automatically print out with the list.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA