BY CAROL MOSLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Perhaps you noticed that the last couple of issues of the Bradford Telegraph have included an insert of coupons along with local sale ads. These are the old-school kind that you can cut out with a pair of scissors if you prefer that to scanning them into your phone. Some of them come with high dollar savings, too! One of the booklets from the last two weeks had product coupons worth $108.50 if you were to use them all. That’s not including “bogos.”
There have been lots of stories about folks cutting their grocery bills in half, or even more, by having a good system of shopping with coupons. I once had a friend who carried three subscriptions to the same newspaper, just to get the coupons.
While using three coupons to purchase three valid products as she did is perfectly acceptable unless otherwise stated, be sure to follow all the rules and beware of coupon scammers. There was a woman sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2021 for making fake reproductions of legitimate companies’ coupons, often with inflated savings. It is estimated her three-year coupon counterfeiting ring cost retailers more than $30 million!
So we thought it would be interesting to see how some local folks feel about using coupons to save money. Are the savings gained worth the effort? Do the coupons represent the kinds of items local people usually purchase? What is the preferred method; cutting out a paper coupon to hold in your hand or scanning a bar code or app into a cell phone? And, maybe most important to advertisers is the question of whether a coupon would encourage someone to purchase something they might not otherwise already buy.
Some folks who don’t buy the Telegraph, or other newspaper, said they do use digital coupons they can scan with their cell phone, but can’t be bothered with cutting coupons and carrying them around with them. But, there are definitely avid coupon cutters who are glad to see physical coupons making a comeback.
Carol James buys the Bradford Telegraph and saw the recent inserts and said she intends to use the coupons. “Well, they’ve been hard to come by. They seem to have stopped putting them in the papers. When I saw them [in the Bradford Telegraph] I thought maybe it was just a one-time thing, so I’m glad to hear they’ll continue.”
Murley Blankenship also buys The Telegraph and uses any coupons that apply to the items she likes. She does use her phone for some apps specific to certain stores but prefers physical coupons for products. And, those can be used at any store. “I like the old style coupons best. If I put it in my phone, I’ve got to wait until it loads up, but if I’ve got it in my purse I can just pull it out and use it.”
I asked if she ever purchases items she might not normally buy just because there is a coupon. She admitted that sometimes it gives her a chance to try something new, so on occasion she does.
Mostly, my observations show that women are more likely than men to cut coupons, though men do sometimes scan store discounts with their phone. But, there are certainly folks who like the “hold it in your hand like money” version of coupon use. And, I admit to being one of those who do, too.
