Might Coupons Go the Way of the Dodo Bird?

I love coupons. Over the years, I've enjoyed clipping those lovely little cents-off gems from my Sunday paper, getting great deals at the store, and experiencing new products at a discount, just as much as anyone else. I've swapped them with friends, neighbors, and strangers. When it comes to couponing, and spending as little as possible, I "get it." But, might the days of this type of marketing approach have seen its better days? Here are three reasons which make me think so.

Coupons are surrounded by scams of all sorts. A quick search online for membership clubs, deals, and savings via retail offers might be more likely to end up with malware on your system than any savings in your pocket. And, how many more come-ons do we have to subject ourselves to? Without saying any names, I've experienced countless sites offering coupons for great products if I join, only to not find those same product offers after joining.

As one final note to my readers about the idea of clubs for coupons and such: Keep it local. Trading with friends, neighbors, and family is a great idea. Paying for memberships of any sort to have coupons sent to me has rarely resulted in anything good. This is personal experience speaking here, as I will not provide a link to these types of scams.

Coupons are growing less popular with retailers. Not only are big and small grocers becoming leery of photocopied -- even phony coupons, some have stopped taking them, altogether. Their profit margins are incredibly tight. Some merchants operate on a net profit of only 1% as it is. So, the loss of a dollar here and a dollar there to fraudulent coupons is the stuff their nightmares are made of. More and more retailers are just opting to offer the best deals they can upfront, without the need to coupon.

At one time, a consumer might have enjoyed the savings of grocery stores trying to compete by doubling, and even tripling manufacturers coupons. That era might not be completely over, but it is becoming rare.

People are starting to get a little bit ridiculous. Dare I say greedy? Although the exception, and not the rule, there seems to be a growing mentality of profit being evil. Thanks to shows like "Extreme Couponing" on TLC®, wherein consumers are shown how to game the system, more and more consumers are forgetting (ignoring) there are rules and terms laid out in the fine print of coupons (such as "One coupon, per customer, per purchase," or "Cannot be combined with any other offer," etc.,). Having worked more retail than I care to admit, I can't tell the number of times someone's become angry because I won't risk my job "just for them." And when I say "angry," I mean downright verbally abusive. While we can all sympathize with the need to save money where we can, rules are rules.

The need for extreme savings has even inspired some individuals to become petty criminals. According to The Arizona Daily Star, some people are going so far as to steal newspapers from coin-operated machines, just for the coupon circulars. Others merely steal the coupon circulars from all the papers in the machines, leaving no savings for their neighbors. Greed kills.

In the day job I hold now, my company doesn't accept coupons. Just a few days back, a lady and her daughter came in, grabbed three dozen of an item, and came through my line with a huge stack of multiple coupons. Even if we did accept them, we probably would not have been able to honor them all. When I told her we don't accept manufacturer's coupons, she became upset, let loose a tirade at me, and walked out in a self-righteous huff, daughter in tow. I'm fine with re-stocking the merchandise she left there in front of my register. The only harm she did was to herself, by being a jackwagon, in front of so many of her fellow townspeople. Let's not even discuss the terrible example she showed her kid.

Most people understand the terms of a coupon, and they're great about playing along, when it comes to a good deal. But, as is so often the case, it's the few who screw it up for everyone else. Let's all hope coupons aren't the latest victim of such bad behavior.