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Subscribe to RSSWith the rise in the tendency for local businesses to offer extreme discounts through Web sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, coupon-clipping has gone mainstream.
Still, one might assume that the good old-fashioned coupons that are cut out from the newspaper or offered at the entrance of the grocery store are primarily used by shoppers on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum, who the need discounts the most. But that’s not the case, according to a new study conducted at the University of Arizona’s Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences.
A team led by professor and department chair Anita Bhappu studied coupon use among people who were responsible for doing the household grocery shopping, and found that 26 percent of the shoppers made up a category of shopper they dubbed as the “coupon diva.” (Bhappu’s group used a third-party market research firm to administer the survey, which was taken by over 250 people nationwide and represented the U.S. population in terms of gender and race distribution).
These shoppers, who would use six or more coupons on each shopping trip over the three-month period of the study, were high earners, with 24 percent of them reporting at least $75,000 in household income; 78 percent of the coupon divas were white; and 51 percent of them were women.
"They don’t use coupons because of financial constraints, but because they perceive coupons as saving them money," said Bhappu in a statement. “Part of it is the value perception. It's not just about money – it's about time and money."
On the other hand, 71 percent of the people surveyed were “non-users” in that they rarely or never used coupons when they went shopping. Of the non-users, 61 percent had incomes of $35,000 or less, and 26 percent were African-American and Asian-American. That’s compared with 16 percent of the coupon divas who were African-American or Asian-American, and 68 percent of the non-users who were white.
One other standout characteristic that differed among the so-called coupon divas and the non-users was whether or not they had children—64 percent of coupon divas had children at home, while 81 percent of the non-users did not have any kids. So one plausible explanation about coupon use could have to do with the number of mouths to feed in a given household. “Their grocery bill is just larger than the non-users,” surmised Bhappu. “That may be one of the reasons they’re looking to save money on their grocery bill.”
Bhappu's team had previously conducted studies about how and why Arizona shoppers use digital coupons and found that use by so-called "early adopters," who also happen to be affluent, was rising.
And while paper coupons are still used more often than digital coupons, the noteable takeaway from the previous study, Bhappu said, is that there was no perceived stigma or embarrassment at all among the frequent coupon users. In fact, “they give coupons to other people in line who don’t have them,” said Bhappu. “They chastise people who don’t use them, saying, ‘You’re wasting your money.’”
So now, perhaps, coupons are so mainstream that even affluent shoppers feel comfortable cashing in on discounts without feeling like people are looking at them funny.
Indeed, the popularity of sites like Groupon and Living Social have put coupons in the spotlight and made their use commonplace, particularly by affluent females. And so has the advent of TLC’s “Extreme Couponing,” the madcap TV show in which discount-obsessed shoppers load up on cartfuls of more goods than any one family could possible handle, all for mere pocket change and aided by a fanatical use of coupons.
But Bhappu also pointed out that the “coupon divas” tended to see value in the time spent searching for and using coupons, while the non-users did not, which could also relate to whether or not there was a stay-at-home parent in the picture who had the time to clip coupons to save on groceries for the family, versus an employed person who didn't have kids but also lacked as much time at home. (She would also like to control for employment status or type of job in future studies.)
And with the longstanding economic recession, more Americans are living paycheck to paycheck - and, perhaps, coupon to coupon.
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who paid for this (dumb) study? - waste of time
coming from msnbc i'm sure the angle is that affluent white women who coupon shop should pay more taxes...
when that lady turns around in line to pass out coupons, the other people yell "hurry up and save your $.50 on shampoo! lets get a move on!"
theres no easy way to put this...coupons have to be cumbersome and waste lots of paper and time. anything less is very exploitable (by the stores), and wont create that feeling of physical attachment to a "deal". you see the product picture, you see the savings...you get interested. no automated system will duplicate that, and that means its a horrendous burden on everyone to tolerate the way it is.
most people dont mind a coupon or two. a coupon for potato chips right next to the display is pretty normal and fast. its the people with a binder of coupons AND some kind of store policy coupon lawyering degree that drives the hatred. getting a manager to debate someone on why a coupon cannot be used in that way, or that it doesnt match the size/brand/specific item shown, or whatever haggle the person comes up with takes time that can push everyone behind them from patient and on time to impatient and unhappy.
meanwhile, the store doesnt care about the coupon at all. its all the same to them if they get the money from some mail-in process or from the customer immediately. in fact, coupons are exactly like rebates that the store fronts you the money for (except that stores dont ignore the rebates unlike regular people :P). stores lose productivity and usually have no control over what coupons manufacturers create. theres no implied advantage to catering to people that use coupons a lot. its just something that exists and everyone tolerates for the time being.
Mike--I'm not sure I agree with your point that the store doesn't care about the coupon, since they receive the revenue either from the customer immediately or from the vendor upon redemption. First, the coupon isn't there to solely benefit the store. It's primary purpose is to save the customer money, in turn generating the potential for product or brand loyalty and possible repeat purchases for the future. If the customer perceives greater value by using the coupon, the coupon has performed exactly as designed. Secondly, there is obvious value to the store for honoring the coupon--it got the customer in the door. That alone is pretty valuable, and would explain a store's willingness to establish various programs tied to the use of coupons, such as doubling or tripling coupons on specific days. I'm also willing to bet there is market data to suggest that in-store sales coincide with the release of various vendor coupons.
Personally I like the coupons. And not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year coupons help me save money and I do shop and dine out at places that offer coupons.
My favorite is the coupon book. I buy it multiple times a year because I really use the restaurant coupons. Eating out half price few times a week does the trick for me. If I save $20 a week, then in a year it is $1000. Actually I eat out more than that. Lunch with coworkers, with friends, dinners with my wife, or even take outs to eat at home.
www.couponseek.net/coupons/restaurant_coupons/restaurant_coupons.php
Eating out half price is great and taking my wife out for dinner is priceless. We get to try different restaurants too. I think coupon book is the best deal out there.
I have always used coupons. My mother, now close to ninety still uses them. We will use anything that gives us an advantage. I say nothing to about how other people spend their money so, I don't see why Mike seems to believe he has the right to disparage us. Shop at off hours when we wont "slow down"breakneck pace of your life. Get off the line and go to another one if I annoy you with my coupons. It might behoove you to me nice to me tho, I have been known to give people my unwanted cents off if I notice they have an item I have a coupon for. We really don't need to use the coupons but, It is satisfying to know I got the best possible price for something. I will use them for anything. Restaurants, movies, massages, haircuts, catering. Why not? Businesses offer them. It is good for everyone. Why all the fuss? Maybe we don't NEED to use the coupons because we were always mindful. It is a wonderful feeling to have money and know it is there because of careful decision making and hard work. BTW, don't forget to be generous. It will come back to you in ways you would never imagine...
For heaven's sake, how much more time does it take?? All the cashier has to do is scan the coupons!! Less than a minute for several coupons.
The rich keep getting richer by continuing to do the things that made them rich, like not wasting money. Understanding time vs money. This study shows it isnt about need; its about attitude.
Or, it shows that people of color do not have easy access to the Internet (about 30% of people who live where there is broadband, do not get it) or to a printer to get digital coupons, and they do not have the extra money to afford the newspaper, where the remainder of the coupons come in, or they cannot use both coupons and foodstamps. Or it shows that they go to stores that do not accept coupons.
What your comment shows is that you are probably an affluent European-American who lives a very insular life and has virtually no ability to understand the situation and motivations of others unlike yourself. Have a great day.
You are absolutely right. Most people would call us "rich" but the really rich would call us poor. I call us just fine. Eventually we will work out a way to obtain everything we truly want. There are many ways to solve a problem and that is what is wrong with a lot of people is they only see one way to do everything.
@beanatahome, Sure.. not everyone has Internet access and maybe the poor don't get the paper on Sunday with all the coupons (though not getting a paper is a pretty weak excuse). But there are plenty of in-store coupons that you can get that don't appear to be used at the lower income levels. 'Peanutgalleries' point about attitude is a good one. Saving money, investing money, managing money is an attitude that you take on every day. The statistics about rich people (let's assume over $1 million is assets) show conclusively that most millionaires live quite frugally. They drive older American cars, shop at Wal-Mart, avoid name brand or designer items, and use coupons. You probably walk past more millionaires on a Wal-Mart trip than you pass by at a high-end shopping mall.
We want to believe that the rich are flamboyant and arrogant a la Donald Trump but that simply isn't the norm. Most wealthy people are down to earth, give a lot of time and money to charity, and fly under the radar. The people you see driving the BMW, wearing expensive clothes, jewelry, and flaunting their "lifestyle" are usually the people drowning in debt.
Why in the world would you think to separate this study into racial, religious, wage class or any other category? When are we are going to stop dividing people into groups? These people doing studies, likely with Federal Grants, are as guilty as anyone in dividing America.
If you cannot study people by looking at their race and/or ethnic group, it is a smidge hard to indentify discrimination based on race and/or ethnic group. It is also a smidge difficult to identify differences in culture which might be addressed. My reaction to this particular study is that perhaps the churches in neighborhoods where there are many people of color (people of color tend to center their lives around churches much more than European Americans do) probably should hold seminars and training sessions on things like coupon use and that the more affluent in the community should share their Sunday coupons with the less affluent. Of course, it's my opinion that churches which cater to less affluent people of color don't do enough to help them overcome cultural barriers that hold them back (like the disdain for education that many pick up from European Americans), but that's my opinion.
how else is msnbc supposed to further divide the population and wage class warfare. why else would they even run this stupid story, other than to point out how successful people make the effort to make the most out of what they have. using the term "coupon-diva" sounds negative, and then to imply that these people have nothing better to do since they are stay at home parents only further incites people who may not have those same means. msnbc - YOU SUCK!
Affluent people become affluent by being wise with money and saving where they can.
Using the term people of color is racist. Lastly it is racist to assume that people of color don't have access to smart phones. But then why should people of color have to use coupons when they have food stamps.
I am not affluent by any means.
I use coupons to get stuff free. Not crap like the extreme couponers. I am using coupons to stock my pantry, which according to the enemy combatant guidelines, anyone with more than 7 days of food in their pantry makes them a threat.
Only to my neighbors who won't have anything to eat after one day.
The Sunday paper costs $2.50. I clip coupons for things I already buy, about 15 items a week. I average $13.00 a week in coupon savings. $13 - $2.50 = $10.50 net savings x 52 weeks = $546 a year, every year. The folks with middle class habits and values have hundreds more dollars a year than those who dont, regardless of household income.
I have always used coupons. I have been called "cheap" because I use them (even by some posters on these same sites). However, those extra dollars I save can be used to help fund my children's college fund, dinners out, etc. I have no problem if you chose not to try to save money---however, I also have no sympathy is you live outside your means and are now in foreclosure, bankruptcy, can't afford Jr.'s college, etc.
You go, Karen!
I might well be the cheapest mom on the block and and that's alright because all my stuff is paid, I have no debt and I'm not losing any sleep worrying that a bank might foreclose on my house or repossess my car. Being frugal affords me the ability to only work part time & volunteer at my son's school.
I'll never understand why anyone would pay retail for something when they don't have to.
Hey Karen (love your name, that is mine, actually!), I am with you. Why would anyone put someone down for trying to be thrifty? I use coupons, and we live well within our means. We have a quite good income. But no cable TV, drive a semi-beatup car. We could live in a fancier house, but we have no mortgage. Don't owe a dime to anyone. Our son is in his freshman year of college in one of the most expensive public universities in the country, didn't take out a loan and don't plan to.
Frugality rules!
Most people struggling, by the store brand............no coupon, only name brand item show up on coupons.
That is true Lisa. Many coupons are for name brand garbage items that poorer people don't buy anyway. Buying the store brand or making from scratch saves you more than the coupon so the study makes sense. Affluent women perhaps buy the fancier brands for no other reason than advertising. God forbid their little darlings have GENERIC fruit snacks in their school lunches!
I would say that the affluent white women are better educated, know the value of a dollar, because they worked for it and didn't have it handed to them by some social program. I know this is not true in all cases, but probably in the majority.
retired40- Thank you! You have described me! I don't particularily like the term affluent but I have done well with my life. When I first started couponing I got the biggest thrill out of how much money I saved on the things that I was already purchasing. After just 2 months I had saved several hundered dollars. Re-distrubuting that money in my budget and enabling me to put just that much more into savings. This isn't about saving 25 cents on shampoo, this is about taking my money seriously. I work very hard for it, all of it!
Most of the best discount stores in my county I first heard of from women making well-into-six-figure salaries. There's also a tendency on many lower-middle-income people's part to think that store brands and coupons are "welfare food." Those of us with better than average incomes could care less if anyone sees us buying cheap items. More than likely, if anyone does make a comment it would be, "That's why he's got more than two pennies to rub together." Also, looking for sales that accept coupons on top of them can be complicated and would be something better-educated people can handle easier. When the first Wii air guitar games were hard to get for $99 a couple years ago, the highest-income mother in our extended family patiently waited and diligently kept her eye out for a half-off sale, had a $25 off coupon and bought it for $25.
I used to clip coupons all the time when I was a stay-at-home mom with three kids at home. I still have three boys to feed but I work full time now and just do not have the extra time to clip them. But I was definitely in the "coupon diva" category at the time and I think just having the luxury of time to do the clipping is a large factor.
Many people facing rising food costs are considering coupons as a way to save money on their grocery bills including myself who uses smart source or Printapons websites to get daily alerts.
I have been a coupon "diva" for 25 years. For all you coupon "haters" out there just yesterday I saved $85 on my grocery bill using coupons. If there is a store brand cheaper I buy that. I have a 3 year-old granddaughter that lives with me & I do my coupons during her nap, before she wakes up in the morning & after she goes to sleep at nite. I MAKE THE TIME.
Be a coupon "hater" all you want but the fact remains I have $85 more in my pocket which goes into my Christmas fund or vacation fund. I honestly look down my nose at coupon "haters" for being so niave as to not WANT to save $$.
I dont use alot of coupons for food but do for paper items such as toilet paper, baggies, ect. Whats wrong with saving a little money? And the correlations in the study do not point out cause and effect, only that there is a correlation. Making assumptions about someone based on skin color or ethnicity can lead to ( and often does ) incorrect data as well as boggled thinking. History is full of examples of that !! I say if "couponing" works for you, carry on!!
its also the affluent white woman that buys the items that OFFER coupons... who buys pre-made bacon, swiffers, cake mix and air freshener? I thought I was saving money with coupons till I realized I could save more money ( and time) buying different brands or products... rarely are coupons avail for basics ( milk eggs reasonably priced toilet paper)
But just what you need. Buy when things are on sale. Buy from discounters. Buy in bulk for dry goods. There are ways to save money that don't require coupons.
BUT, buying things that spoil before you get to use/consume it or you are not going to use at all is a waste of time, money and space no matter whether you bought it on sale, in bulk or using coupons.
I don't go out of the way to use coupons. I find coupons for the things I was going to buy anyway and for activities that I was going to do anyway. It is the best balance of the use of time and the money saved.
If you have a smartphone, there are coupon apps that make all of this readily available when you need it.
The harsh reality that is not PC to say is that the rich are motivated by opportunity and the poor are motivated by excuses. One makes you successful, the other makes you bitter.
Please note that there was no reference to race, gender, or political party in the above statement.