If you use coupons in a store, your fellow shoppers are probably negatively judging you as being cheap, according to a new study. The stigma extends to those around the coupon redeemer as well. However, if you’re hot, you get a reprieve. The study had people watch consumers cash coupons, and then interviewed the participants afterward for their reaction. The stigma is lessened if you don’t know the person using the coupon, the coupon is of high value, if they’re in a different line, and if the coupon-user is a hottie. Researchers proposed that the reason for the coupon-hating is “the modern consumer tends to prize status and luxury over thrift.”
Stigma by Association in Coupon Redemption: Looking Cheap because of Others [Journal of Consumer Research] (Photo: Getty)
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I LOVE using coupons…I feel vindicated when I am able to save money when I shop. The stores are out to make a profit off of me…heck, all the odds are stacked against the consumer. Coupons are one of the only perks a shopper has.
And frankly, if people don’t like it that I’m saving money, that is their problem. Afterall, they’ve plenty fo money to burn, what is a few extra minutes? If it’s that much of a hasssle for them, they can always give me the difference in my savings from their pocket. (And I have the accordion organizer too…and I have my coups all ready before I check out)
I personally think this is true, not to sound cocky or whatever but I’m a nice looking guy, and I do sometimes get treated differently than say the average looking person, hey, thats how I got my job. haha.
Many years ago I ran register. Most coupons weren’t a problem. Customer hands them to you, you scan them, the whole process takes a few seconds and everyone goes away happy. The problem is that some noticeable percentage of coupon users are in fact abject morons. Examples follow:
- Coupons that expired last year.
- Coupons for a different (sometimes even unrelated) store.
- Coupons for a product entirely different than the one specified by the coupon.
- Spending 10 minutes rummaging around trying to find coupons. Looks through purse, pockets, wallet, bra, crotch, etc.
- Coupons they wrote themselves on a piece of paper.
When the coupons don’t do through the person never says “oh no problem, I didn’t realize that coupon expired in 1998.” No they argue, then the manager is called in and it takes the manager a while to get there because he is usually busy doing something more important (such as almost anything else). Then the ranting continues about how they should be able to use a RadioShack coupon at a Kroger because they are just buying batteries. The people in line behind them are now waving around pitchforks and torches and finally the manager just gives in and gives them the discount because its easier than trying to explain for the 5th time why the person is an idiot.
To wrap up I’ll just say kudos to those of you who save money buy using coupons while not being a douche who ruins the shopping experience for everyone else.
@Sevarious: They are probably not idiots but are purposely trying to pass off the coupon to you hoping that you will be a stupid cashier and take it for extra savings. I have been on many deal sites and this is a common practice, they purposely try to pass off expired coupons and coupons that don’t match a product just to see if the cashier will take them.
My coupons are organized and I have them ready for the cashier and most people in my area are this way or they don’t use coupons.
At least they are using coupons, and not food stamps.
Consumerist Reader pick-up line #435:
“Hey baby, you know, if you used a coupon, I wouldn’t think you’re a cheapskate”
If the coupon-using-shopper is organized, has the right coupons ready to go at the right time, it doesn’t take long to scan them in. It shouldn’t be much of a problem to the people behind, any more than writing a CHECK or looking for EXACT CHANGE would be. (I find both those things highly annoying if I’m stuck behind them.
Or the dreaded PRICE CHECK….
It is so cute when hot girls use coupons. Then they can pretend to be spending their own money.
Psh, screw that. I use coupons whenever I get the chance… usually save at least $100 or more a year with them. Wouldn’t YOU like an extra hundred dollar bill in your pocket?
Yes, because poor people are just cheap.
Just yesterday, I bought 2 weeks worth of groceries for my family of 3, including 12 lbs of fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts for $90. I matched my coupons to the sale circular for the store & they were also doing triple coupons. I saved $88 with my store card & coupons.
With the economy the way it is, those who are coupon-haters would be wise to re-evaluate. Saving 50% is allowing me to build a stockpile of items (PB, beans, lentils, rice, canned goods, etc…) in case things get worse!
Although i haven’t ever used grocery coupons (too lazy), i did love the coupon that ‘floyds 99′ barbershop sent me. I got a 25$ hair cut + shampoo + shoulder massage for free
. What was funny was when i tried to leave a 10$ tip, the staff was quite amused. I guess they didn’t expect a ‘free coupon guy’ to leave a tip.
The hell do I care if the other people in line look down on me? Are they paying my bills? And for all their negative thinking, they’ve never turned down a coupon when I had an extra one to share.
Coupons, planning, bulk buying, and then the trifecta – the triple bonus coupon. Before my divorce we routinely saved $30-$40 on weekly groceries, sometimes more, on groceries for 4 people. Too easy! Now I don’t care what the biatch buys, let her boyfriend pay for ‘em.
I’m a cashier at Target and hate when people buy 100 items and then give me all of their coupons at the end and I have to look up each coupon that doesnt scan. I’ll usually accept them if its under $1 without even looking them up.
One tip: keep the buy one get one free coupons separate if you buying a lot of stuff and give them to us along with the item because we usually have to look up the price and write it in on the coupon.
Also, read the fine print on the coupons. Half of the coupons that dont scan are because people CANT READ!
I hate coupons
.
I most definitely get condescending looks if I am in line with coupons in hand. I am careful to have them at the ready for the cashier to scan.
What is interesting is when I am in a shopping aisle comparing items against coupons I have. The same looks. BUT….when I offer coupons for other products I am not interested in, or just leave a coupon next to a product on a shelf, I get a big smile.
People just suck. Selfish, judgmental, xenophobic. And yes, hotness often overcomes these traits.
To be blunt, all of you people in are in my way — at the check-out line, on the freeway, and at the singles bar. For the love of God, please step aside so I need no longer be bothered by you. If you are pretty, I may enjoy ogling you for a few seconds — or possibly minutes — depending upon your relative attractiveness — please, do not outstay your welcome!! Move on, and let more attractive people take your place. Thank you.
You know what, they can all call me cheapskate or whatever their sucky hearts desire. If my announced total is $120+ and right after that I say “oh but I have some coupons” and toss a thick wad of them to the huffing and puffing cashier and leaving the store 10 minutes later by paying a mere $28, who is the idiot here ? Sticks and stones can break bones but word don’t hurt. Also that almost $100 saved, fixes a lot of broken bones y’know.
There is nothing more SATISFYING than finding out, at the register, how much I’ve saved. I could give an flying f what anyone else in line thinks–they don’t contribute to my checking account!
When I was a child (in the 1800s aparently) my mother would give me the money we saved by my clipping coupons as my allowance. I was a mercenary.
Tomorrow I will purchase food and shoes…both with a discount.
suck it haters.
And this is part of why we are where we are today…
They wasted money to find out what people thought of coupon users. WOW. I use coupons for my large family. I only use coupons on the items we buy anyway. With this economy every little bit counts. If people don’t like it they can kick rocks. Does it really matter what some jackass behind me thinks of ME saving money…me thinks not!
One thing I have found is that the Internet has changed couponing. I can now find information about when/where the deals are, what the fine print means and where to find the coupons (which means I just file the inserts away by date and pull them out when I need them).
Even when I’m not in the same line, watching people argue over 50 cents after using 3 coupons at McDonalds makes me want to get up and smack them. You got free fries, probably free burgers, now you’re going to add up the cost of the combo and how it doesn’t add up the same as if they were purchased separately? Go flog yourself.