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Does it Pay to Clip Coupons? Is it fair to say that your efforts to save money actually result in waste? Seeing how much money people can save with couponing is truly amazing. But if you think about the work it takes to find discounts and the possible extra benefits, you might wonder if couponing is really worth it.
You can save some money on necessities and regular purchases by using coupons. While couponing can be helpful for saving money, it also has the potential to increase spending. Not only is it incredibly boring, but it can also lead to the waste of resources you aren’t currently using and the addition of unnecessary stress to your life.
Coupons can be useful when trying to put money aside
Coupons are also widely available. Coupons and discounts are nothing new to any of us. Coupons come via the post office; they are in the paper; and once in a while, they are sitting in the store. You can easily find them on websites, in messages, and even in promotional codes such as Ajio coupons, Zomato deals, etc on TV or radio.
Here’s the manner in which coupons might be harming you
The downside of couponing is that it can cause you to spend money that you could have put toward other things. You may go to the store or shop online based on the fact that you have a coupon when you didn’t need or need the thing in any case. It’s possible that your reliance on budgeting and discounts has led you to make unnecessary purchases.
When you buy something at a discount, you may feel like you are saving money. What’s more, if you don’t get it, you’ll end up losing or giving up money. An avid reader once confessed to me that she felt guilty for passing up “free money” by never using coupons. It’s a peculiar way of thinking to believe you’re losing money by not redeeming a coupon. In this case, coupons are not payment.
This is not to say that I think all coupons are bad at the moment. I’m all for finding ways to save money, and I agree that looking for discounts and coupons is a great place to start. The key is to know when coupons can help you and when they could actually hurt you as a business strategy.
Just why do stores require you to bring in a coupon?
Retailers rarely issue coupons designed to help customers save money. The whole point of coupons is to get you to make a purchase. Plus, because so many of us have linked our phones and email accounts to the stores we frequent, those establishments can now tell when you haven’t shopped there in a while. A store may offer you a discount or rebate code to encourage you to shop there again.
Companies want you to shop at their locations, both brick-and-mortar and online, so that you’ll spend more money overall. Cashback sites like couponsabc provide online and in-store coupons & discount codes for top brand stores such as Walmart Promo Code, Amazon Offers, Myntra coupons & many more for users to save while shopping.
The store may be hoping you’ll help them get rid of excess stock by using a coupon or by making additional purchases while you’re there.
Below are just a few examples of the many tricks used by retailers:
increasing the price just before releasing the discount, coupon, or deal. It’s common practise for stores to inflate prices and then offer discounts. They use this method because it gives the impression that the person is understanding, even though they are not.
There are permanent discounts on everything. Remember the ads for stores that claim to be closing but which seem to run for years, if not decades, after the store actually closes? Companies like these know that customers will go out of their way for a good deal, so they make it seem like you’re getting a once-in-a-lifetime offer. But this is just their retail strategy to get you in the door and spend money. Stores use these and many other ways to get you to spend more.
It may appear that I am investigating couponing and deal fraud, but in reality, these are tried and true methods used by retailers to increase sales, clear out unsold inventory, and who knows what else.
Why do some people think they have to resort to using discounts and rebates?
Research shows that customers like you and me will spend money on things they don’t need in order to take advantage of a promotion or reach a spending limit.
To avoid missing out on a great opportunity, out of a false sense that you will need the item again in the future, or simply because you feel the need to keep things moving forward, you may find a way to incorporate an item that is on sale into your life.
Some people enjoy the excitement of redeeming a coupon. They’re always looking for new ways to save money and are always looking for ways to get things for free or at a steep discount. Non-couponers may think this is completely bonkers, but some couponers actually do experience something similar to a fixation.
While saving money is great and can improve your life in many ways, it’s not really saving if it leads you to spend money on unnecessary items. In the end, couponing can help you save money sometimes, but it can also hurt you financially in other situations.
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