AMR Image/istockphoto
Coupons have been around since the late 1800s, but they've never been quite as popular as they were in the '60s and '70s. They still exist, but the ones you see are the last of a dying breed.
Wondering why you haven't been couponing the way you used to? Here are a few reasons that might be why.
The biggest reason is the most obvious, because it’s the same reason anything else has gone out of business in the last 20 years: The internet.
Digital coupons stored in your email or an app is a lot more convenient than something you had to cut out of a piece of paper and then remember to bring with you physically.
Coupons exist for a product because the company wants you to buy that product. That’s the only reason. And of course, every brand wants you to buy their products, but the ones that are doing just fine in sales don’t always need to start giving stuff away for discounts. But the ones that aren’t? Yup.
These days, there are many types of rewards for spending your money. Coupons can fade in importance from our minds when things like cash back bonuses come into play; spending more money at grocery stores can score you some bonuses, if done right.
You don’t need to go to the grocery store anymore to get the types of brands you prefer. You can order the stuff you want directly from the company’s website for just about anything, and before you know it, you’ve got coupons showing up in your email. All without a trip to the grocery store.
There are a lot of ways to skip a trip to the grocery store. You can hire somebody to go for you, with apps like Instacart and DoorDash, and within a matter of hours, you'll have your groceries sitting outside your door.
You can even link your membership or rewards program to some grocery stores on Instacart, so you still get those discounted member prices. Physical coupons are a waste of time in these scenarios.
Plus, as long as you get your hands on the right paper, you could fake these things pretty easily. Canva is quite a tool. Coupon fraud is a significant issue. A couple was recently sentenced to 12 years in prison for scamming people out of $34 million using fake coupons.
It costs a whole lot more to print a roll of coupons on paper in mass quantities than it does to send an email, and if nobody is using them, this is a waste of money. It’s been nice knowing you, coupons, but it seems like you might not be around for much longer.
For more shopping news and tips, sign up for our free newsletters.
