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Coupons seem like a good deal but in the grand scheme of things it is merely a marketing ploy and way more trouble than they are worth. Think about it. The company is giving you a discount. Trust me, it isn't from the kindness of their hearts. They are hoping to get you hooked so that you will buy their product without the coupon.

First you have to find the scissors to clip the coupons. It's hard to tell where those things are. I have cut many a coupon with a knife or the sharp edge of a razor. It seems like an awful lot of effort to save a dime. If you have several coupons this may turn out to be an all day activity. The time it takes to clip those darn things, you could have done something productive.

Most of the time, the coupons are off of a name brand product. If you will go to the store and comparison shop, you will see that the generic brand's price is probably cheaper than the other, even with the coupon. Most generic brands taste like the real thing anyway.

Think about the people at the store where you are using the coupon. They have to scan it, manually punch in numbers, and then file it. Once they file it, they have to count them up, figure what the company owes them and mail the coupons in. Most of the time, it takes awhile to get the reimbursement from the companies and usually the store does not make anything off the coupon, either.

Coupons that are made for certain stores are only worth it if you live next door to the place. Why waste your gas driving out of your way to save a few pennies? With the high price of gas, you are really putting yourself in the hole by trying to save. If you are truly worried about saving, try in store sales. Most grocery stores have sales ever so often. Buy what you need then and don't worry about coupons.

Cigarette coupons are also very popular. These are the biggest pains of all. I have never read more fine print on anything at all. I didn't realize there was so much stipulation on a coupon until I worked at a tobacco outlet. Most of the time you have to buy the brand specified on the coupon. This can be a problem for the retailer if they do not realize it at the time, because then they get nothing for the coupon. The customer can also be forced into a product that they don't like.

You still have to pay taxes on the coupon. Not to mention, the company that publishes the coupons takes that into consideration when they decide the suggested retail price of something. They aren't going to give you a fifty-cent coupon off a fifty-nine cent product. They are going to make money one way or another.

I think that people should make their own decision about coupon clipping, but in my house it is pointless. There are many other ways to save money and I opt for using those ways. Plain and simple, I don't think coupons are worth anything in the long run.

Learn more about this author, Laura Leigh Fields.
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