Coupon Crazy

The Science, the Savings, & the Stories Behind America's Extreme Obsession

Mary Potter Kenyon

• Publisher: Familius
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781938301889
• eBook ISBN: 9781938301896
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Advertising
• Index: Business

A fascinating history of this marketing tactic, and why some shoppers take it to extremes—from a longtime expert couponer. Coupon Crazy examines the phenomenon of avid coupon use and the socio-cultural and socioeconomic factors that construct it. By delving into the history of couponing, refunding, the science of shopping, and the dark underbelly of a coupon world the average American doesn't even know about, Mary Potter Kenyon manages to both fascinate and educate. Readers will meet today's "Coupon Queens" (and Kings) and learn about an era when trash really was cash. Not just an observer of this ethnographic research, Mary lived it for over thirty years. "My favorite aspect of the entire book was the candid tone Kenyon takes in sharing her story and others. As someone that both uses coupons and teaches couponing practices, I found the book triggering self-reflection at many points: Do I purchase products just because they are on sale? Do I devalue products I've gotten for free? Do I allow coupons to inform my purchases or the other way around? If you are a couponer, it's quite possible you'll find yourself reflecting on your own shopping habits as you read this book, too." —Angela Russell, The Coupon Project

References and Resources

Rather than using formal footnotes and distracting from the text of my book, I’ve attempted to incorporate as many sources as possible—books, publications, websites, and studies—into the main text. Below are the chapter-by-chapter references related to academic and scientific studies cited throughout this book, followed by suggested resources for further study.

Chapter One

Hoffman, David. Breakfast Cereal Gourmet. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005.

Chapter Two

Ames, Lynne. “The View From Peekskill: Tending the Flame of a Motivator,” The New York Times, August 2, 1998.

Anderson, Chris. Free: The Future of a Radical Price, New York: Hyperion, 2009.

Byron, Ellen. “A Virtual View of the Store Aisle,” The Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2007.

Casimir, Jon. The Gruen Transfer, Lowfield Heath, UK: ABC Books, 2010.

Eden-Harris, Janet. “Study: Grocery Shopper Highly Susceptible to In-Store Marketing,” Retail Customer Experience, June 6, 2010, http://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/article/21794/Study-Grocery-shoppers-highly-susceptible-to-in-store-marketing.

Eisenberg, Lee. Shoptimism, New York: Free Press, 2009. Gallagher, Julie. “Food Lion Cameras Track Shoppers in Two Test Stores,” Supermarket News, March 23, 2010, http://supermarketnews.com/latest-news/food-lion-cameras-track-shoppers-two-test-stores.

Horovitz, Bruce. “Marketers Zooming In on Your Daily Routines,” USA Today, April 30, 2007, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/educate/college/business/articles/20070506.htm.

Kozinets, Robert V. “Motivation Research.” In Wiley International Encyclopedia of Marketing, 1–8. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2010.

Othmer, James P. Ad Land: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet, New York: Anchor Books, 2010.

Packard, Vance. The Hidden Persuaders, Brooklyn, NY: Ig Publishing, 2007.

Parker, George. The Ubiquitous Persuaders, North Charleston, SC: Booksurge, LLC, 2009.

Sheth, Jagdish and Naresh Malhotra. Wiley International Encyclopedia of Marketing, Wiley Publishing, 2010.

Tischler, Linda. “Every Move You Make,” FastCompany, December 19, 2007, http://www.fastcompany.com/48949/every-move-you-make.

Underhill, Paco. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

Vaczek, David and Richard Sale. “100 Years of Promotion,” Promo, August 1, 1998, http://www.chiefmarketer.com/special-reports-chief-marketer/100-years-of-promotion-01081998.

Chapter Three

Ailawadi, Kusum L., Donald R. Lehmann, and Scott A. Neslin. “Market Response to a Major Policy Change in the Marketing Mix: Learning from Procter & Gamble’s Value Pricing Strategy,” Journal of Marketing 65, no. 1 (2001):44–61.

Avery, Rosemary J. and George W. Haynes. “Estimation of Consumer Savings From Coupon Redemption,” Journal of Managerial Issues 8, no. 4 (1996):405–424.

Berfield, Susan with Sapna Maheshwari. “JC Penney vs. The Bargain Hunters,” Bloomberg Businessweek, May 28–June 3, 2012.

Brady, Diane. “Ron Johnson on the Progress of His J.C. Penney Remake,” BusinessWeek, August 9, 2012, http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-09/ron-johnson-on-the-progress-of-his-j-dot-c-dot-penney-remake.

Brown, Charlie. “2012 Mid-Year Coupon Facts: Some CPG Marketers Hit the Brakes on Redemption, Giving Competitors an Opportunity,” The Coupon Sentinel: NCH Marketing Resource Center, Special Edition, http://www2.nchmarketing.com/ResourceCenter/assets/0/22/32/112/196/266/e16ff07bf40d4135b45e5ea72a13e8e9.pdf.

Clifford, Stephanie. “Knowing Cost, the Customer Sets the Price,” New York Times, March 27, 2012.

Conte, Christian. “Stein Mart Reducing Coupon Use, Lowering Prices,” Orlando Business Journal, March 8, 2012, http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2012/03/08/stein-mart-reducing-coupon-use.html.

D’Innocenzio, Anne. “JC Penney Reports Another Massive Loss in 4Q,” Yahoo! News, February 27, 2013, http://news.yahoo.com/jc-penney-reports-another-massive-000916832.html.

Donovan, John and Maggie Burbank. “We Use Coupons: ‘Super Couponers’ Clip Their Way to Savings.” ABC News, March 25, 2010, http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/super-couponers-clip-savings-grocery-store/story?id=10198247#.UbFZOBJOVU.

Grant, Jack. “Redemption Soars as CPG Marketers Modify Offers to Balance Consumer Demand,” CPGMatters, May 2012, www.cpgmatters.com/coupons0512.html.

Heller, Laura. “Ron Johnson Out At J.C. Penney, Ending Its Year of Living Dangerously,” Forbes, April 8, 2013, http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauraheller/2013/04/08/wow-ron-johnson-out-at-j-c-penney/.

Hoffman, David. Breakfast Cereal Gourmet. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005.

Inmar. “Consumer Coupon Usage statistics,” Inmar, November ...

Table of contents

• Endorsements
• Foreword
• Learn the Language
• The Making of a Coupon Commando
• The Science of Shopping
• Coupon Chronicles
• Who Are the Coupon Crazy?
• When Trash Was Cash
• The Coupon Community
• Stop Thief! Drop That Coupon
• The Refund Racket
• The Evolution of the Coupon
• Does Couponing Always Make Cents?
• Coupon Queens and Coupon Kings
• The Bottom Line
• Bare Bones Basics: Couponing 101
• References and Resources
• About the Author
• About Familius