COST CUTTING NEW COUPON DEALS SET TO LURE SHREWD SHOPPERS IN TODAY'S SLOW ECONOMY.Byline: Brent Hopkins and Virginia McCrum Staff Writers Coupon clippers take heed Verb 1. take heed - listen and pay attention; "Listen to your father"; "We must hear the expert before we make a decision" listen, hear focus, pore, rivet, center, centre, concentrate - direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and : A slew of manufacturer coupons are on the horizon as marketers attempt to get shoppers back into supermarkets to buy items from baby diapers to ice cream. Experts said it's a result of a slowing economy that equates into a traditional bright spot for consumers and manufacturers. ``Financial worries make consumers bargain hunters Bargain Hunters was a game show on ABC in the summer of 1987, hosted by Peter Tomarken. Games Each episode featured six contestants, with two playing one of the following games — Bargain Quiz, Bargain Trap and Bargain Busters — at a time. ,'' said Joy Farber of the Free Standing Insert Council, based in Glenview, Ill., which represents five major national marketing and market research organizations. ``Coupons, particularly in free-standing inserts, are in a position to play a significant roll in marketers' and consumer business decisions,'' she said. Industry analysts say this year's first-quarter weakening economy is no exception, as coupon distribution and redemption is expected to increase. Last year, the number of coupons distributed annually to consumers increased 7.5 percent to 330 billion nationwide, and more than 4.4 billion coupons were redeemed, representing consumer savings of at least $3.3 billion, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a report this month by information manager Carolina Manufacturer's Services Inc. in Winston Salem, N.C. As consumer confidence drops and the economy lags, marketers are expected to protect their branded market share this year by offering increased saving incentives with coupons, according to the CMS (1) See content management system and color management system. (2) (Conversational Monitor System) Software that provides interactive communications for IBM's VM operating system. Trends 2001 report. Wary shoppers need to carefully examine these offers, however. According to Mary Hunt Mary Hunt (1830-1906) became one of the most powerful women in the United States temperance movement promoting Prohibition of alcohol. As Superintendent of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union’s Department of Scientific Temperance Instruction she worked from the grass , who offers cost-cutting hints through CheapskateMonthly.com, coupons offering big savings may end up biting shoppers in the wallet. ``Manufacturers don't really care about saving people money,'' she said. ``Their purpose is looking at the bottom line - they want to get you addicted to their product.'' To accomplish this, Hunt said, manufacturers list fat discounts on new material, leading shoppers to purchase items they wouldn't otherwise need. As a result, the novice couponer can save $1, but end up with three pounds of ground turkey and green ketchup that never gets used. ``They're willing to give up a dollar on the front end if they'll make a whole lot more on the back end,'' she said. In a different arena, manufacturers also are listening to consumer desire for savings through the Internet, as the report notes there are more than 25,000 stores currently participating in some form of online coupon program linked with their Web sites. ``According to NCH NCH National Coalition for the Homeless NCH National Coalition for History NCH National Council for Hypnotherapy (UK) NCH National Center for Homeopathy NCH Notched NCH National Claims History NCH Nielsen Clearing House , which just put together an analysis of the relationship between coupon promotion and the state of the U.S. economy, coupon redemptions rise in economically soft periods,'' Farber said. ``And from what we're seeing, it's starting to happen now.'' NCH, a national coupon processing and information manager headquartered in Chicago, completed its report in January but is not widely releasing it, a spokeswoman said. During the recession of 1974-75, manufacturing coupon distribution increased 53.7 percent, according to NCH. In the longer recession of the early 1980s, distribution increased by 88.2 percent, and in the short-lived 1990s downturn, it was up 10.9 percent. Recent mergers and buyouts are another reason marketers are expecting coupons to increase this year. ``There's been a lot of consolidation of consumer package goods manufacturers, such as Proctor & Gamble, and after they do that, they increase their marketing,'' Farber said. David Mace, advertising director for the Daily News and its sister papers in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , said single-sheet coupons have increased 30 percent this year. ``An increase of coupons is pretty typical in this type of market,'' he said. ``We are seeing more free-standing inserts in our Sunday papers Sunday paper n → (periódico) dominical m Sunday paper n → journal m du dimanche and even single clip-out coupons inside.'' The influx of new sheets is much appreciated by folks like Louise Carr of Arleta. The retired bookkeeper is an ultra-savvy clipper clipper, type of sailing ship, designed for speed. Long and narrow, the clipper had the greatest beam aft of the center; the bow cleaved the waves; and the ship carried, besides topgallant and royal sails, skysails and moonrakers—a veritable cloud of sails. , reading the ads each week and only snagging coupons for the items she'd normally buy. With her meticulously indexed envelope full of bargains, Carr hits all the major markets weekly, slicing hefty chunks off her total bill. ``Throwing a 10-cent coupon away is like throwing away 10 cents into the trash,'' she said after completing her checkout at a Van Nuys Albertson's market. ``I can save 30 (percent) to 40 percent off my bill, and that's money in my pocket, not theirs.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Dolores Dolores (or Delores) was a common given name (until the 1960s in the USA); it is cognate with the English word "dolorous" (meaning sorrowful) and equivalent in meaning. Burr burr (bur) bur. burr n. Variant of bur. burr 1. a plant seed capsule carrying many hooked structures which catch in animal coats thus promoting dissemination of the plant. of Van Nuys sorts through her coupons for savings while in the plastic bag and wrap aisle of her local Albertson's grocery store. (2 -- 3) Margarita Margarita (märgärē`tä), island, 444 sq mi (1,150 sq km), in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. With many smaller islands it constitutes the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta (1990 pop. 263,748). De Santiago, left, of North Hollywood keeps her coupons in a special tray on her cart while shopping. Above, a supermarket checker check·er n. 1. a. One, such as an inspector or examiner, that checks. b. One that receives items for temporary safekeeping or for shipment: a baggage checker. 2. rings up coupon discounts after totaling up the grocery bill at a Valley store. David Sprague/Staff Photographer Box: CLIP WISELY |
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