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Coupons and the consumer
"BUY 2 GET 1 FREE!!"
"GET 30% OFF UR PURCHASE OVER $25!"
Coupons can make you or break you. In my case they help me save a few dollars or cause me to spend a few dollars I barely had. As an avid on-line shopper, having coupons are usually a big determining factor in whether I purchase something or not. Having coupons are great when I intend to make a purchase. But when I'm just browsing different sites and I see a great discount I could get buy using the specific coupon is where the trouble begins. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has dealt with this situation.
One very specific incident was a few weeks ago when I received a 30% off coupon from Payless via text. I usually forward the text to my older sister because she shops there on the regular. So a few days after receiving the text i went to Payless because i was looking for a pair of black flats. Unfortunately I didn't find what I was looking for so I decided to leave the store. On my way out I saw a pair of fuchsia wedges on sale for $20 from $34. I had been eying the shoe for a while but didn't plan on getting them anytime soon. but then I remembered I had the 30% off coupon. That coupon was more motivation for me to get the shoe because I didn't want to pay $20 for the shoes. I justified my purchase by telling myself that I paid $14 for a shoe that originally cost $34. I saved myself money right? But I still had to find a pair of black flats. Now I will have to spend another set of money because I bought those wedges. The next day I was able to find the shoe I was looking for and still used the coupon and "saved" some money.
The point of this is to show that although coupons play a big role in consumer behavior sometimes, that role isn't always a good one. Sometimes it forces consumers to spend their money on things that they didn't have an immediate need for only so that they could use the coupon before it expired. Moral of this experience:Just because I have a coupon, it doesn't mean I have to use it.
"GET 30% OFF UR PURCHASE OVER $25!"
Coupons can make you or break you. In my case they help me save a few dollars or cause me to spend a few dollars I barely had. As an avid on-line shopper, having coupons are usually a big determining factor in whether I purchase something or not. Having coupons are great when I intend to make a purchase. But when I'm just browsing different sites and I see a great discount I could get buy using the specific coupon is where the trouble begins. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has dealt with this situation.
One very specific incident was a few weeks ago when I received a 30% off coupon from Payless via text. I usually forward the text to my older sister because she shops there on the regular. So a few days after receiving the text i went to Payless because i was looking for a pair of black flats. Unfortunately I didn't find what I was looking for so I decided to leave the store. On my way out I saw a pair of fuchsia wedges on sale for $20 from $34. I had been eying the shoe for a while but didn't plan on getting them anytime soon. but then I remembered I had the 30% off coupon. That coupon was more motivation for me to get the shoe because I didn't want to pay $20 for the shoes. I justified my purchase by telling myself that I paid $14 for a shoe that originally cost $34. I saved myself money right? But I still had to find a pair of black flats. Now I will have to spend another set of money because I bought those wedges. The next day I was able to find the shoe I was looking for and still used the coupon and "saved" some money.
The point of this is to show that although coupons play a big role in consumer behavior sometimes, that role isn't always a good one. Sometimes it forces consumers to spend their money on things that they didn't have an immediate need for only so that they could use the coupon before it expired. Moral of this experience:Just because I have a coupon, it doesn't mean I have to use it.