Everyone loves free ice cream, right? But when a company offers a coupon that’s only available in the middle of the night, only valid for one day and not even redeemable at many stores, how popular could it possibly be?
Well, you’ll have to ask the many disappointed ice cream fans who are complaining that a heavily-promoted giveaway this past weekend was a #couponfail. Click to read the rest.
Walmart says it can still prove to you that it has the lowest prices. But if you don’t have a smartphone, or want to pay with cash or check – you’ll just have to take Walmart’s word for it.
Effective October 29th, Walmart is introducing new changes to its Savings Catcher program, which automatically checks and matches competitors’ prices. “Walmart Pay will be the exclusive way to submit your receipt to Savings Catcher,” Walmart has begun informing customers. “Due to this change, the ability to scan paper receipts within the app or submit via desktop will be discontinued.”
So the only way to participate in Savings Catcher beginning next month is to submit an e-receipt instead of a paper receipt. The only way to get an e-receipt is to use Walmart Pay. The only way to use Walmart Pay is if you have a smartphone, and pay with a credit, debit or gift card. Read the full article here.
Amazon was supposed to bring exciting new promotions and lower prices to Whole Foods Market, right? More than a year after acquiring the notoriously pricey grocery chain, a recent survey finds that half of Whole Foods shoppers believe Amazon has done just that. But a new price check is giving that perception a reality check.
Analysts with Gordon Haskett Research Advisors have priced more than 100 products, and found that Whole Foods’ prices have barely changed at all since Amazon took over.
While “deeper promotional pricing on key items” and perks like an additional 10% off sale items for Amazon Prime members “have caught our eye as consumers, the reality is that Whole Foods pricing on a broad basket has remained largely unchanged,” the report found. There are “no signs of price action despite the noise.” Read the entire article from Coupons in the News here.
Some have predicted that it’s only a matter of time before we put away the plastic cards and the paper money, and pay for everything with our phones. But why hasn’t it happened already? A new report says the incentives simply aren’t enticing enough. Paying by swiping your phone is convenient, sure, but when it comes down to it – it’s really all about the coupons.
And judging by its plans for next week, it appears Target has gotten the message.
Javelin Strategy & Research has released a new report, “Mobile Wallet Wars: A Battle for Consumer Loyalty”. It found that mobile wallets “have failed to gain the widespread adoption that so many have been predicting for so long”, and says its survey of shoppers “calls into question the wallet as a payment method”. Read the entire article here.
The good thing about some coupon apps is that they track your location, so they can alert you to nearby coupon offers. The not-so-good thing about some coupon apps is that they track your location, so they know when you’re near a store, when you’re not, when you’re home, when you’re at work, and so on.
And the really concerning thing is that some coupon apps are apparently sharing this information with third-party data monetization firms, likely without your knowledge. Here’s the link to the entire article from Coupons in the News.
You choose to shop at a grocery store that’s conveniently located, with the best selection, the lowest prices, the friendliest coupon policy – then you go to check out, wait in a long line, and the cashier takes forever scanning your items and coupons. So now what do you do?
If you’re like shoppers who participated in a new survey, you ditch that store and never come back, even if you end up having to pay more somewhere else.
The survey, conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Digimarc, found that shoppers can’t stand long lines and slow checkouts – and that stores aren’t doing a good enough job addressing the problem. When asked how satisfied they are with several attributes of their local grocery store’s performance, “length of lines” ranked dead last, with only 23% expressing satisfaction. That’s lower than price and promotions, which pleased 32% of shoppers. Location was tops, cited by 48%. Read the entire (self-serving) article here.
Want to put your couponing skills to use for others, and get paid for it? Then an online services marketplace has just the job for you.
Bark.com is seeking “professional coupon collectors” who are willing to scour newspapers, magazines, circulars and the internet for coupons, “to help time-strapped members of the public save money” – earning up to $20 an hour for their efforts. Here’s the entire article from Coupons in the News.
Yes, you, too can be more productive when you ingest coffee the proper way! Here’s a short article about one man’s experience with a coffee enema – it was $150, so start saving now, unless you find a coupon.
