Mystery Presents: The Coupon Caper!

After my post this morning, I could not stop wondering what reason there could be for not having coupons in the paper.

At first I thought perhaps it was just stollen. It happens; you buy a paper and some Meanie Meanerson has gone through the pile and helped themselves to the coupons from your paper.

Then I wondered if maybe coupon placement had something to do with the readership/circulation numbers, and the Star's numbers had fallen to below this minimum requirement.

I also wondered if, because we are so close to Birmingham, it had gotten some sort of monopoly on the coupons so that people would buy their paper on Sundays.

So instead of spending the day speculating, I went ahead and called the paper, even though I had no idea what department to ask for. I just told the lady who answered that I was researching coupons and she passed me along without any further inquiry. I'd like to think she was just that good that she knew exactly who I needed to talk to, but I suspect she just didn't care.

The next person on the line was also unable to answer any of my questions beyond saying that they just didn't get any coupons that week to insert. Well, at least that ruled out theievery. She was very kind, though, and when I asked if there was anyone I could talk to who might be able to answer some questions, she passed me along to Mr. Dimitrius Hardy. Mr. Hardy was very nice, and had a good chuckle when I explained to him the project and why I was asking so many questions about coupons. But best of all, he was able to answer my questions.

According to Mr. Hardy, despite the fact that there is a coupon insertion list out there which tells what weeks you should find a supplement in the paper, there are simply some weeks that the Star does not get zoned for a supplement. Advertisers decide when they want to run those, and this happened to be one of those weeks that they chose not to. He said they had coupons for the first two Sundays in July and also for the last, but not this week, for whatever reason. I'd really love to know if this has to do with the circulation numbers as I originally wondered, but he said he simply did not know the specific whys. I also wish I had gotten a Birmingham paper so I would know if there was a SmartSource supplement in there!

He was able to say that the several weekly papers they own rarely if ever have supplements. He said they happen into those papers maybe once or twice a year, but that is it. That makes sense to me, but I also now wonder if weekly papers wouldn't sell better if there was a promise of getting a little coupon supplement in there of some sort!

When I inquired as to the whereabouts of the grocery store circulars, he said that in this area, grocery sales run Wednesday to Tuesday, so the grocery store circulars come out in the Wednesday papers. That definitely answers my question, but I guess I am spoiled because though our grocery sales also run Wednesday to Tuesday, we get both a Sunday circular AND a separate circular via mail or "yard post" which has the new sales on Tuesday nights/Wednesday. I'd like to know the advantage of doubling up on those of us who recieve the circulars twice. Honestly - it helps out those of us who don't normally take a paper because the Tuesday "yard post" and Wednesday mailed versions are absolutely free and delivered, so if I weren't looking for coupons, I'd still be getting information on the grocery sales!

So...mystery sort of solved, unless you count the questions I now have the stem from all my new information. And you can be guaranteed that I am going to delve deeper into the business end of the coupons! Like, how are the availability of coupons online affecting Sunday newspaper sales?

Aren't you all so glad I have a ridculous fascination?

Also, since I am stuck here without the ability to complete my contest as intended by the deadline I had originally imposed, I think I am going to take the suggestion of a reader and feature the pantries as I get them. This way I still get to satisfy my voyeuristic intentions, and at the end of the 30 days, I can still randomly pick a winner from the number order in which they were received! So keep sending me your pantries...and any information you want to share about them. If you think you have the best organizational system, let me know it so I can share it! If you just need to be shamed into cleaning it up, let us help you by showing it for all the Internet to see! Whatever your intention, you can't lose: Helping yourself or others, you'll still be eligible for the prize!

For now I'm off to get out my coupon stash from home and scour the internet in preparation for tomorrow's hometown grocery sales!

Nobody wants to buy the cow...

I'm going to pretend like everyone out there who reads has been super busy and intends on taking their photos of their pantries tonight and emailing them to me at clippedblog@gmail.com sometime this evening. Because it is TOO CRAZY to think that no one wants a prize just for showing off their beautiful pantries and/or cabinets!

To those of you who have sent in a picture already, thanks! I promise that - even though your prize will be purchased with a coupon - it will good!

I just don't do things unless I think they're good!

clippedblog@gmail.com! Pictures, pictures!

And let me know if you actually are really busy and would like to see an extension put on the contest. I'm flexible!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

One thing I didn't count on when starting this project was the amount of food stuff I would amass. When you consider that I have been playing the circular/coupon game for a couple of months before I even decided to start the blog, then it will come as no surprise to you that I have quite a few dry good items at the ready. So, just because one facet of the blog is about using my coupons to buy my groceries, don't expect there to be major grocery trips each week. After all, there are only two people in this household who eat real people food, and one of those is gone most weeks on business. Also, my pantry and cabinets already look like this:


Here is my juice army. It is ready to defend my immunity at a moment's notice. Every single bottle of juice you see (or don't) in this picture was purchased with a coupon; about 90% of those bottles cost me only $1.00 each. Why, yes, I do rock some juicy karma, thanks for noticing!

Here are some things that are just waiting to be eaten. A million and five boxes of cereal (or 7); crackers out the wazoo, syrups, frostings and cake mixes; chips and snacks. They're all there, just waiting to be called upon for usage in my kitchen. But they're not alone. Because there are also these guys:
I have sauces and salsas and peas and soups and coffees, teas and mixes out the yang. I don't want to be boring by not shopping one week, but raise your hand if you think I need to stuff one more thing in that pantry? I should have had "project empty kitchen" before I started Clipped Blog, I think. I know for sure that will be happening afterwards; maybe that can be project number 2 - every meal must be made at home and only the meats and veggies should be purchased! LOL What a flip from this month!

One of the things that causes this type of buildup in my pantry is the simple fact that the coupons you get each week and the items that go on sale at the grocery stores seem to be the same. exact. things. week after week after week. I'm planning to explore that in a future post, so make sure you stay tuned, because I'm going to try and talk to someone "on the inside" and see what kind of answers I can get.

In addition to explaining why I'm not shopping big for the week, I thought this post could be a little bit of a fun jump off to a contest. You like a prize, yes? Well, I've shown you my insane pantries, so show me yours! Email me a picture of your pantry at clippedblog@gmail.com and I'll make a big post to share so we can all get a little voyeurism out of our systems. I'll post them in the order they come in through the email and then randomly select a winner using random.org.

Think that your pantry is so horrible that you would never share it with the anonymous internet world? Well, mine is only so neat and stacked like that because I cleaned out for 8 hours one day that started like this:

People: That right there does not even include everything. That is only those two bottom shelving units worth of stuff. Yep.

So bring it on - your neat, your tidy, your dirty, your cramped and huddle canned goods - and the grand prize for all your trouble? Well, who knows what that will be...but what I do know is that it will be purchased with a coupon!

Now get to snapping...entries close at 11:59pm EST on Sunday, July 19!!!