I lost both of my parents at a relatively young age. I sometimes smile at the thought of them returning for a single day to sit and chat in the comfort of my home. I am totally overwhelmed at the speculation of trying to bring them up to date on the many changes which have taken place in just the past 20 years alone!
Can you imagine trying to explain even one of the following concepts to someone who’s totally unaware: cell phones, e-mail, GPS, iPods, Blackberries, Kindles, HDTV-TV, Wii, Facebook, Google, eBay, printing photos at home, spray on lawns, TV signals from a satellite, square watermelons, computer dating, indoor ski resorts in the desert, dinner in the sky, robotic surgery and the list goes on and on.
Well, now we have something new to add to the list. I remember fondly sitting at our kitchen table as a child helping my mom cut out grocery coupons from the daily paper. She had a file box in which she filed the coupons alphabetically. It was a weekly tradition which I enjoyed as Mom and I chatted light-heartedly as we clipped our way to savings on our grocery bill.
Well, that’s now coming to an end with the advent of electronic coupons. Who would have ever “thunk”?
Here’s how it works. Free coupons load directly to your participating grocery store savings card, so there are no paper coupons to lose or forget.
Shortcuts.com electronic coupons are a convenient way to save money at the grocery store. Free coupons load directly to your participating grocery store savings card, so there are no paper coupons to lose or forget.
There are just three steps to free coupon savings:
- Register your grocery store saving card.
- Select the grocery coupons you want.
- Swipe your card at the checkout and the coupon discounts are deducted automatically.
Save paper. Save time. Save labor.
If you’re still looking for more ways to save, there are actually thousands of electronic coupon sites you can choose from. Typing “(the store name) coupon” into Google will likely yield you thousands of hits, but not all coupon sites are the same. Some sites have a limited supply of working coupon codes and are a total waste of time. Others force you to weed through advertisements to find what you want.
Here are five sites to look for coupons and what makes them so great:
- RetailMeNot.com: This site takes a community-based approach to electronic coupons. Users supply feedback about whether or not a coupon code worked and if there were any strings attached to the offer. Under each coupon the site displays stats on the success rate. This makes it easy to tell which coupons are worth trying and which are not. Many of the coupon codes listed are also user-submitted. Unfortunately, many larger retailers have requested user submissions blocked for their sites.
- CouponCabin.com: This site monitors more than 1,200 online stores and has a wide selection of electronic coupons. The staff updates the directory three times a day, so most of the coupons are current. Users can receive a weekly e-newsletter on Mondays to see the best deals for the coming week. In addition to electronic coupons, CouponCabin also offers printable coupons and grocery coupons as well.
- FatWallet.com: This site has more than 800 merchant partners and features both coupons and a cash back opportunity. Like all coupon sites, Fatwallet.com earns commission from stores for the purchases its users make. Unlike other coupon sites, FatWallet.com will share part of that commission with you. For example, FatWallet.com makes a 3% commission on Orbitz.com sales. That’s $15 on a $500 trip. To reward customers, a portion of that commission is transferred into customer accounts and paid out as cash.
- CouponMom.com: This site features an easy-to-use interface so you can find the coupons you want faster. Besides online coupon codes, you can also get grocery coupons, restaurant coupons and free samples. Users can sign up for e-mail alerts to notify them when new coupons are posted for their favorite stores.
- BradsDeals.com: This site has a slick design with virtual coupons complete with dotted cutout lines. There are sections for top deals, newest deals, online coupons and printable coupons. Additionally, BradsDeals informs you on the homepage which deals are about to expire so you don’t miss out. At BradsDeals you only see current offers and don’t have to sort through a lot of useless information.
There are many, many more options for you to choose from if you have the time to browse the Internet. It’s apparently well worth your time and effort to do so.
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.