Apalachin Community Press, Sept 1999

Remembering the Couponing and Refunding Era

Jill Darling

Back in the early 1980's my friends and I got into the latest craze, couponing and refunding. It was a lot easier then because you didn't need dated cash register receipts like you do now. You could just save UPC's (the black and white striped unit price codes), box tops or labels to submit refunds. It was a great way to save money on groceries. Before setting foot into the grocery store, offering double coupons, of course, I would scan the store's sale paper. Then I would match discounted items with coupons and make a grocery list based on what was on sale that week.

After the product was used, the boxes, wrappers, and lids would be organized in a filing system for later use. When a refund came out on a particular item, I would already have the P.O.P. (proof-of-purchase) in my possession and cash in even more.

Many times I wanted to fulfill a refund immediately before the product was used. The items in our cupboards looked pretty ratty. Boxes, can labels, and bags had the rectangular UPC's or the product's name cut out of them. Some refunds called for the hinges to shampoo caps, the inner foiled seal under the lid, or entire can labels. There were times family members didn't know if they were opening beans or peaches.

We couponers loved to compare notes on how well we saved on groceries in the end. We would spend 20 to 50 cents on items retailing for $1 or $2. The greatest deals were the ones whose refunds were $5 off coupons, which were then doubled at the store. That's why most stores now limit their doubling to 99 cents. Many times the savings were so significant that the manufacturer and the store were actually paying us hefty amounts just for using their product.

When the couponing and refunding got too tedious, by having to match items with a dated cash register tape, my friends and I bailed out for the most part. I still use coupons and do some refunding, but it's nothing like the extent I used to be involved in it.

During its heyday in 1981, I wrote a piece which was printed in our church newsletter. The brand names or foods are in capital letters. I also included one of the grocery stores we couponers probably help run out of business---the now defunct, Victory market.

Coupon Club

A dozen de-LITE-ful double coupon clippers gathered together to see how each one saves SALADA cents. Some are real WIZARD's but the others will KETCHUP in THYME. Everyone had a COMET to make and we AGREE'd that HEINZ-sight is better than foresight. To avoid being WISK-ed away by the inflationary TIDE, we GO AHEAD and say "YES!" to coupons and make refunding our TOP JOB. We learned that a coupon keeper is a KOOL-AID when shopping in VICTORY. We don't want it to DAWN on us later that we've made an ERA. Our carts are BRIM-ming with bargains in a JIF-fy. We GLAD-ly collect our HEFTY BOUNTY from the CASH--EW! (God Bless You)

We DASH home to pop the GREEN GIANT in the microwave, while GRANDMA BROWN bubbles, BETTY CROCKER cooks, and MRS.

SMITH thaws. The BIRD'S EYE boils and the rice is MINUTE MAID. Upon the STOVE TOP we flip AUNT JEMIMA to feed our HUNGRY JACKS and SLOPPY JOE'S. After eating our TENDER VITTLES from our TIDY BOWL's, we PLEDGE to orderly organize the trash so we don't have to go on HUNTS looking for all the FIDDLE FADDLE to CERTO-fy our claim. We send in our SUGAR P.O.P.'S and our HARTZ MOUNTAIN with JOY as we wait for PAYDAY. The added $100,000 BAR PAMPERS our SLENDER pocketbooks.

You may think we're just pulling your L'EGGS but this is NO NONSENSE. We're not just talking CORN BRAN either, This little KRAFT is a LIFESAVER. It really DUZ pay and before long we'll be rolling in PILLSBURY DOUGH. BOY, when we win the GOLD MEDAL and BLUE BONNET our MENNEN kids will SURE-ly BOUNCE up and SHOUT CHEERIOS!

SANKA very much,

JELL O. DING-DONG