I’m always looking for new sources of coupons. My favorite sources are the store shelf coupon dispensers.
These small boxes, attached to the supermarket shelf, allow you to take a manufacturer’s coupon for a nearby product – no need to go through the trouble of clipping coupons from the newspaper. The coupon is right there waiting for you.
During a trip to a local supermarket I noticed a coupon dispenser for Quaker Oats chewy granola bars. These are one of my favorite on the go snacks. Instinctively, I pulled the coupon from the dispenser and picked up my box of Quaker Oats granola bars.
Yet, I just committed the very same mistake that almost all shoppers make with these convenient coupon dispensers.
You see the grocery store and food manufacturer are both betting that you’ll immediately use your new found coupon.
What’s wrong with that? - Well nothing, but the simple fact is that you’ll save even more money simply by waiting to use your coupon. Instead of instinctively using the coupon from the coupon dispenser, just place it in your wallet or purse for later.
Supermarkets and manufacturers rarely offer more than one promotion on any given product at a time. So you’ll never see a coupon dispenser offering a coupon for a product that’s already on sale.
By waiting to use the coupon you get from the coupon dispenser you can combine the coupon with savings from a future sale on the very same item.
Remembering this, I put the granola bars back on the shelf and the coupon in my wallet. Sure enough two week later the same granola bars were on sale allowing me to use my coupon with the sales price for an incredible deal. - And of course during this sale the coupon dispenser had long been removed.
Lesson: Coupon dispensers located on store shelves can be a great source of valuable coupons. Yet don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to use such a coupon right away. Instead, resist the temptation and place the coupon in your purse so that you can combine it with a future sale for even bigger savings.
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