Coupon Crazy

Book excerpt: A fascinating history of this marketing tactic, and why some shoppers take it to extremes—from a longtime expert couponer. Coupon Crazy examines the phenomenon of avid coupon use and the socio-cultural and socioeconomic factors that construct it. By delving into the history of couponing, refunding, the science of shopping, and the dark underbelly of a coupon world the average American doesn’t even know about, Mary Potter Kenyon manages to both fascinate and educate. Readers will meet today’s “Coupon Queens” (and Kings) and learn about an era when trash really was cash. Not just an observer of this ethnographic research, Mary lived it for over thirty years. “My favorite aspect of the entire book was the candid tone Kenyon takes in sharing her story and others. As someone that both uses coupons and teaches couponing practices, I found the book triggering self-reflection at many points: Do I purchase products just because they are on sale? Do I devalue products I’ve gotten for free? Do I allow coupons to inform my purchases or the other way around? If you are a couponer, it’s quite possible you’ll find yourself reflecting on your own shopping habits as you read this book, too.” —Angela Russell, The Coupon Project