Size Does Matter!
Posted: Saturday, November 28, 2009
by Patricia Barbee
http://www.patriciabarbee.com
Let the truth be told, I'm a very organized coupon shopper.
I have a three ring notebook with plastic pages to hold my coupons. Shhh..... the plastic pages are baseball card holders. From the Dollar store I learned the hard way, I can get nine times as many pages as the famous Office supply store.
I have computerized my shopping list by the usual store's aisles. All I do us underline in red what I need and should I have a coupon I mark "c" next to the item. If I have more than one coupon for the same item, I mark it "x2 or x3" . Then I use up all the coupons. My larder is kept full. As I make only one trip around the store. Keep in mind that the stores are laid out to keep you in there shopping. The best stuff is on the bottom shelves, on occasion on the top shelf out of reach. What the store is pushing for the supplier is eye level. The suppliers pay for shelf placement.
I know the manufacturers give the store manager, I said manager coupons for the customers the manager prefers.
Once a few years ago within ten minutes, I was given a $25 coupon. A floating company supervisor saw me chatting with my recently retired manager-pal and we were introduced. He gave me a $15 coupon.
[His replacement and I have had a row twice. I've written him up to his superiors. I'm obstinate. I can look at the product and tell if if has expired; he could too; or see if the package had been thawed and refrozen. They've been remodeling the store around the customers. He's hardheaded
and can't believe "stuff" happens.]
Those items were not marked on my list, but I used that $40 dollars that day. Along with what I had planned to purchase, I left the store with nearly $70 saved by coupons.
I have no shame in my game!
When I find a new product, I call the company and give them my critique. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, they'll mail me coupons.
If the product is not fresh, I'll get on the telephone to the company. Oh yes, I'm good at calling out the numbers and letters from that production. More coupons and a thank you letter will come in the mail. As I write this one company is sending me a check in the mail for keeping them informed on one of their products.
It is useless to return the product to the store. Not at the price of gasoline and all I get is my money back. They trash it, I'm sure. Then the floating supervisor gives the manager the coupons.
My November shopping at my "second" store, huge but not at large as my regular store. I have the store's "swipe-customer card". The Wednesday sales pages come over the internet and in the newspaper. So at 6a I'm reading the specials for the week. In a separate e-blast they send out the Wednesday only coupons. Only the internet customers get the e-blast.
Here goes....... "sugar, three bags for $5" is in the sales pages. Tiny print.....size. "4 pounds each bag".
The coupon on the e-blast, same brand of sugar, "$1 off of 5 pound bag".
I've a recipe that uses eight ounces of soured cream. I buy the 32 ounce container, make four and freeze three dishes for later. The sour cream is no longer in 32 ounce containers, but 24 ounces at the SAME price! This I discovered on Tuesday. Monday afternoon, the company will get a phone call from me.
About the only packaging that has not been changed by the food producers and the prices staying the same is eggs. I'm sure that if the farmers could talk the hens to lay smaller eggs and hold the price they would.
So pay attention to what you are buying. The price may be the same but the quantity certainly is not.
The old family recipes can no longer be made by using the old standard of measure in packaging.
Happy shopping and cooking.
Patricia Barbee
SearchWarp.com
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