Savvy ways to save in 2016

Coca-Cola published the first paper coupon back in 1889 and Sinead Archbold couldn’t believe how little things had changed in 127 years.

“The average paper coupon touches nine hands before the money is ever returned to the store where it was redeemed,” says Archbold. “They get crumpled up in your bag, they fade, sometimes they don’t scan and the cashier has to type in the number manually.”

“We knew there was a better way”

Today, Archbold is the vice president of operations at COUPGON, a money-saving app that’s been in market for about a year now. The app contains digital coupons for branded products as well as fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat and poultry. Once they’ve been digitally “clipped” to the person’s COUPGON account, they’re valid for one to two weeks.

When the customer is ready to pay for their groceries, they scan a special sign displayed at the cash register — which uses GPS to confirm the customer is really in the store and ready to redeem — and then the cashier simply scans their phone’s screen to apply the savings.

Archbold says cashiers don’t have to read fine print for restrictions or expiration dates — outdated coupons automatically disappear from the app — and they know they’re looking at a valid COUPGON because their store’s logo will be flashing on the screen.

“It takes an average of 16 seconds to process a paper coupon and only 3.5 seconds with a COUPGON,” says Archbold.

She says January is the biggest couponing month of the year because consumers are recovering from their most expensive month (December) and looking for ways to make up for that spending.

“It’s always a good time to see where you can improve and save money,” says Archbold. “A lot of people are resolving to eat healthier and that costs more money, typically, so looking for ways to save on your grocery bill is a great way to start.”

TV shows like Extreme Couponing show consumers spending hours each week poring over fliers as well as clipping and organizing paper coupons, but Archbold says the average person “certainly doesn’t have time for that.” She is a big couponer and says it’s frustrating when she leaves them on the fridge, but if she forgets her cell phone, she’s going back for it.

“COUPGON gives you the convenience of always having your coupons with you, or even grabbing them while you’re waiting in line to check out,” says Archbold. “Even if you’re not a conventional coupon user, if three quick taps will save you $3, why wouldn’t you?”

“Most of my apps cost me money, but this one actually saves me money!”

Archbold says COUPGON has the power to limit food waste by encouraging shoppers to purchase ripening items.

“One of our stores can say ‘Oh, we’ve got a lot of bananas that are going to go bad soon. Can we offer 75 cents off bananas?’” explains Archbold. “About 20-30 per cent of our coupons get redeemed because people are purposely choosing which ones they want, rather than being mailed something they didn’t ask for.”

There’s also a green benefit to using an app over paper coupons, as more than 1.5 million trees are cut down annually to produce coupons for circulation in North America. What’s worse is that only one per cent of those coupons will ever actually be redeemed.

COUPGON is now available in more than 1,000 stores across Canada, including Atlantic Superstore and Giant Tiger here in Nova Scotia, and Archbold says their goal is to be accessible to every Canadian in every store.

But COUPGON isn’t the only app designed to save consumers money on everyday purchases.

Checkout 51 is a Toronto-based firm that posts deals of promoted products and allows users to select which ones they like. They purchase the items at any store, upload a photo of their receipt, and receive a cheque in the mail once their account reaches $20.

Snap by Groupon has a nearly identical business model, but there’s also a referral program where users can earn $1 for each friend that signs up and redeems their first offer.

Savvy shoppers work the system by using a coupon on a specific item that’s also eligible for cashback through Checkout 51 or Snap by Groupon, making the item free or nearly-free.

Zweet is another site offering cash back for purchasing specific items, and users can also earn points for future rewards.

Changio users earn points by purchasing specific items, spending more than a certain amount at various stores or restaurants, or just visiting a particular shopping centre.

Caddle.ca invites users to select weekly offers, complete a survey after watching an ad, and earn cash by purchasing the corresponding products.

Save.ca lets users select coupons and either print them at home or have them mailed to their hosue.

Chronicle Herald couponist Gail Quigley runs a Facebook group called “Saving with Gail” with more than 12,000 members. They share in-store deals they see around HRM as well as coupons, rebates, freebies and price-matching success stories.

One of the hottest topics on “Saving with Gail” is which stores in the area adhere to the Retail Council of Canada’s Scanning Code of Practice — “SCOP” to the eagle-eyed shoppers who are always on the lookout.

If an item scans at a higher price than the one advertised or displayed in-store, the store must honour the lower price and either give the product to the consumer free of charge (if the item is less than $10) or discount the item by $10.