Couponing is meant to keep us within the budget; however, some coupon strategies and sales tricks can drain your wallet without you realizing it!
Since 2018, couponing has become the main “hobby” for most Americans, and there is a reason behind it. We all desire to be more frugal, save more money (or as much as we can afford), and pay less for products that we buy regularly.
In 2025 inflation is still a thing, and studies show that more and more people use coupon strategies and sales to buy their products at friendly prices. But is this really the case? Are we really able to save more money doing this? Studies have shown that coupons are better for the business than for the customer. When stores offer coupons, they do the following things to get you to spend more money.
You end up buying what you don’t need
One of the coupon strategies stores use on the customers is making them buy what they don’t need or what they don’t have on their grocery list. It’s psychological! You have a coupon for a certain product; you don’t really want it, but if you have a discount for it, why not? Very well, buy it.
Avoid falling for the scam by only using coupons for things you need. Coupons can be beneficial for grocery shopping, so make a list of the things you need and then look for discount coupons for those things only.
That way, you won’t waste money on things you might not use and will only buy what you need. We’re not saying you should never treat yourself, but don’t make a habit out of this; otherwise, you will drain your wallet without realizing it!
The expiration date of the coupon comes sooner…then you gotta buy that item ASAP!
…But then again, do you actually need that specific thing you have a discount coupon for? When there is a coupon or sale with a limited-time offer, people are more likely to buy a lot so that they don’t have to pay full price later.
You probably saw that the coupon’s expiration date was written below the code. This is another psychological trick stores use to make you, the frugal customer, hurry up to the nearest shop to buy things. And you probably did this a lot of times. It’s OK; we are not blaming you!
As many store managers secretly disclosed, customers are drawn to coupons that say “Time is Running Out” because there are only very few items available. They will want to buy a lot of their products before the prices go back to what they were before. Even if the price difference is smaller.
Offer a coupon for a minimum order size
“Spend $50 and save $10.” “Any order over $100 gets 20% off.” These are just two of the so many headlines that get people. Because it’s really hard to say no to these kinds of deals. If someone only planned to spend $20 at your store that day, the chance to get $50 worth of goods for $40 is too good to pass up for most people. It works really well to get people to buy more of your products or services than they normally would which means the store will get rich while your wallet is slowly draining.
“50% off,” and free shipping sales
Because they tempt customers to spend more, many businesses use these kinds of sales. People hate the pain of losing something more than they enjoy the pleasure of gaining something, which is why this works so well.
And because of this, customers often feel awful after buying something if they know they could have gotten a deal but didn’t. When there is a deal available, customers spend more because they feel or think they will regret what they did.
Are you looking to learn more about financial frugality, but you don’t seem to find a reliable source for it? What about a book that costs just $1.04 on Amazon, and it’s in Kindle format? Stop Wasting Money: 99 Tips How to Save More Money and Stop Bad Spending Habits gives you 99 tricks on how to save more and spend less, how to be more mindful about “discounts,” and so on.
They’re making you feel excited when using a coupon
…And don’t try to deny this because deep down you know it’s true! We’re all guilty of this. This feeling of being able to use coupons to save money and prevent draining wallets is another coupon strategy stores use on us.
People get excited about using coupons and getting better deals than other shoppers, and they lose sight of how much things really cost. Coupon users who buy things often tend to spend more than people who don’t use coupons.
Do your best not to use any coupons when you go shopping next time. Test this out to see if it also works for you. Don’t look for huge discounts; instead, focus on getting the things you need. Do as little shopping as possible and watch how much you spend. After that, check your bills at home; the one from today and an old one from when you used the coupons as well. See if there are any differences.
How often do you use coupons? Do you agree with these coupon strategies mentioned above? Let’s discuss this in the comments section below.
…psst! New here? Check out: These 6 Tips Will Help You Shop Less Often Each Month.
