How Discount Codes and Coupons Work

When the clerk takes the coupon, there is a problem at the store. It already has a small piece of paper that is worth money, but the store needs to mail the coupon to the maker in order to get the money. In small print on the back of most coupons, the company writes the street number and says that it will also give the store some money for preparing the coupon, usually 8 cents per coupon. If there were only a few coupons, it wouldn't be too hard to get them back, but large grocery stores collect a lot of them. At that level, it becomes a major headache! The whole cycle seems pitifully out of date, but coupons are still very popular, which is why it keeps going. A coupon is basically free money, and it's hard to say no to free money.

Coupons and How They Work

If you use coupons, you know that when you get to the checkout, you have to give the clerk your coupon (s). The clerk sorts them and puts them in the cabinet with the money. What happens next depends on the store, but here is a common exchange. At the end of the day, the coupons in each money cabinet are added up as if they were cash. This amount is then added to the cash total to make sure the total for the cabinet is correct. At that point, all of the coupons, including those given by the store, are put into plastic bags or pockets and sent once a week to the store's corporate headquarters. You can print coupons for stores from sites like Askmeoffers and CouponsABC.