Most Tuesdays I take the opportunity to rant about something I do not like about Target… because although I love ‘em to death, they ain’t perfect. Today’s rant is about Target’s puzzling in-store coupon strategy. With increased frequency, I have noticed that at the register, my Target receipt is accompanied by a coupon. The coupons are based on past purchases, so if I’ve bought Brawny paper towels in the past, I’m sure to get either a coupon for the same Brawny product OR for a similar product from Target’s in-house Up&Up brand.
The coupons aren’t the problem; I don’t mind them at all. What I do mind is this: the other day I used a coupon for $1 off 12 cans of Fancy Feast cat food. That was great, especially since Fancy Feast was also on sale at the time. So at the register, I get a coupon for 60-CENTS off my next purchase of 18 cans. ????? Did Target think I’d be fooled by this? Why reward my purchase with a lesser-amount coupon that you have to buy MORE of the product in order to redeem? Is there some sort of consumer behavior analytics going on here?
4 comments:
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I keep getting coupons for Bananas and my Target doesn't even sell bananas. That's just bananas! (lol)
Ryan, that's really crazy! You'd think they'd only give coupons for fresh produce at those stores that have a grocery section - ?
Giving you a worse deal on subsequent coupons seems to be standard with the Catalina coupons. Same thing happens at the supermarket - e.g. I buy sour cream, get a coupon for $.55 of my next sour cream. Buy the next one with the coupon, get a coupon for $.75 off like three sour creams. Then if I do use that one, I get a coupon for like, cottage cheese. I don't even eat cottage cheese. So disappointing.
Wow, I just wrote way too much about Catalina coupons.
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