decalgirl skinsThey come in all shapes and sizes, colors and cuts, and now they even come in digital form.
They're coupons, and experts say that, while distribution methods change, they still remain popular.
When the economy goes down, coupon distribution and redemption typically go up, said John Morgan, executive director of the Association of Coupon Professionals. And those numbers are up substantially this year, he said.
A reported 311 billion consumer packaged good coupons were distributed in 2009 and 3.2 billion were redeemed, according to NCH Marketing Service's 2009 Coupon Marketplace Facts. That comes in at $3.5 billion in savings.
Victoria resident Dottie Williams is selective when it comes to her deals.
The retired nurse only clips coupons for items she uses often and knows she likes, she said, rather than using the savings to try out new products. She never passes up Casa Ole's $5 off deal, she said, and Grandy's has some good buys, too.
Even so, her habits have changed over time.
She uses coupons more now than she did even a few months ago and said she assumes many people are doing the same because of the down economy.
"For a while, I didn't use them at all," she said. "I didn't want to bother with it. But they do help."
The downturn could have lasting effects, much others have in the past, Morgan said.
"My parents were Depression babies ... and they stayed frugal for the rest of their lives," he said. "I think that there's going to be a similar impact with this."
People might be back at work and others might be getting their bonuses and raises back, Morgan added, but it will be a while before 401(k)s are back to where they were.
"They kind of have to stay in frugal mode," he said.
Williams sticks mainly to coupons that come in the mail or from the newspaper, she said, and she isn't alone.
Free-standing insert coupons made up 85.9 percent of coupon distribution in 2009, according to the NCH report, followed by handouts, which came in at 5.6 percent, direct mail at 2.6 percent, magazines at 2.4 percent and so on.
Melissa Foeh owns MadiTay's in Victoria and said her store has dabbled in coupons a little -- they offered online deals during the holiday season -- but didn't see any major results. That's probably because the store tries to keep prices low anyway, she said.
"If we didn't do that, we wouldn't make what we needed to make," she said. "We don't feel like we really need to use coupons."
Coupons remain an important element at JC Penney, attracting people to the store and saving customers money, said Justin Krupalla, the store's sales manager.
"That's what we're here for," Krupalla said. "To help our customers out."
JC Penney is actually beefing up its coupon program, advertising its rewards program and adding surveys to receipts. The surveys allow customers who participate to receive 15 percent off their next purchase.
The company is also trying to target its "next audience," he said, via e-mail and other online savings.
Such shifts in the coupon world are inevitable, Morgan said. Newspaper readership is declining and many companies are looking into technological routes to distribute deals.
Victoria resident Leanne Martinez said she's just now getting into coupons and mainly finds her deals from store e-mails.
"I'll cut them out sometimes, but it's mostly from stores that I sign up with," said Martinez, a sales associate at Kohl's and mother of one.
Print-at-home coupons are growing, Morgan said, and so are digital coupons that go directly to cell phones. Companies are also using things like Twitter and Facebook to get word out about their deals, Morgan said.
No matter the dispersal method, he said coupons are likely around to stay.
