Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Coupon Craze


Image by Michal Marcol via freedigitalphoto.net

I'm curious about how this Groupon craze
will economically impact us in future days.
Are mass half-off discounts really realistic?
Or was the instigator a bit too optimistic?

As much as I love never paying full price
and wish all shopping deals were that nice,
I wonder how they will recover the profit?
I doubt they'll settle for earning a droplet.

I think it's the current recession's Catch-22:
using coupons to spur spending from me and you.
We need more spending to grow the economy,
but with coupons you need even more frivolity.

I remember when all coupons were totally uncool.
Now using them proudly's the new golden rule.
I hope some are spending even more than before
otherwise we are merely evening the score.

I, for one, don't want wages, quality or service to suffer --
hope the coupon craze won't demand that as a buffer.
Business owners are already starting to complain.
Are they just being whiny or really feeling income strain?

Does it really even matter? Who exactly is in charge?
Will we / Can we change our tendency to live life large?
Must we cut back at all if life's affordable with coupons?
Perhaps we'll know before the dictionary includes "groupons".

© Rachel Hoyt 2011.  All rights reserved.


This poem has been linked into the Thursday Poets' Rally.
Come join in the fun and up the poem tally!

My NaPoWriMo poem #22.



32 comments:

  1. That's a good point. If retailers are taking a hit to their profit margin, do the increased sales really do any economic good?

    And it is much more fun to read in rhyme :)

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  2. I rarely use coupons, too much of a fuss

    the headache of collecting would cause me to cuss

    too much effort to save me a buck

    and then to forget them would just be my luck

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  3. I admit I joined Groupons - I thought it'd be funny

    To get lots of deals and to save lots of money

    But out of this service I'm not getting kicks

    The deals are for city folk and I live in the sticks!

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  4. @Doug - I'm so glad you prefer your thoughts to be provoked in rhyme rather than normal boring speak. LOL

    @Matty - very cute rhyme! Yes, I gave up on the traditional coupons (for the most part) but these Groupon things are crazy. I've bought a few through the spin off companies.

    @Lolamouse - I too checked out Groupons, but they don't offer much in my area last I checked. However, there are several local imitators I've bought a few through. I just try to make sure it's somewhere I would go anyway so I'm actually saving money. :)

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  5. I liked that one a lot. Good points, well rhymed.

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  6. Wow mate you can write a poem about anyhting ;)

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  7. You raise some good points I hadn't considered before! And yet...I say...give me the deals, I need the break on my budget!

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  8. Wow, girl, a treatise on economics in rhyme!! You are awesome! But to your points, I don't think we will ever get back to business as usual. We may have to completely rethink how we handle business in this country.

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  9. That was cute, funny and rhymed duh!! lol so I smiled :)

    I have yet to benefit from this, sadly enough but not shocking in the least. Enjoy the rally!
    http://lynnaima.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/on-peace-and-wisdom-haiku-poem-ing-on/

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  10. Rachel,
    Coupons are a joke in my opinion....
    What is the point it cost more to print the damn things then the actual money that you save.

    SMH
    Jess

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  11. I used to use lots of coupons, not any more.

    what a tickle on those.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  12. Very well done !
    We have always clipped coupons, but the 'good' ones are harder and harder to find !
    Hapy Rally
    JL&B

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  13. huhu cute! my thursday post : http://fiveloaf.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/me-before-us/

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  14. @Madelieine - Thanks! It is fun to spell out serious thoughts in rhyme. :)

    @Baldychaz - Well, I don't know about "anything" but I will certainly try to write on whatever. :)

    @Jessica - Oh, I too plan to buy the deals until they go away... $15 for a $30 gift card to a place I shop regularly. YES PLEASE! :)

    @sweepyjean - I, for one, think it would be awesome if we completely rethink how business should be run here... but I doubt that will happen. :)

    @lynnaima - That sounds like an equation... cute + funny + rhymed = SMILE! Got it. :)

    @Jessica B - I saved $40 on a $120 case of wine at a wine sale I was already planning to attend thanks to sites like this. Two pieces of paper doesn't cost that much. :)

    @Jingle - Gotta just watch for the GOOD coupons. The traditional ones are quite a hassle to organize and remember to use.

    @JL Dodge - Yep... hard to find good grocery coupons these days! Anytime the offer seems good I can't find the item in the store. Lame.

    @fiveloaf - Thanks for visiting. Glad you giggled as usual. :)

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  15. Groupon a is a useful business tool if it amounts to repeat customers. Personally, I've had good luck with groupon and coupons. Savings are my friend 'til the end.

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  16. the flow of the words just made your point even more evident.

    the rhyming. the rhythm.

    all added to the message.

    very nice. =)

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  17. thanks for the article link. cool idea and awesome rhyming.
    funny too.
    groupon's profit comes from commissions and advertising (which is probably not news to you) and the retailer's total sale rises, which pushes revenue high enough (despite the discounts) that their total cost falls. remember that discounts are always made on the flexible margin between cost price and selling price. no one's going to offer you a product by incurring a loss.

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  18. Very fun take on coupons although I rarely use them except for restaurants.

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  19. Clip and save
    These words of praise
    They're valuable
    On rainy days

    Thanks, Rachel. A fun read, as always.

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  20. beautiful rhyme to this wonderful poetry :) enjoyed it!

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  21. I enjoyed this poem, well done. I can't remember having used a coupon, I always seem to lose them,or leave them in the wrong handbag ;(

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  22. Must we cut back at all if life's affordable with coupons?
    Perhaps we'll know before the dictionary includes "groupons"
    ...

    hahaahaaaaa...it's funny because it's true (^_^)...enjoyed this piece.

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  23. I find that Groupon encourages you to spend money on something you might not normally have spent money on. Had I not used groupon recently I'd have $50 in my wallet today. I recently paid $50 for something that costs a $100. That's a great 50% savings but it was an impulse thing. I now believe that keeping money in your bank account is better than spending it frivolously on 50%-off deals.

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  24. a lovely rhyme from rhyme me a smiles.. awesome.. a first ~ sweet ~ pour for you to enjoy...

    Someone is Special

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  25. this is a fantastic wonder - I suspect though that most things with coupons have already had their market price already inflated to cover the cost that would have been lost in the coupon craze! It probably is more a mental trick than anything else, just like the way I go to the bulk stores in the belief that if I buy 5,000 boxes of tissues now I will be saving myself something in the future buy not buying them as single units. Loved the creative thought provoke!

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  26. Gah, coupons are a love/hate thing with me, typical on again/off again relationship. Kudos for picking a unique topic!

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  27. @azfree - That is true. If it makes you a new and repeat customer, it would be great for the business. I wish I could find some statistics on that. :)

    @kre8ivi - Thanks! I'm glad you feel the form helps convey the message. :)

    @paroma - It just seems hard to believe that they wouldn't incur a loss after giving the customer 50% off and paying a commission to Groupon. I think the idea is to win new customers and hope that a few people forget to cash in their coupons.

    @teric - Restaraunt coupons are exactly the type of thing you could find on Groupon. :)

    @trollpants - We could all use a little savings, eh? Thanks for visiting! :)

    @Vinay - I'm glad you like the rhymes. They bring me happy times. :)

    @Tigerbrite - You are Groupon's dream customer! LOL. :)

    @Dasuntoucha - Hehe. Writing that line gave me a giggle. :) So glad you enjoyed it.

    @Anonymous - I totally agree. I try not to buy those deals for places I wouldn't normally go, but it is hard not to indulge when the discount is that deep. :)

    @Someone is Special - Thanks! So sweet of you to stop by. :)

    @abthomas - I do bulk shopping too! It definitely saves you money in the long run. Don't doubt yourself. :)

    @Li - I'm glad you liked my unique topic! Those love/hate relationships are tough. Good luck! :)

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  28. this is so great! you took a topic like coupons and turned this in poetry form...great!

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  29. Very contemporary, and fun. I really like the questioning last line.

    Mike

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  30. @margaritalopez - Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the topic choice. :)

    @M.A.S. - I'm so happy to be called contemporary and am glad you enjoyed the final line. :)

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  31. We have an equivalent in India called Snap-Deal
    But for some reason I do not trust their zeal
    Really begs to question what anything really costs
    What does money really mean when all that dollar is lost?

    Now if only the entire world's issues were discussed in rhyme
    We'd have a much better time!
    Ain't that right Ms Rachel Rhyme-Me-A-Smile?

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  32. Delightful and insightful a hard combination you pulled off well. You lived up to your pseudonym quite well here!

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Rhyming or not, I would like a lot to hear the thoughts my words brought...