One Hour With Teri Gault – Part Four

This is the 4^th part in my series “One Hour With Teri Gault”, the result of a fantastic telephone interview with Teri, the founder and CEO of The Grocery Game and TeriToday.com.

Disclaimer: Please note that I did not use a voice recorder for this conversation, so all of the answers are paraphrased from memory and very detailed notes, not direct quotes.

What are the trends you see in couponing moving forward? Are paper coupons giving way to printable internet coupons? Are store coupons becoming more widely used? Do you think discount grocery stores like Aldi are changing the way your typical subscriber shops? (ok, that was TECHNICALLY more than one question, but I asked them all at once, so that has to count!)

Aldi has been around for a long time. Their prices are higher at regular price than The List prices are with sales and coupons. It’s a really great place to go for NEEDS items that aren’t on the list, but as your stockpile grows, you’ll find that your needs items will be fewer and fewer and the need to go to Aldi or other discount grocery stores will be less and less.

Paper coupons will always have a place. Clipping a coupon out is like the company putting a business card in your hand. The companies are counting on their coupons to make a lasting impression on the consumer so that when you’re shopping, whether or not you have a coupon, you’ll have that picture in your head and will be more likely to buy that brand of product.

Internet printable coupons have changed drastically over the last few years. They are rising in value, as much as double or more their original values. By providing printable coupons with higher face values, it incentivizes the consumer to print the internet coupons. This lowers marketing costs on printing, shipping, and insertion into the newspapers. This is really a win-win for everyone.

We’ve seen supermarkets change over the last few years, not really as a result of rising prices as much as, in response to stores like Wal-Mart Supercenters. Cub Foods, for example, have begun accepting expired coupons. Many supermarkets have rolled out incentive programs such as their loyalty cards and gas rewards. More stores are doubling coupons that haven’t in the past.

Yet more proof that competition is great for the consumer. I never realized how big an impact Supercenters have on the grocery chains. Teri was definitely right about the stockpiling. My needs list has gotten smaller and smaller over time. Maybe soon, it will be a thing of the past.

Convinced to give The Grocery Game a shot yet? The coupons are calling to you! *Totally shameless Momma again: If you sign up for The Grocery Game, give me a hand and tell them  sent you.

Don’t forget to leave a comment here or link to my contest for a chance to win a Free Momma’s Coupon Management System with OVER $1000 worth in coupons included.