Defeat the ever-bolder marketers that captured your coupons

Actually, this isn't a recent capture:  Coupons have always been doing the bidding of the marketing department.  Companies don't distribute coupons because they're nice.  They want more of your money, and coupons are a way to get you to spend more.

There are three basic mechanisms for companies to get more revenue:  (a) increase the number of paying customers, (b) increase how much those customers buy on each trip, and (c) increase how often those customers buy.  Getting a brand new customer is relatively expensive compared with selling to an existing customer because, presumably, they already like doing business with you.

Have the motives of coupons always been this overt?

Lately, it seems that stores are practically bludgeoning their intentions with the coupons they offer to existing customers.  After buying something at Borders, I'd get a coupon good for 20% off purchases of $25 or more, good only for some specific window of dates in the future, so (a) I couldn't just ring up another purchase while I was right there, and (b) the deal would go away if I waited too long.  Basically, “Come back soon, or you'll pay more.  But not right now, or you'll abuse it.”  Or with other retailers' reward programs, after a certain number of purchases there will be a relatively insignificant rewards amount accumulated, and those rewards will go away pretty quickly — sometimes as quickly as a month.  Seems pretty overt to me that they don't want me to accumulate enough to buy anything outright.  I mean, what can I buy with $0.34 in eBay Bucks?

How to use these types of short-fuse rewards smartly

The rewards are better than nothing, I suppose, but reacting like Pavlov's dogs when coupons hit the e-mail inbox is exactly what the companies want you to do.  Here are a couple of ways to use these kinds of coupons to your advantage:

• Do you really, really need anything from that store before the coupon expires? Just like with any other discount, it's not a deal if you don't need the item.  Just because a store offers you a bait doesn't mean that you have to bite.  If the reward is small compared with the purchase you'd have to make, then the decision is easier.
• Combine the coupon with clicking through a rebate portal. Usually the “kickback” from a rebate portal like Mr. Rebates or Coupon Cactus is separate from coupon codes”stack” those savings.
• Buy items that give you the least out-of-pocket expenses. I had a fair amount some Best Buy Rewards at my disposal (I think it was $25).  This is a decent amount.  I think the total of my purchase was under $27, so it cost me less than two bucks out of pocket.  Likewise, if you have a $50 item and a $100 you want, and have a coupon good for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more, go for the $50 purchase and wait for another coupon to get the $100 one.
• Use the coupon online if you can if the store is a bit away from where you live. Driving 20 miles and spending two hours to use a $10 coupon almost negates having the coupon in the first place.  Buying online might result in you saving more money, even after shipping charges.  It certainly saves time.

Any other tricks?  Or do you just pass these coupons by and avoid any temptation? 🙂