The Bulletin
How would you like to get $175.65 worth of groceries for 91 cents? Impossible, if not illegal, you say. But it is possible and certainly legal, as Susan Samtur, author of "Cashing In at the Checkout" (The Stonesong Press, $6.95) proved on a recent afternoon at the Acme at 3d and Oregon in Philadelphia. Mrs. Samtur, 35, a lively, petite, dark-haired woman, pushed her cart up and down the aisles, selecting items that she would normally buy for her husband. Steve, 36, and their two sons, age 3 and 2, in their Yonkers, N.Y., neighborhood supermarket. When checker Gregory J. Gibson of Philadelphia rang up the total, the register numbered $75.65. That's when Mrs. Samtur presented the young checker with a stack of cents-off coupons and manufacturers' refunds. This supershopper would have made it out of the Acme without having to pay a cent, but since there are no coupons for Pennsylvania sales tax, Mrs. Samtur had to pay 91 cents. However, any smart shopper will realize that Mrs. Samtur could not have produced such dramatic results by simply utilizing cents-off coupons from newspapers and magazines. That's where Mrs. Samtur's "system" comes in. "All big food companies offer refunds, money and gifts to shoppers. All the smart Shopper has to do is take advantage of them," said Mrs. Samtur. And also, the shopper has to save labels, proof-of-purchase andor lids and box tops. "Say you have saved labels from ketchup bottles. This time of year, a lot of ketchup manufacturers are offering money off on ground meat if you send them, say, three labels from a certain size ketchup bottle. The only way you can take advantage of this offer is if you have been saving labels and lids all along. It wouldn't pay if you had to go out and buy three large bottles of ketchup just to get a $4-off-ground-meat offer. "Companies will also offer the shopper a free coupon, which means the person can get the item totally free if you have proof-of-.purchase to send to the company. Another savings is out-and-out cash refunds from companies for trying their products, and free gifts," Mrs. Samtur explained. Among the free gifts she has accumulated in the seven years she has been using her system are ponchos, knit caps, T-shirts, towels, gardening gloves, knee socks and potholders. But if all this sounds like a monumental bore and too much of a bother, with all the clipping and saving of labels and lids, consider this: In addition to saving on her weekly food bill, Mrs. Samtur earns an additional tax-free $1,500 a year in refund checks from food companies. And that $1,500 is the amount after the postage costs are considered. "One year, Steve and I took this money and treated ourselves to two weeks in Florida, during the winter. But believe me, we're not rich. We are both school teachers, so you know we're not rich," said Mrs. Samtur in a crisp New York accent. Mrs. Samtur's clipping career began seven years ago, when, as a young wife on a school teacher's salary, she became frustrated trying to make her budget stretch every week. A friend suggested that she try sending away for a refund on a new cereal product a company was promoting. After she received her first refund, Mrs. Samtur was hooked and turned into a "super-shopper." "I'd say it lakes me about five hours a week to clip and organize, but I'm an experienced refunder. Remember, it takes practice, so a person starting out shouldn't get discouraged. I do my clipping and organizing while watching TV, because it's really not that taxing." But with any system, there are a few rules to follow. Organization is the key to this shopping system. In her book, Mrs. Samtur says the best way to organize your coupons and refunds is to file them alphabetically according to the type of product, not the brand name. i.e. baby products, bread, coffee, drug items, juices, rice, etc. No need for a fancy filing cabinet. Mrs. Samtur says envelopes and rubber bands or an old shoe box (which is what she uses) do just fine. Now that you are organized, Mrs. Samtur says to keep these tips in mind; Make a shopping list and stick to it, within reason. If you don't have an idea of what you are looking for, you may wind up with a cartful of "unexpecteds." which will add dollars to your bill at checkout time. Check the sales. Read the newspapers to help you plan your shopping junket. Mrs. Samtur advises shoppers to switch brands to get the best price. ("Most national brands are the same and shoppers shouldn't be afraid to switch in order to get the best buy." Mrs. Samtur said.) Be cautious. Some bargains are not bargains at all, so pay attention to prices and signs. Shop with your eyes open. Compare prices, scan the shelves. According to Mrs. Samtur, in the world of supershopping, loyalty is a thing of the past. "Just as with the products themselves, don't be afraid to switch stores to find the best buys or to take advantage of something like double coupons" (a supermarket gimmick which this super-shopper heartily approves). "My system only works with national brands, so I never buy store or generic brands." "Why should I when I can get national brand items for free?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders. Why indeed? In addition to saving a king's ransom at the supermarket, Mrs. Samtur, who quit teaching in 1978, publishes a monthly guide for shoppers called "Refundle Bundle." The pamphlet, which was started in 1973 with 13 subscribers, is loaded with coupon information and company offers shoppers may not have spotted on their own. "Refundle Bundle:" now has 30,000 national subscribers. But how do food companies feel about Mrs. Samtur's system? "They love it. It's an excellent way to get shoppers to try their products. I've never had one mean letter or phone call from any company representative. In 1977, companies sent out 62 billion coupons, but only 3 billion were cashed in. That's a lot of coupons going to waste." Mrs. Samtur said with a touch of indignation. "It's the people in back of me at the checkout counter that give me the most trouble. They don't like waiting while the checkout person tallies up my coupons and refunds. But once they see how much I save, they become very interested in my system," she smiled. And think of the poor checker, who has to tally and check the deluge of coupons with the items purchased As the astonished Acme checker George Gibson checked all of Mrs. Samtur's coupons against the purchases, he sighed and shook his head. "Boy. I'm glad I don't have customers like her every day."
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