Constitution
A YEAR AGO, two Atlantans read a story that changed their shopping habits and pumped new life into their sagging pocketbooks. Ann Johnston of College Park and Frances Best of Lithonia read a magazine article by Jean Laird, '"Everything You Should Know to Save Money with Coupons," in the August 1978 Lady's Circle. Since then, each claims she has received roughly $1,500 cash in the mail, enough free items to set up her own grocery andor variety store and has been spending less money at the grocery store. Both are among the ever-increasing number of consumers known as "refunders," the people who take advantage of every cents-off coupon, every money-back offer, every specially marked package that will entitle them to something, not for nothing always, but for less. The best known refunder is Susan Samtur of Yonkers, N.Y., who went shopping on national television with consumer reporter Betty Furness. Mrs. Samtur loaded her grocery carts with $130.18 worth of groceries but with her coupons, she paid only $7.07. That was a savings of approximately 95 percent. Both Mrs. Johnston and Mrs. Best say that was an extreme case. They figure their savings average closer to 15 to 20 percent. "I hope the general public won't think that every time we go shopping we go on a spree. We don't," Mrs. Best said. And if they did, they would be using coupons faster than they could get them. Refunding is not a new phenomenon it started in the 1890s when C.W. Post offered a penny back to anyone purchasing his new drink, Postum but as the prices of all goods, not just food, rise, it is a shopping tool that will help any family live better for less. It is an advertising gimmick used to entice the consumer to purchase a product but it is one the shopper can put to her own use. "Her" rather than "him" is used because both Atlantans agree that women, not men, are the refunders, that the average age is between 30 and 40, and that they have incomes of $15,000 a year and up. In her book, "Cashing in at the Checkout Counter" (The Stonesong Press Grosset & Dunlap, $6.95), super-shopper Susan Samtur writes that only 350 manufacturers were using coupons in 1970 with a value of $191 million. In 1978, more than 1,000 firms sent out 70 billion coupons with a value of $500 million. There is work involved in taking advantage of the offers. The two women estimate they average two hours a day sorting coupons, and mailing them off with proofs of purchase POP in the refunder's language or the official form required to get either a gift, a free coupon or cash back. Besides the time, refunding costs the 15 cents to mail the requirements and maybe a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE to them). The first step in spending less at the grocery store, although not just for food, is to clip the coupons that appear in magazines and newspapers. Organize them according to category and according to expiration date. When going to the store, take the coupons with you. With the exception of in-store ones for a store's own brand, the coupons will usually be for national brands. So don't fight it switch. If you have a cents-off coupon for Gold Medal Flour, priced at 89 cents, but you have always used Pillsbury's Best, also 89 cents, switch to Gold Medal. This in-store couponing is just the beginning. While you are in the store, look for pads of forms in front of certain products containing manufacturer offers to refund a certain amount of money if you purchase a product. Fill in the form and mail with the POP required. The POP in refunder language also is referred to as a "qualifier." Qualifiers can also refer to additional manufacturer requirements a consumer must fulfill to receive refunds or products. Then, sit back and wait for up to three months for the money. If it doesn't come within that length of time, both local refunders send follow-up postcards in the mail. Keeping records of refunds due is part of the two hour's work. The expert refunder will also have a cents-off coupon for the product that is offering the money back with proof of purchase. Voila! She saves even more money. The coupons, offered on or in packages, can be for items not available in a grocery store. Last Christmas, Mrs. Johnston purchased all Kenner toys which included a lot based on the film "Star Wars" because she had an up to $45 cash refund offer clipped from the corner of a package of Cheerios. General Mills paid her the full amount. Another time, Cheerios offered a $2 refund on the purchase of Ked's tennis shoes to shoppers sending in the receipt for the shoes and two cereal box tops. Mrs. Johnston went to a discount shoe store, got her 9-year-old daughter the Ked's for $4.95, then received her refund. A new pair of tennis shoes for $2.95 is quite a bargain. Mrs. Best bought three tubes of Colgate toothpaste recently because there was a $2 cash refund offer with qualifiers. "You had to buy three to get the refund," she said, "but I wouldn't have bought them unless I had a cents-off coupon on Colgate." She switched brands when the new Sunlite oil offered a $2 refund by mail with proof of purchase often the checkout tape is part of the qualifier of a 48-ounce bottle. And her husband still smokes "but I haven't paid full price for a carton since I started refunding." Sometimes the qualifier is the part of the purchase that you normally throw away first "Like when you're opening cleansing tissue, it's the strip that says 'tear here' on it," Mrs. Johnston said. Both super shoppers have only one child. Mrs. Best said that large families with more children would have even more qualifiers. They certainly would use up more boxes of Cheerios in a week and would have been able to buy Ked for all the kids for $2.95 each. Mrs. Best and Mrs. Johnston have taken their refunding one step further They subscribe to some of the increasing number of national publications in which they can advertise and swap qualifier and coupons, usually on a 1-4-1 (one for one) basis. They would like to form a "swap* club in Atlanta. In fact, Mrs. Johnston spent Tuesday in Dunwoody helping to organize one in that area. "We don't have a name but we are trying to get people interested so we can decide on our goals," Mrs. Best said. "We are hoping for an Atlanta area wide club so we can help each other with swapping, refunders, qualifiers, forms, complete deals, cash-off offers and start a bulletin," Mrs. Johnston added. They would like anyone interested in refunding to call them. Mrs. Johnston's number is 996-3017; Mrs. Best's, 482 2884. Who knows? You may come up with an extra $1,500 yourself next year.
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