Did You Know?

Did you know that every time you print an Internet Printable (IP) coupon, the coupon is accounted for?

Manufacturers catalog the volume of printable coupons for several reasons, including:

1. Manufacturers set 'print limits' to allow for a certain allotment of coupons to get into the hands of the consumers. Keeping tabs on the number of prints allows the manufacturers to know whether or not a product is a popular item (if the printable coupon reaches its print limit, and how quickly).

2. Manufacturers also keep tabs on the potential of how many coupons can be downloaded so that the manufacturer can watch its bottom line, and not give too much of their products away inexpensively (or FREE, I LOVE FREE!).

3. Manufacturers can watch the print market for regional trends and plan their coupon campaigns accordingly. For example, Michigan would be much less likely to receive a sunscreen coupon in a January insert, but Southern Californians may be happy to receive and spend a winter sunscreen coupon!

4. Manufacturers are trying their best to keep (super savvy) consumers honest! Most manufacturers are aware of our strange breed (read: hard core coupon spenders) and that many coupon spenders are willing to break a few rules to get a good deal, so manufacturers have placed codes on each Internet printable coupon that spits out of your printer! Manufacturers code each coupon with time, date, and IP address, so that they can locate an individual who is abusing their print limits by scanning/photocopying coupons.

Does it bother you that manufacturers know so much about you, simply by reading your unique coupon code?