Most Manitobans shun coupons, study finds

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/03/2022 (1335 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rising food prices, mixed with fewer in-store deals, have led some to take on a new role: couponer.

Not Esther Goossen, though.

“It’s too much bother,” the farmer said at a Walmart on Kenaston Tuesday. “There’s not enough savings in coupons.”

She’s with the majority of Manitobans, according to a new study by Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab and the Angus Reid Institute.

Manitobans were the most likely, of all provinces, to report not using coupons. Fifty-eight per cent said they don’t use the deals, compared to 45 per cent nationally.

Goossen said she doesn’t see many flyers. Instead, she shops sale items.

“I check my brand names, things like that,” she said.

Manitobans were also the most likely to say they’re using coupons more than they did six months ago. Twenty per cent did; Alberta was second at 18 per cent, according to Dalhousie University’s study.

“It seems as though food prices have actually gotten Manitobans thinking differently about coupons,” said Sylvain Charlebois, study lead and Dalhousie University professor of food distribution and policy.

Food inflation hit a high of 7.4 per cent last month, according to Statistics Canada’s consumer price index.

“It’s only going to get worse,” Charlebois said. “I think a good number of Canadians will be desperate to find ways to save money at the grocery store.”

Some shoppers haven’t joined the couponing bandwagon because there’s little flexibility, Charlebois said. There are certain places and dates for use, and often, deals can’t be combined with other promotions.

“(Many people) believe that the work required outweighs the gains that you get from using coupons,” Charlebois said.

But, in-store deal seekers are left with fewer options, he noted.

“Promotions at grocery stores are… difficult to find these days, especially since the beginning of the pandemic.”

The instability of supply chains makes it harder for grocers to commit to promotional strategies — they can’t be certain of the future, Charlebois said.

“They are making good profits these days,” he noted.

Customers may question big chains more vigorously if they notice food prices increasing — with few promotions available — while corporations rake in cash, Charlebois said.

Consumers may pressure companies enough to make changes and provide more deals, he said.

For now, coupons are one of the few things people can use to ease pain at the checkout, he added.

Dalhousie University’s study, which was conducted this March with 1,501 Canadians, found a mix of people using physical and digital coupons.

Fifteen per cent of Canadians said they’re using coupons more now than six months ago, while 68 per cent said they’d use them even more if they were readily available.

Forty-nine per cent reported feeling coupons had too many restrictions, and 45 per cent said coupon savings weren’t worth the effort.

Almost half of Dalhousie University’s respondents — 47 per cent — said volume discounts lead to food waste. Fifty-four per cent said bulk food discounts are unfair to smaller households.

Still, 73 per cent of Canadians said they take advantage of bulk food discounts.

Dalhousie University’s survey had a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com