Image Source: The Coca-Cola CompanyWhere did it all begin? An insight to coupons!
Coupons have been around since the late 1800's. Yes...they are that old! Asa Chandler, the co-owner of Coca Cola (in 1887), was responsible for making sure that his employees distributed hand written "coupons" for a free glass of Coca Cola!
These coupons were mailed out to potential customers and placed in magazines. By 1913 it was estimated that 1 out of every 9 Americans had received a free glass of Coke! Over 8 million free glasses of Coke were distributed.
A few years before Mr. Chandler came up with "the coupon" C.W. Post decided to jump on board and offer a 1 cent coupon for its cereal (Grape Nuts).
It was not until the 30's when the coupon became less of an advertising mechanism and more of a household necessity to save money.
In the 40's chain supermarkets, opening up all over the U.S., continued to support the coupon.
In 1957 the Nielson Coupon Clearing House established itself as the coupon redemption company.
By 1965 over half of all Americans were clipping and using coupons.
Printable coupons were introduced in the 1990's along with coupon codes (intro the World Wide Web) for retailers everywhere!
One of the most popular online coupons (as of 2006) is the "free shipping" coupon. Widely used by consumers across the nation.
In our current time more than 700 corporations offer coupons or discounts on their products. More than 3 billion transactions are generated as a direct result of coupon usage in the United States.
The word coupon is of French origin and pronounced "koo-pon". Americans commonly refer to a different pronunciation of the word as "cue-pon". Either way works for me! I know exactly what you mean!
Information Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupons
