It is
winter break here in Norway this week, and today I have been on my computer for
most of the day. Not doing anything important; just surfing the net, watching
this and that and reading whatever caught my attention.
While doing
nothing important the TV was on, and I got to see all the unimportant stuff
which I usually miss, since I am at work during daytime.
At one
point I forgot about my doing nothing at all: On TV there was a program called
Extreme Couponing.
Here in
Norway coupons is not something you can base your finances upon, because it is
not a big thing here. The closest thing I have found to anything like it s www.Rabattkuponger.no
Categories
of coupons which can be found there, are the same ones we sometimes find in the
newspapers:
- Barneutstyr, Leker og Barneklær (childrens equipment, toys and childrens clothes)
- Bil og biltilbehør (car and car
accessories)
- Data, Utstyr og Internett (computer, equipment and internet)
- Diverse (sundries)
- Dyr og Tilbehør (animals
and accessories)
- Dating og
Erotikk (dating
and erotics)
- Film, Musikk. Bøker og
Underholdning (film, music, books and entertainment)
- Finans og Lån (finances and
loans)
- Foto,
Video og Utstyr (photo,
video and equipment)
- Hjem og Bolig (home
and residence)
- Hvitevarer og Småelektrisk (household appliances and electrical
notions)
- Klær og Mote (clothes and fashion)
- Kropp og Helse (body
and health)
- Lyd og Bilde (sound
and picture)
- Mobiltelefon
og Telefoni (mobile
phones and telephony)
- Reise (travel)
- Spill og Leker (games
and toys)
- Sport og Fitness (sport and
fitness)
A lot of
stuff which you can get a great deal on, but food is not represented. Using a
coupon here in Norway you can get a discount, but the amount of items is very
limited and never for free. The closest thing is the deals when you i.e. buy a
carton of eggs and get a bread for free to go with it.
To watch
families make do, by putting down effort to get great deals on groceries, was
so incredible fascinating, I watched how they organized their shopping,
preparing to go to the super market, collecting coupons and paying close to
nothing (in a couple of cases absolutely nothing!) for groceries sometimes
worth as much as US $1000,- or even more (in most cases less, but still a
considerably amount of money was saved).
Advanced
skills in business economics were displayed in such an unexpected and cunning way.
I was just blown away by how they took advantage of the loopholes in coupon
regulations. And by doing that they
could make down payments on their house, arrange huge parties (weddings even)
and fill their houses (literally) with incredible amounts of bottles, cans,
boxes and bags.
I started
off watching being very intrigued, but then, as the program proceeded, I found
myself being really worried; the only vegetable I saw them buy was canned
tomatoes. And the fruit I saw was passed by as the procession of family
members, each with their own fully loaded shopping cart, hurried towards the
next coupon smashing deal. They were directed, in strict order, to the items
they were to buy.
To me the
coupons came across as a trap to lure people into a bad diet. Meat was represented in processed food like
frozen dinners, and we all know how unhealthy they are, with all the additives
and fat.
What was
represented a lot was detergents, deodorants, shampoos and a very disturbing
amount of sugar.
I
understand the value of having a hobby, and I understand how stretching
finances is both wanted and crucial for most people, but I find it worrying
that nobody sees the hazard and limit the access to free unhealthy food. It
would be so much more reassuring if fresh fish, meat, fruits and vegetable were
somehow included to the system.
Yes, at
least they get very clean when using all the detergents, fabric softeners,
razors and shampoos, but I still am very skeptical. What should be a clever marketing strategy for
food industry and stores, end up jeopardising customers and their families’
health.
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