In this period of inflation where many grocery products are experiencing a marked increase, nearly half of Canadians (49%) believe that discount coupons are too restrictive for them to be used.
This is revealed by a study by the Laboratory of Analytical Sciences in Agrifood at Dalhousie University, in partnership with the firm Angus Reid, made public on Friday.
Compared to six months ago, when 45% of Canadians had never used coupons, 15% of Canadians are using them more often now. This reality is even more noticeable in Manitoba, where one respondent from that province in five uses more than before.
- Listen to Geneviève Pettersen’s interview with Sylvain Charlebois on QUB Radio:
“The culture of couponing in Canada is not developed, which deprives consumers of multiple opportunities to save when food prices rise,” said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Director of the Laboratory. “Canadians feel there are too many restrictions on using coupons in Canada or the savings aren’t great for them.”
If coupons were more accessible, 68% of Canadians would use them more often, according to the study. Any barrier to shopping seems to turn Canadians off, so 38% of them don’t like using coupons at the grocery store because it delays the checkout line.
Among the methods used to save a few cents when grocery shopping, volume discounts seem to be the most popular with Canadians, with nearly three-quarters (73%) trying to take advantage of this type of practice. We see this practice a lot in warehouse stores, like Costco, where they offer goods at lower prices because they are purchased in large quantities. However, 54% believe that volume discounts are unfair to small households and single people, when 47% even believe that volume discounts lead to more food waste.
A total of 1,501 Canadians across the country were surveyed in March 2022 regarding coupons, volume discounts and other methods used by the food industry.
