Coupon Queen: Have you heard of bounce-back coupons?

About two weeks ago, I bought a package of laundry detergent. The label said, ‘$7 worth of coupons inside.’

It is a powdered detergent, so it took doing a few loads to expose the coupons printed on the inside of the cardboard box.

Even though I bought this in January, the coupons printed in the box expired in December 2018! You would think they would put extra-long dates inside packages that will be sitting on the shelf.

Is there anything I can do about this?

One coupon is $5 off 2 more detergents, and another is $2 off one, so I would really like to use them to stock up on more packages.”

Debra S.

Coupons that are found inside the package of a product are also known as bounce-back coupons or cross-ruff coupons.

Unlike an instantly redeemable coupon that can be found on the package’s exterior, these coupons are discovered by the shopper inside a product once it’s opened. These coupons are to be used on a future shopping trip.

Cross-ruff coupons often promote a product in the same brand family, while a bounce-back coupon gives the shopper an offer on the same kind of product they just purchased.

In Debra’s case, buying laundry detergent netted her more coupons for the same brand of laundry detergent inside the package.

Manufacturers utilize in-product coupons like these to build brand loyalty, thinking that if you purchased the product once and liked it, chances are you may purchase again – especially with additional discounts.

I don’t believe the brand intended to give you expired coupons inside the box.

Many household and cleaning products, like powdered laundry detergent, have very long shelf lives and no expiration dates. So, it’s difficult to gauge how long it might have been on your store’s shelf before you bought it.

With food products, it’s easy for brands to make sure the coupons inside the package have expiration dates that extend, at least, to the “Best By” date on the item’s packaging.

I would recommend contacting the brand via their website or telephone number and explain what happened.

If you like this brand of detergent and would definitely buy it again with coupons, it’s worth sharing that information with the brand, too! It’s likely that the brand may mail you some coupons to make up for what happened.

“Dear Jill,

I bought shredded cheddar cheese at the supermarket, and inside the plastic was a coupon for $1.50 off two more packages of cheese.

I looked at the coupon closely and while it was for more cheese of the same brand, it was for cream cheese and not shredded cheese. I do not like cream cheese. Why is the brand giving me a coupon for something I don’t want?”

Karl P.

The coupon you received inside your package of cheese is a cross-ruff coupon. It’s designed to encourage shoppers to try other products within the same brand family that the consumer just purchased.

In some cases, you may see a cross-ruff coupon for products of different brands that are often paired together. For example, a loaf of bread may contain a coupon for peanut butter inside.

While not everyone may see the appeal of cross-ruff coupons, many consumers do. A study from the American Journal of Industrial and Business Management notes that cross-ruff coupons enjoy twice as high an acceptance among consumers as the coupons that are found in the newspaper.

If the coupon you find inside a product’s packaging isn’t one you’ll use, no worries – it was a bonus, surprise offer that you weren’t planning to receive.

Remember that manufacturers, stores and brands do not owe us coupons at all. Coupons are designed to incentivize a purchase – they entice shoppers to buy one brand over another or a product they may not have intended to buy in the first place.