Grocery and drugstore reports: stay or go?
One of the most time-consuming details on this blog are the weekly grocery and drugstore reports.
I started doing that about eight or nine months into the blog, when The Monroe Evening News got a suggestion for a shopping blog. The managing editor responded to the reader’s email that Monroe on a Budget was our money-saving blog, and I started brainstorming how to do shopping reports.
The routine I settled into was picking out highlights from the grocery and drugstore fliers for the week. Depending on what the advertisers want, these could be in the Saturday, Sunday or Monday editions of our newspaper; or in the mail.
I don’t have the time to write detailed coupon match scenarios every week like some bloggers do. There also are a lot more people doing grocery shopping or bargain blogs in the Michigan and Ohio markets than when I got started.
So here’s what I’ll do: I’ll back off doing the shopping reports for a couple of weeks and see how that settles out. I assume that you all are finding that information in your newspapers or elsewhere on the web?
Now … you DO want to read the sales fliers this week because there are some 10 for $10 grocery sales!!!! Yeah, baby!
Posted: January 10th, 2010 under Sales and deals.
Comments: 2
Comments
Comment from M.J.
Time: January 10, 2010, 4:11 pm
We get the Toledo Blade but only get part of the ads since we live out in the country. I complained numerous times to the paper and they say that is how it is. They only have so many ads and the people in the city get them when there is not enough for everyone. So I rely on your report for which ads were in the paper and than go to that web site and read the ads. If I could I would get the Monroe paper too since we do go to Monroe sometimes. But on a retired income it is hard. Both my husband and I are retired I am on oxygen 24 hrs so we depend on the ads so I can make a list and get the coupons together. So I hope you still list them.
Comment from Paula Wethington
Time: January 11, 2010, 8:14 am
MJ – here’s what happens: The ad stack content is dictated by the advertisers. They pay for their fliers go into the zip codes and / or newspapers where they expect to get the best response.
So if the advertiser didn’t buy the entire run of the paper, yes, some readers do get left out.
I do see a different mix of ads in the Detroit Free Press and the Monroe Evening News that are delivered to my door. Example: JCPenney ad is in Freep but not in Monroe News; the Kmart ad in the Freep is for the Downriver stores not the Monroe store.
I haven’t subscribed to the Blade in many years, just pick up a single copy when I want one. After we moved to Monroe, we settled into watching Toledo TV (as we used to do when living in Ohio) and reading the Detroit papers (because they do a good job covering statewide issues).
Now on the sales reports – I’ve been focusing on drugstores and grocery stores for the weekly reports and noting the other deals only during holiday seasons. Is that the mix you readers want?
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