Does anyone read the newspaper anymore? I wouldn't be completely surprised if anyone reading this said "no Seth, I don't." That's not the point I want to make. How about this... does anyone read the Sunday edition of the newspaper anymore? I do, every week. I have a subscription to the Kansas City Star and I receive the Friday, Saturday and Sunday editions of the paper. The Friday and Saturday papers go right into the recycling bag, sorry boys, but the Sunday paper is read almost every week... in this order:
I'm not sure what's more strange – the fact that I know what order I read the paper in, or the fact that I wait until the end to browse the coupons. I'll make it even more weird... ready? I actually get excited to look through the coupons! Yeah, I = freak.
It's not quite the same excitement that I get when I know I have mail (again, weird), but I love going grocery shopping at Hen House and watching the little monitor that keeps a running tab of how much I've saved (by purchasing items on sale or using coupons). I usually average around $10 a shopping trip, which in my book is a success. Saving money when buying food just because I took time to clip a little piece of paper out of the newspaper... that's worth the time, in my opinion.
What's not worth my time is writing about coupon statistics... I'll let you read about that on your own time. What IS worth my time is telling you about something that I encountered today when working on a Captain D's project.
I was creating small icons for a new local marketing materials web site we're creating, and the need for a coupon-ish looking icon came about. So, I headed on over to coupons.com to see if I could find an example of a coupon icon. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was the RSS image on the site. [Editor's note: for those of you who know me, I'm a BIG fan of RSS – it really will change the way you browse. For those of you who don't know, read this.]
Whoa! You mean I can subscribe to this RSS feed and receive coupons via my RSS aggregator!?! That's a freakin' deal! It took me about ten seconds to copy that URL and subscribe to it... sure enough I received about 30 entries with titles like: "Save $0.75 off Nestle Coffee-mate" and "Save $1.00 when you buy JUICY JUICE." Hell yeah! I was so impressed that I nearly didn't click on any of the offers.
I'm glad I did.
This thing is crap. A hoax. A sham. B. S.
Want to save $0.75 on Dannon yogurt? Here's your "coupon." Want to save $0.75 on Coffee-mate? Here's your "coupon."
To get most of the coupons, you have to sign up for some email thing on their web site. Other times, you have to install a "small" program to get your coupon. How's that? I can buy a newspaper for $1.50 and have access to $140 worth of coupons, but to get one off of the internet, I have to sign up for some spam? You're not foolin' me.
+ original post date: April 8, 2005 10:40 PM
+ categories: Web Stuff
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Thats my order and I do read it every Sunday so you aint alone Seth. Glad to know Im not the only geek that gets the Sunday paper and goes through and divides it up between the sections I plan on reading and the sections Ill never touch. Throughout the week I have no problem getting news online, I just like the hard copy Sunday paper. Wierd eh.
+ author: stevepanic
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:55 AM
Now tell them how you only go grocery shopping on a certain day of the week, Seth. (And I thought I was the anal one.)
+ author: wendy
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:56 AM
Wendy is smoking crack again. If, at one point, I did have a "day" to go shopping... it's not the case anymore. The only days I reserve for certain things are when I play sports and I have to reserve those days... but that's just because I can't DVR my softball games -- or I probably would and then just watch it later. No, no... I go shopping when I need to.
+ author: Seth
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:56 AM
You leave the Comics for last? Man, I feel so weird hanging out with people who are mature.
Except for the comics, which I read first, I read the newspaper like an onion. First the outermost section (usually Main) and from then on, working my way into the inside (the flyers and coupons and etc).
+ author: Bruno
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:57 AM
One time while drinking beers at Seth's place, I placed my beer bottle into one of his handy recycling bins. A few seconds later he says, "You threw your bottle into the trash can and we don't do that here." Dude was so afraid since I live in Arkansas and he lives in Kansas "God's gift to the USA" City, that I wouldn't possibly be able to figure out that the 4-foot high recycling bins next to the trash can were for recycling that he actually fabricated an event in his head in which I mistakenly placed my bottle into the trash can and not into the bin. THAT's anal. What's more, who else was he referring to when he said "...and WE don't do that here" cause I am still under the assumption that he lives alone. And don't say Simon, Seth, cause that little menace would litter them bottles all over the place if he had a thumb.
+ author: Crasymaker
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:57 AM
For those of you wondering, Todd is not allowed to drink anything at my place that's NOT in a cup. Cans and bottles (glass or plastic) are out. Sorry bud, but I just can't trust you anymore. Besides, you still owe me like five trips to KC... and bring yo gal next time, too.
+ author: Seth
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:58 AM
Oh, and speaking of anal. How about having to wash out -and then turn upside to dry the beer bottles before actually placing them in the recycling bin (wrapped in foil and then placed in an airtight zip-lock brand storage bag hidden in those little brown paper lunch sacks you take pb&j's to school in). I think there is a disorder with your name all over it buddy.
+ author: parc
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:58 AM
You don't own the containers that get nasty beer mold in them if you don't wash them out, do you? I'm sure you didn't notice my garage, that's attached to my loft, where I can freely store stinky items... oh wait, I DON'T HAVE THAT LUXERY! And if anyone is wondering, I just burned and defecated on Parc's two chairs that he left at my place. Sorry bro.
+ author: Seth
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:59 AM
Oh how quickly "Coupons wrong" can turn into "Seth is Anal" sweeeeet. One time Seth almost backed his car into our pool. Not really an anal thing, just thought Id mention it.
+ author: stevepanic
+ posted: June 25, 2005 08:59 AM
We're getting WAY off track here, people. Don't you see how wrong it is to offer coupons via RSS, but users have to sign up to silly crap to receive them!?! And Steve, my parking break slipped! I wonder how scared those kids were... "uh, someone's car almost ran into the pool."
+ author: Seth
+ posted: June 25, 2005 09:00 AM
Well fine. You can just have my now burned and defecated on chairs. Maybe you can store them in your garage. Oh wait....
+ author: parc
+ posted: June 25, 2005 09:00 AM
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