the buzz log
The Cheap Sheet
Frugal, thrifty... forget about that. These days we are cheap. As covered in a previous Buzz Log, penny-pinching has become a way of life, but it has gone way beyond fashion. Here's how we're counting our change.
Deals or no Deal
In the innocent days of 2006, a "coupon" search list usually revolved around the retailer. Now, with retailers going out of business, store loyalty is crippled, if not dying. Sites like RetailMeNot, SlickDeals, CouponCode, DealNews, CouponSuzy, DealCatcher, and CouponMom have all registered Search traffic among the frugal-minded. Coupons.com just bought the Grocery IQ iPhone application, to make coupons-on-the-go all the easier.
Reap the Cheap
Outright cheapness particularly abounds, as the frugal-minded scour the most for "cheap flights," followed by hotels, car rentals, used cars, cruises, train fare, and laptops. In yet another Search-sign-o-the-times, "cheap romantic getaways" queries have spiked as Valentine's Day beckons. Speaking of Feb. 14, remember it's the thought that counts when you receive that "cheap lingerie" (+155%), "cheap flowers" (+99%), and "cheap jewelry" (off the charts).
Thrill of the Bargain Hunt
Of course, there's a difference between needing to save money, because you're one of 7.6% of unlucky Americans on the official unemployment rolls, and the adrenaline rush of getting more for less. Coupon clipping has become somewhat of a sport, as people still peruse deals that don't qualify as dire necessities: For instance, a 221% spike in "velveeta coupon" might bespeak desperate times, whereas "victoria's secret coupon codes," "cheap unlocked cell phones" and "cheap hand guns" probably reveal more a bargain-hunting mindset. Among other things.
The Clipping or Pinching-Free Zone
For shoppers who want to be financially conscious but hate clipping (or downloading) coupons, retailers like Safeway allow customers to load discounts onto their grocery club cards, which then get rung up at check-out. For others who absolutely despise the whole nickel-and-diming concept, an AP story outlines other ways to save.
The Paradox of Thrift
Of course, all this has introduced one question above all: Should one shop at all? A few searchers have been pondering the "paradox of thrift," an economic theory which the San Francisco Chronicle contemplated around the holidays: Bad times means savings, but no spending can spiral into job losses. Being cheap may be one way to have it both ways.
And now, a Buzz Cheap Sheet.
Coupons: The Great Equalizer
In this time of a weakened economy, increased layoffs, and soaring gas prices, concerned folks are looking for new ways to cut costs. Ironically, one of the "new" methods is actually one of the oldest tricks in the book—coupons.
Searches for coupons spiked an astounding 1,840% this past Sunday, far above the typical weekend surge. Clearly folks want to save money on anything and everything. A look at the top coupon searches reveals that restaurants draw the most lookups, but clothes and electronics retailers are also top-of-mind.
And, speaking of electronics, Wal-Mart's Blu-Ray promotion is causing ripples in the Buzz. The mega retailer is issuing a $100 gift card with any Blu-Ray DVD player, including the PlayStation 3. The Dallas Morning News explains that the deal is one way for Wal-Mart to attract coveted "high-definition shoppers," though we assume the significantly less coveted freebee-seeking demographic will pay the closest attention.
Below, we rank the retailers with the most coupon searches from the past week. Pizza Hut takes the top spot, while Bed, Bath, and Beyond, a store that's been known to bury unsuspecting consumers with avalanches of direct mail, comes in a strong fourth.
Filed under: Coupons
Clipping Holiday Coupons
Every dollar counts when the economy looks like it's heading down the tubes. And with the holiday shopping season in full bloom, shoppers are using savvy searches to save a few bucks. Searches on "printable coupons" and "free printable coupons" jumped more than 20% yesterday. We also noticed a series of spikes on the stores offering the best bounties. Here are the top 10 from yesterday...
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Still searching for more savings? Make sure your printer is well-stocked with ink 'cause we have the top 20 coupon searches from the past week...
Filed under: Coupons
Clippin' Coupons
It never hurts to save a few pennies, especially when prices are going up. Some of us frequent restaurants that offer free soda refills, others make a dinner out of free buffalo wings and peanuts at happy hour, and some of the more savvy among us clip coupons. These scraps of paper come in handy at the supermarket checkout line, and searches on "grocery coupons" jumped a whopping 190% yesterday.
But the grocery store isn't the only spot for savings—searches on plain ol' "coupons" rose 40% as well. Maybe we're all in a belt-tightening mode, or perhaps we're trying to stick it to "The Man" in any small way we can. Either way, we present the top 20 coupon searches over the last week...
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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