If you’ve noticed your Sunday newspaper missing SmartSource coupons lately, it’s not your imagination. The coupon insert company has paused releasing their free coupons for two weeks now, and we’re getting worried.
SmartSource coupons have been a weekly staple helping savings-savvy grocery shoppers stay on budget for decades. While digital coupons are easy peasy to use, there’s nothing quite like clipping those little printed money-savers, am I right? Sipping your coffee, scissors in hand — it all feels so zen.
In this savings whodunnit?, we explore the questions, “Is this the end of our Sunday coupons? Are SmartSource coupons just taking a break?” Here’s what we know so far as we try to get to the bottom of this coupon conundrum.
SmartSource coupons were missing on Oct. 16 and won’t be back on Oct. 23, 2022.
We noticed the Oct. 16 Sunday newspaper was a little lighter than usual — and that’s because the SmartSource coupon insert wasn’t there. SmartSource announced there won’t be a published insert on Oct. 23 either.
SmartSource says they’ll return to their regular schedule starting Oct. 30, but should we worry? Maybe. According to Coupon in the News, the publication released 43 inserts out of 52 Sundays in 2021.
SmartSource has never missed publishing two weekends in a row in a decade, other than to take a two-week holiday break.
SmartSource discontinued their print-at-home coupons in 2021.
In 2020, Charlesbank Capital Partners bought News America Marketing (NAM) from News Corp after years of low earnings.
With the new owner came some big changes, including shutting down print-at-home coupons and tapping into more digital coupons.
Even though more shoppers are starting to use digital coupons, 25% of coupons used are printed, proving that paper is still popular. So, SmartSource continued to print coupon inserts for Sunday edition newspapers.
Big brands like Nabisco and Clorox barely advertise with SmartSource anymore.
Even though Sunday SmartSource inserts still exist, big brands like Clorox and Nabisco stopped offering discounts as often as they used to.
Although print inserts make up 90% of coupons, that number is starting to decline.
The number of print coupons distributed drops 14.7% every year. This leads to brands switching from print advertising to digital advertising.
And, without brands paying for spots in the Sunday inserts, they won’t make money. We could see SmartSource Sunday coupons disappear forever if more brands pull out.
The SmartSource website redirects to Checkout 51 now.
A reader tipped us off that if you try to go to SmartSource.com or SmartSource.ca, you’ll get redirected to a website for the Checkout 51 app.
Checkout 51 is an app where you can get cashback on grocery and gas purchases. SmartSource and Checkout 51 were part of the same Charlesbank Capital Partner buyout in 2021.
So, it’s possible Charlesbank is giving up on SmartSource and focusing on the digital market with Checkout 51.
You can always print your digital coupons using the free KCL app.
We might not know the future of Sunday SmartSource coupons definitively, but Krazy Coupon Lady always has your back. You can go to the printable coupon page on the free KCL app or website. Here, you’ll find plenty of printable coupons to print and use at your convenience.
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