Extreme Couponing
Encyclopedia
Extreme Couponing is an American reality television
series currently airing on cable network TLC
.
TLC's Extreme Couponing is a show about shoppers who make extensive and focused use of coupon
s to save money while accumulating large quantities of goods. It was previewed in December 2010; after surpassing network expectations with more than 2 million viewers, it received a series order and began regular airings in April 2011.
New York Times
columnist Virginia Heffernan
described the show as "a deceptively simple look at the complex drama of American spending and the paradoxes of parsimony." E! Online's critic Jennifer Arrow called it a "recessionista series" marked by "a lot of tawdry, exploitative 'reality'" and participants "just doing their crazy best to stretch dollars and provide a little more for their families." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
noted that the show "has elicited some extreme reactions", and called it "a canny example of two elements floating through the country right now," citing "a fascination with extreme behavior as it’s filtered through reality TV" and "the fact that a lot of people don’t have as much money as they used to."
The show has come under fire by consumer bloggers and experts such as Jill Cataldo about potential coupon misuse on the show (such as the use of coupons for incorrect items).
On June 6, 2011, TLC announced it ordered a second season of Extreme Couponing. It will premiere on Wednesday, September 28, 2011.
The television show and a difficult economy has led to an increase in the real world practice of extreme couponing. Many online websites offer tutorials and services necessary to extreme couponing. http://yourextremecoupons.com. The practice of extreme couponing involves stockpiling of coupons, close scrutiny of grocery store sales, and even the use of coupon clipping services.
Some see extreme couponing as a positive practice, while others question its effect on average couponers, the lines at store checkouts and other concerns. With its growth in popularity, the overall effect of extreme couponing remains to be seen.
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Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series currently airing on cable network TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
.
History
Extreme Couponing is an activity that combines shopping skills with couponing in an attempt to save as much money as possible while accumulating the most groceries. The concept of "Extreme Couponers" was first mentioned by The Wall Street Journal on March 8, 2010 in an article entitled "Hard Times Turn Coupon Clipping Into the Newest Extreme Sport". On March 25, 2010, ABC Nightline followed up with its Season 31 premiere with a segment entitled "Extreme Couponing Competition: How Far Can $50 Go?"TLC's Extreme Couponing is a show about shoppers who make extensive and focused use of coupon
Coupon
In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be exchanged for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product. Customarily, coupons are issued by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods or by retailers, to be used in retail stores as a part of sales promotions...
s to save money while accumulating large quantities of goods. It was previewed in December 2010; after surpassing network expectations with more than 2 million viewers, it received a series order and began regular airings in April 2011.
New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
columnist Virginia Heffernan
Virginia Heffernan
Virginia Heffernan is an American journalist. In March, 2011, she began to write regularly about digital and pop culture for the Opinion pages of The New York Times. She is also known as a television critic for The New York Times, and as "The Medium" columnist at The New York Times Magazine. In...
described the show as "a deceptively simple look at the complex drama of American spending and the paradoxes of parsimony." E! Online's critic Jennifer Arrow called it a "recessionista series" marked by "a lot of tawdry, exploitative 'reality'" and participants "just doing their crazy best to stretch dollars and provide a little more for their families." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
noted that the show "has elicited some extreme reactions", and called it "a canny example of two elements floating through the country right now," citing "a fascination with extreme behavior as it’s filtered through reality TV" and "the fact that a lot of people don’t have as much money as they used to."
The show has come under fire by consumer bloggers and experts such as Jill Cataldo about potential coupon misuse on the show (such as the use of coupons for incorrect items).
On June 6, 2011, TLC announced it ordered a second season of Extreme Couponing. It will premiere on Wednesday, September 28, 2011.
The television show and a difficult economy has led to an increase in the real world practice of extreme couponing. Many online websites offer tutorials and services necessary to extreme couponing. http://yourextremecoupons.com. The practice of extreme couponing involves stockpiling of coupons, close scrutiny of grocery store sales, and even the use of coupon clipping services.
Some see extreme couponing as a positive practice, while others question its effect on average couponers, the lines at store checkouts and other concerns. With its growth in popularity, the overall effect of extreme couponing remains to be seen.
Season 1
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