[zdw]

There's actually a TV show on "Extreme Couponing" http://press.discovery.com/us/tlc/programs/extreme-couponing...

Coupons are wonderful advertising as they can attract customers that may not otherwise even entertain purchasing a product or service, but have a processing cost on both the buyer and seller's end.

The point isn't the money, the point is keeping that customer in the future.

[nl]

Coupons are a very effective way to maximize revenue on a product by segmenting your market.

"Rich" people would usually never consider coupon clipping, and so will pay full price.

By putting ever more complicated ways to save money ("save 5% by clipping this", "save 50% by clipping 10 weeks of these", "save 90% by clipping 10 of these, then sending off for the rebate") a seller can make sure that even the poorest can buy their product at the cost of inconvenience.