Volkswagon Beetle? Nope! A Volkswagon Tiguan!

When I entered the Volkswagen I was greatly attracted to their initial layout. They had the information that all consumers desire to know upfront (pricing, APR, where to find a dealer) as well as a picture of their featured vehicle. They identify that the customer wants a low price purchase as well as an efficient and marketable vehicle. The website offers links at the bottom of their page to view their carefree maintenance details, their new 2011 vehicle (the Touareg Hybrid) as well as options for upgraded audio systems. One thing that stood out to me was the ‘blog’ link that the website offered. For each model of vehicle VW set up a blog so consumers can post their opinions and feedback from a vehicle allowing prospective consumers to hear from real people who have had experience with the vehicle. Overall, the Volkswagen website was appealing to me.

I have recently seen an increase in the Volkswagens on the road. I saw the Tiguan earlier this year and I had taken an interest in it, so when this MEAN was assigned I decided I would build my own Tiguan. I started by clicking on the “Build and Price” link. I was redirected to site where it asked me what model I want to continue with (see below) and I clicked on the Tiguan. I decided to go with the SE model and the color black. The company definitely catered to my desire to have options. I was able to choose from six different colors for the Tiguan, four different kinds of wheels, two types of interior (leather or cloth), the choice to have a trailer hitch and also gave me the option to add a sunroof. Volkswagen gave me many options to design my vehicle and gave me a detailed summary of what I had just created. When I was finished creating my custom Tiguan I clicked on “Summary” and it gave me full details of what I had just created. It started with the name and model (Tiguan SE) and went into what type of engine (200 hp, 6 speed automatic) and gave me the drive terrain (all wheel drive). The summary also included the base price, how much my added selections were, my destination charge and the overall price. The final detail asked me if I wanted to talk to a dealer and request a test drive of my custom Tiguan.

 The website gave me numerous options for different areas of the vehicle. It gave me nine different models to choose from at the start.

When I was finished creating my custom Tinguan I was given a detailed summary of what I had just created. The summary included the price of all the additional ammenities as well as the final price.

I thought the website appealed to my desires for custom features in my vehicle. I liked that it gave you numerous options for every aspect of the vehicle (color, interior, sunroof, etc.) and gave me a detailed summary of what I had created which included the choice to contact a dealer. Overall, the website was greatly appealing and if I could afford a $30,000+ dollar vehicle I would have purchased what I created.

You can build your own Volkswagen at www.VW.com!

Blessings,

Tiffany

A Savvy Shopper or an Episode of Hoarding? Extreme Couponing on TLC.

If you see a woman (or man) with three shopping carts filled to the top, whatever you do, I advise that you DO NOT get in the checkout line behind this person.

These hard-core couponing professionals are in it to win it - for free, and if there is a way to get free .. they will. TLC has taken the faulty economy and the need for consumers to save money to exploit the high-level couponing society. TLC aired its new series pilot, Extreme Couponing, on December 29, 2010 and over 2.1 million viewers tuned in (TLC). The show follows “savvy” shoppers as they plan, organize and plot their way to remarkable discounts. Extreme Couponers plan their shocking execution, showcase their insane stockpiles and demonstrate their dramatic (and time consuming) coupon clipping skills. You can see purchases from 1,000 tubes of toothpaste to 190 boxes of diapers for someone who doesn’t have children. Basically, I find that these couponers could be classified as hoarders.. or nuts. The happiest day in one of the couponer’s life was when her husband purchased her a binder for her birthday that could keep her coupons organized by grocery-store aisle.

These “Extreme Couponers” plot their grocery shopping trips like it was a plan of attack against foreign forces and, in the shoppers’ eyes, the enemy is the dollar bill. These couponers will gather their shopping posse and fill three to four shopping carts at the same time. Then they test the patience and amiability of the cashiers by having them ring up hundreds (I mean HUNDREDS) of coupons to ring in their discounts. These couponers receive hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of merchandise for as little as $3, $5 or $10 and these discounts are often followed by applause from the onlookers of normal grocery shoppers who wishes they had all those coupons. The shoppers start with a budget, often far below what we think is humanly possible, and vow that they WILL NOT exceed that budget, and when the total rings up, after all coupons are calculated, below their budget like planned their body flows with surges of adrenaline which can be felt throughout the television world.

Extreme Couponing is not just a mom or dad task but has been turned into a family affair. The coupon clippers will bribe their children into helping them clip the coupons and pay them as much as a dollar per coupon. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of savings? The show is - as said to be - EXTREME. These enthusiastic couponers that are featured on the show end up having to rearrange their homes, children’s rooms, garages, vehicles and entire lives to make room for their mounds of toothpaste, shampoo, peanut butter, canned soup and toilet paper that they are stockpiling.. or hoarding. I mean, what will one family that has 4 boys and 1 female do with 10,000 rolls of Charmin toilet paper??! With the economy in its declining state we have all adapted to the fact that we can save money buying in bulk, but this kind of “bulk buying” is like shopping in anticipation of the world’s end.

One of the shoppers on the show, Tiffany Ivansky, said that she often feels like her home’s walls are caving in because the stockpiles have taken up so much of her living space. Her stockpiles have consumed all of the home’s bedrooms, bathrooms and the basement. Her stockpiles even branch as far as under her children’s beds. Tiffany says that couponing is a great part-time job (2-3 hours a week) and she saves close to $1,000 a month on toiletries and groceries thanks to her extreme coupon clipping measures (Coffey). Is this part-time job clipping coupons, paying your child $1 per coupon clipped and hoarding stockpiles that consume the entire house a money saving effort or apocalypse preparation?

While watching this show I wonder what these women (and few males) are thinking as they continue to add to their stockpiles. I mean, what will someone do with 1,000 tubes of toothpaste weighing close to 400 pounds? Well, as the couponers have explained, their thinking goes like this: you only want to buy an item when it is on sale; you combine the sale of the item with a coupon so it can be doubled in value AND use the manufacturer coupon so the store actually ends up owing you money by the time the transaction is over. Take all four carts of groceries home, unpack them and begin clipping coupons all over. Shoppers have also expressed how social media has changed their shopping ways. Companies are trying to convert to paperless coupons which allow consumers to reap the benefits of Facebook, internet blogs as well as numerous deals online. It is not just paper these shoppers are clipping but they are expanding the social network of the coupon world.

In marketing we have learned that coupons are a sales promotion for companies to get consumers to purchase their product. I wonder if this show has led manufacturers and retails to think twice about how many coupons they want to offer consumers. Could Extreme Couponing lead to end of coupons for eternity? Probably not, but I think it will be a new trend for all those viewers watching. Bring on the Sunday ads!

Below is a clip of the show. See for yourself how serious these shoppers take their coupons!

I think I might go clip some coupons! Happy Shopping!

Tiffany

Source: TLC/ExtremeCouponing