Shoppers save a whopping £10bn a year with coupons
SAVVY shoppers save nearly £10billion a year by using discount vouchers it emerged yesterday.
Handing over those moneyoff codes at the till racks up overall savings of £9.8billion – an average of £180 a year for each customer, consumer research shows.
But it is the high-rollers – shoppers earning more than £120,000 a year – who are mad about hunting down bargains.
Ninety-six per cent said they used a discount voucher at some point, saving £408 a year, compared with £144 saved by workers earning between £10,000 and £20,000.
Whatever their earnings though, all shoppers were found to redeem offers almost once a week on both their regular outgoings such as the weekly food shop, or luxuries like spa days and massages.
But the survey of 2,000 consumers, commissioned by the website VoucherCodes, revealed that, despite the impressive cost savings, shoppers keep their success a secret.
Just 30 per cent tell family and friends about deals they are eligible for – and only 13 per cent of beans.
Shoppers aged 35-54 are the most prolific bargain hunters, followed by 18 to 34-year-olds and the over-55s.
The biggest voucher and discount code lovers live in the South. In Bristol 93 per cent of those polled take part and 44 per cent make the most of discounted cinema tickets.
This was followed by Londoners, high earners spill the SHARING bath water with other family members and not always flushing the loo are among the weird and wonderful ways people save money.
Other thrifty Britons take packed lunches to work, cut their own hair and only drink tap water when they eat out.
The figures emerged in a study of saving habits by Carphone Warehouse’s new price comparison service.
Spokesman Carl Doran said: “With us looking for ways to with a score of 91 per cent – 50 per cent of whom get money off dining out, and 21 per cent by going to the theatre.
Plymouth is third with vouchers used by 86 per cent of consumers, 77 per cent of whom mainly spend them on their weekly food shop.
Londoners save the most money – £216 a year – followed by Sheffield at £204, then Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool and save money, it’s clear that rising bills are having a real impact.
“We believe choice is essential to helping people find great value, enabling them to save for the things that matter to them.”
The poll also found that as a result of penny-pinching, more than half of us save more often than five years ago.
But a third admit to dipping into savings at least once a month. Bristol, jointly at £180. Anita Naik, lifestyle editor of VoucherCodes, said: “Savvy shoppers are looking outside of traditional high-street and online sales when it comes to finding the best deals.
“It’s great to see people, irrelevant of age, location and household income, taking advantage of getting the best deals, whether online, in-store or on the go with their mobile.”