A new reality television series on TLC, Extreme Couponing, follows individuals that go to extreme lengths to avoid spending money in grocery stores. The question for retailers and brands is whether the show will be a hit and inspire legions of new uber-couponers to clip away at companies' profit margins.
According to an Associated Press report, one person profiled on the show used coupons to trim nearly $2,000 from a shopping list to $103.72 at the checkout. Another extreme coupon clipper reduced a grocery store bill from more than $555 to around $6.
Amy Winter, general manager and executive vice president at TLC, told the AP that big things are expected with the new show. "It made this absolute connection to our audience who wish they could save money like these people."
According to the TLC website, 2.1 million viewers tuned in for the premiere episode of the show which aired as an hour-long special in December. The series' first two half-hour shows will air this evening at 9:00 and 9:30. Future shows will have the 9:30 p.m. time slot.
"You sort of have this feeling like they're getting away with something, but they're not doing something wrong," Ms. Winter told the AP. "They've figured out the system."