1. They offer savings and help increase sales.
   They motivate stores to sell certain products.
2. They help fill up space in magazines.

Coupons offer savings, and motivate consumers to purchase a particular product.

1. You mail them in, and then the company mails you some cash.
   You take them to a bank, and then the bank deposits that amount into your checking account.
2. You use them, same as cash, to pay for an item.

Usually you will bring a coupon to a store, and use the coupon for its cash value toward the purchase of a particular item. Some coupons, however, are used for a mail-in rebate.

1. once a day
   once a week
2. once a month

Most stores collect their coupons weekly, and then send them to headquarters for processing.

1. thousands of dollars
   millions of dollars
2. billions of dollars

The big chain stores usually collect millions of dollars worth of coupons per week.

1. The coupon redemptions must be factored into the store's sales.
   The coupons must be counted one by one
2. The coupons must be sorted by value.

Coupons redemptions must be factored into the store's total sales, to make sure that the final total is accurate. Every coupon is treated as having cash value.

1. by hand
   by computer
2. by robot

Somewhere in America, right now, a team of people is sorting and cataloging millions of coupons by hand.

1. date
   dollar value
2. manufacturer

Used coupons are usually returned to the product manufacturer, which means they must be sorted by manufacturer before they are tallied.

1. a UPC code
   a PIN code
2. an rot13 code

A Universal Product Code (UPC) is a 12 digit number that allows an electronic scanner to determine the price of an item, or the value of a coupon.

1. by hand and calculator
   by scanner and conveyer belt
2. by abacus

Many clearing houses use conveyer belts to scan coupons. The coupons, with UPC code face up, are placed on the belt, and the scanner totals up the value.

1. a month
   six months
2. a year

It usually take about a month for the manufacturer to get back its redeemed coupons.

1. 0.02
   0.08
2. 0.15

Usually a manufacturer will reimburse a store around $.08 per coupon.

1. Use coupons on the weekends, when fewer people are shopping.
   Use a coupon to buy a product already on sale.
2. Use a coupon the day you find it.

If you can find a coupon for an item that is already on sale you will compound your savings. You might even get the item for free.

1. They are destroyed by the clearing house.
   They are sent to the manufacturer.
2. They are recycled.

Redeemed coupons are sent back to the product manufacturer.

1. fakes
   expiration dates
2. cool pictures

Many coupons have expiration dates. Experts advise keeping coupons in your wallet or purse, so that you remember to use them before they expire.

1. Israel
   Australia
2. Mexico

There are so many coupons being processed per week that clearinghouses often must outsource their work to other clearinghouses, such as those in Mexico.