Coupon

The word is of French origin, pronounced . In Britain, the United States, and Canada it is pronounced . A common alternate American pronunciation is . ==History==

Antiquity During the great famine of 18 AH (638 CE), Umar, the second ruler of the Islamic Caliphate, introduced several reforms such as the introduction of food rationing using coupons, which were given to those in need and could be exchanged for wheat and flour. 1900s Coca-Cola's 1888-issued "free glass of" is the earliest documented coupon. Coupons were mailed to potential customers and placed in magazines. It is estimated that between 1894 and 1913 one in nine Americans had received a free Coca-Cola, for a total of 8,500,000 free drinks. By 1895, Coke was served in every state in the United States. In 1929, Betty Crocker began a loyalty points program and began issuing coupons that could be used to redeem for premiums like free flatware. In 1937, the coupons were printed on the outside of packages. The loyalty program ended in 2006, one of the longest loyalty programs. In Australia consumers first came in contact with couponing when a company called Shopa Docket promoted offers and discounts on the back of shopping receipts in 1986. ==Types and uses==

Coupons offer different types of values, such as discounts, free shipping, buy-one get-one, trade-in for redemption, first-time customer coupons, free trial offer, launch offers, festival offers, and free giveaways. Similarly, there are varied uses of coupons which include: to incentivize a purchase, reduce a price, provide a free sample, affect prices; coupons are part of the marketing mix. So is knowing about the customer. ==Conveyance==

Coupons exist in more than one form, and are acquired by customers in a variety of ways. Paper Historically, verifying the discount offered has been via presenting coupons clipped from newspapers Later on the term "downloadable coupons" came into use. • Apps: Related to classic coupons are loyalty cards; these have increasingly been superseded by mobile apps. ==Taxation==

In the United States Typically, when a coupon is issued by the retailer, the tax burden is decreased by the amount of the coupon because the actual price charged to the customer is reduced. Conversely, whether or not manufacturer's coupons reduce the tax burden a consumer has to pay varies by state. In some jurisdictions, such as Colorado, New York, and Pennsylvania, manufacturers coupons do reduce the tax burden that customers have to pay. ==Trading==

Coupon manufacturers may or may not place restrictions on coupons limiting their transferability to ensure the coupons stay within the targeted market. Since such restrictions are not universal and are difficult and/or costly to enforce, limited coupon trading is tolerated in the industry. Organized coupon exchange clubs are commonly found in regions where coupons are distributed. Often coupons are available for purchase at some online sites, but since most coupons are not allowed to be sold, the fee is considered to be for the time and effort put into cutting out the coupons. Some types of coupons may be sold. The New York Times not only said "the traffic is legal" regarding selling airline discount coupons, but wrote "check the commercial notices column in The New York Times or the classified advertising section under 'Miscellaneous') in The Wall Street Journal.{{cite news During war time or economic hardships, trading or selling ration coupons is an economic crime.{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/12/12/archives/held-in-ration-frauds-3-seized-in-nassau-for-selling-coupons-for.html ==See also==