Media Sales Today

Coupons went out of style a few years ago, reaching a peak of 4.6 billion redemptions way back in 1999. Coupon use sank to 2.6 billion from 2006-08, but then the recession hit, and coupons became cool again. Coupon redemption was up 27 percent in 2009 to about 3.3 billion, according to NCH Marketing.

Ahhhh. One of my favorite times of the year. Back to school. Notebooks in every color, pens just waiting to let the ink run wild on a legal pad, new backpacks for throwing around. I will admit it: I am a total nerd for school supplies. I like to walk into Staples or Office Max or Target this time of year just to admire the neatly stacked binders, the endless rows of packaged pencils, calculators, paper clips — oh my! Just the SMELL of all things new and plastic takes me back to that butterflies-in-the-belly feeling of a new school year, new teachers, new subjects, new friends, new crushes approaching.