Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Strap *this* to the back of your cat.

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Online Subscriber Coupons

Redeemable only at certain businesses.
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A company that produces both an online and a print edition of its periodicals, like the Wall Street Journal or Art That Isn't Weekly, would send a coupon redeemable for one free hardcopy issue to online subscribers, on a montly or weekly basis. Rather than being an online coupon, as that can be easily fudged, this would be a hard-copy version of the coupon.

This coupon would only be redeemable at participating vendors, like, say, Starbucks. Thus, Starbucks (or other vendor) sells coffee to people who came in just for a free paper and had a "While-I'm-here-I-might-as-well" moment. Starbucks, in turn, pays the publisher some set rate for the number of redeemed coupons.

shapu, Oct 23 2006

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       I've seen the sign saying "We no longer accept on-line coupons" in several grocery stores. There must have been some problem with them being overused or something.
Zimmy, Oct 23 2006
  

       Hence it being mailed directly from the publisher, rather than being a click-and-print. I should have made that clearer (edited main)
shapu, Oct 23 2006
  

       ok, I gotcha now.
Zimmy, Oct 24 2006
  

       Where is the bonus for the publisher?
Chefboyrbored, Oct 24 2006
  

       The payment from the vendor would presumably exceed the cost to the publisher of manufacturing and shipping the hard copies.
shapu, Oct 24 2006
  

       How would you keep the vendor honest? What would make them admit they had 50 coupons to redeem instead of 70?
Chefboyrbored, Oct 24 2006
  

       Every coupon could be given a unique identifying code, just like the McDonalds Monopoly game pieces.
shapu, Oct 25 2006
  
      
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