• Los Angeles Times, Thursday, December 10, 2009 1:19 PM

Obviously fueled by hard times, this year will be the first since 1992 that coupon use has grown in the U.S., reports Sandra M. Jones. And the cents-off vehicles aren't just the purview of packaged goods manufacturers any more. Retailers from Walgreens to Neiman Marcus are latching on to the trend.

"Coupons are just more accessible to more consumers than ever before," points out Todd Hale, svp of consumer and shopper insights at Nielsen. Searches for coupons on Google have more than doubled this year and 42% of consumers plan to use a coupon for their holiday shopping, according to the National Retail Federation.

Coupon use peaked in 1992, with 7.9 billion coupons redeemed, according to processing firm Inmar. About 2.6 billion coupons were redeemed last year. When 2009 comes to an end, the firm projects that 3.2 billion coupons will have been redeemed.

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