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Betty Crocker Catalog Closes After 75 Years

Friday marked the end of a 75-year tradition for many American families: Snipping and saving box-top coupons for discounts on silverware and other merchandise sold through the Betty Crocker catalog. General Mills shut down the program as the habit of saving up for a future purchase has faded in favor of buying on credit.

Mark Bergen, who chairs the marketing department at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, says the Betty Crocker reward program was remarkable for two characteristics--its longevity and the depth of emotion it inspired among its devotees. It became more than a coupon redemption program, he says, by working its way into the fabric of family life.

General Mills tried to give collectors of any discontinued silverware pattern two years' notice so they could finish building their collection. The Betty Crocker Web site will link to the site of another company that will honor leftover Betty Crocker points.

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