CBA Industry Blog

The Shift to Thrift

Coupons are cool again, according to the latest WSL Strategic Retail: How America Shops Everyday Pulse. Of all the consumers surveyed in this report, a full 52% of them said they are proud of the little ways they can save money, such as clipping and using coupons they have found both online and in circulars. While coupons and other cost-savings techniques like cooking at home and not going out as often seem reminiscent of something a 1960s housewife might do, WSL claims both modern women and men are hunting for small ways to save money this Christmas, regardless of income. As WLS puts it, this is an “equal opportunity recession.”

As most consumers “shift to thrift” this holiday season, CBA Training and Consulting Manager Mike Hockett believes the need for coupons will continue to increase and stores can take advantage of this demand in numerous ways. Here’s Mike’s Top 10 list when it comes to incorporating coupons into retailers’ marketing strategies next month:

The First Christian Horror Film?

Friday marks an interesting day in the world of Christian products. That is the day the film House releases nationwide in theaters. The simple release of a film is not what is worth noting though. House, which is based on the novel of the same name by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker, has been labeled the first ever Christian horror film.

Adding to the buzz surrounding this film is its inked MPAA rating of R. Despite the filmmakers’ multiple appeals to the MPAA, the association remained firm on its rating. So now we have a Christian horror film with an R-rating. One sentence with several contradictory terms.

Or so it seems. When I sat down to talk with Dekker the other week about the film, I didn’t find a man trying to sway the MPAA to change, but rather a man calling the body to action. “Here’s a perfect watershed moment,” Dekker said. “Just because the world gave this film an R-rating, are we going to not sell it in our stores? Are we going to refuse to see it in the theaters just because the world slapped the letter ‘R’ on it despite it being the entire gospel message including salvation?”