Justin Schmaltz uses the Clipper Magazine instead of a meal
plan.
He picks up the coupon book from hyperactive distributors on
Locust Walk at the start of each semester, and browses its pages
for discounts at area restaurants.
It is students like Schmaltz who are responsible for the birth of the
ubiquitous Clipper and countless other student discounts.
"Having no meal plan, I find that the Clipper Magazine is an
extremely valuable source of discounts to local merchants," said
Wharton junior Schmaltz.
In addition to the biannual Clipper fever, students find mounds of
fliers at the bottom of their bookstore bags, in their faces on Locust
Walk and lining their mailboxes around the start of classes.
While the Clipper, the Collegiate Couponbook and several other
student discount vehicles are widely distributed, the verdict is still
out on whether students widely use them.
While there are bargain hunters out there, many also say they
simply recycle all the mass money-savers that come their way.
"I don't usually look at [the Clipper] too often. My roommates save
it and tell me if there's anything exciting in it," said College
sophomore Jessica Ley, who added that she last saw one on her
floor.
School of Social Work graduate student Chekemma Fulmore
agreed.
"I don't find [Clipper] to be extremely useful," Fulmore said. " I
guess the coupons are not really for things I would need or
use."
Penn's Clipper offers discounts from various companies, such as
Campus Copy Center, Powelton Pizza and the Saturn Club. Even
Dining Services advertises in the magazine.
And the Clipper is not the only discount magazine in town.
Mail Boxes Etc. and Modern Eye are just two of the stores that
advertise in both the Clipper and its competitor, Collegiate
Couponbook.
Some companies bypass the Clipper completely.
"We liked the style of the Collegiate Couponbook better," said
Naomi Fiordimondo, who is charge of public relations at the White
Dog Cafe. "We have considered the Clipper Magazine, and we
decided against it."
"The Clipper Magazine didn't seem too successful for us," said
Papaya King General Manager David Wagner.
And some students said they just don't have the time to peruse
either book.
"I know I spend a good amount of money on meals because I
don't have a meal plan," says College sophomore and Class
President Jason Levy. "I guess it would be nice to spend a little
less money but I don't have the time to go through a coupon
book."
Still, clients get their money's worth, Clipper officials say.
They claim the Clipper will boost a company's image, cost less
than competing advertisers and target the company's
consumers.
"The service that we offer is that we create the ads for the people,"
Clipper Secretary and Treasurer Bob Zuckerman said. "We'll come
up with the concept for them, and we'll come up with the photos for
them."
And many clients do seem pleased with the results.
"Of all our ads, the Clipper Magazine has been the best as far as
promotions go. It's the best promotion we've ever had," said the
man who goes by "Curly" from Powelton Pizza.
"They have helped me a lot with coming up with advertising and
pictures. It is pretty effective," added Saturn Club owner Rebecca
Wright, who has been advertising in the Clipper for about 10 years.
"Students are pretty comfortable using it."
Clipper was started in 1983 in a dorm room in Lancaster County
by roommates Steve Zuckerman and Ian Ruzow, who are now the
company's president and vice president, respectively.
"My brother was looking at an insert in a Sunday paper and he
wondered if he could do this on a local level," explained Bob
Zuckerman, who is Steve Zuckerman's brother.
The original Clipper, called the Campus Coupon Clipper,
contained four pages of black and white advertisements and
coupons. Since its introduction, the focus has changed, and the
company now mails directly to households across the nation.
Penn is the only college campus still offered the magazine.
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