Did you recently read about coupon trains, or see a news report talking about coupon trains as a way to get extra coupons each week? Coupon trains are a longstanding method for couponers who utilize the Internet as a way to bring in more coupons to create larger savings each week.
The basic idea behind a train is that you agree to “ride” the train with other people. Then all of the riders swap coupons through the mail. There is generally one person in charge of overseeing the ride, called a conductor. There are many many different types of trains that are exciting and fun (see more below). But that’s the gist of it.
If you are new to Hotcouponworld, we offer plenty of help to get you started. Members new to trading and train riding first go through our Trader In Training (TNT) program. The TNT program is designed to make trading and riding trains less intimidating and make people familiar with the way trading and train riding works before jumping in head first. There are coaches who will answer questions and help every step of the way. You can view the Rules and Guidelines of Trading HERE, and then sumbit the form included to get started as a trading member.
There are lots of trains and other ways to trade that are for TNTs only, so you can jump in on the fun right away!
HOW TRAINS WORK:
The simplest form of a coupon train is to have one envelope full of coupons that makes its way through a list of “stops.” One rider will pass the envie on to the next rider, who will pass it on to the next rider, and so on until the ride is complete.
Train riders are usually asked to create a list of coupons they need so the other riders mailing to them have an idea of what to send.
At Hotcouponworld, we have a full forum dedicated just to TRAIN RIDING.
Each day “conductors” post trains that they wish to run. This train sign up post will list all of the train details including how many members can ride the train, how log the ride should last, when to mail out train envelopes, what to include and not to include in the envelopes and what style the train will be. Most trains have 5-10 riders, others have many more.
Many trains have a theme. Popular ones include seasonal, holiday, movie or book. There are also trains that are races, pitting one team of riders against another. At the end of most of those, the winning team gets an extra envelope full of coupons.
Because there are so many options, you choose which type of train suits your needs.
Here are a few examples of the different types of coupon trains here at Hotcouponworld:
The basic train has only 1 envelope, making its rounds from rider to rider. The member coordinating the train (a.k.a. conductor) starts out the train, with a pre-determined amount of coupons, sending it to rider A. Rider A takes out what they can use and refills it back up to a set amount of coupons, and then sends it on to rider B. It continues in this way until the last rider on the list mails it back to the conductor. At that point, either the train ride ends or a goes around again.
A standard round robin train is where the conductor picks a number of riders. Each member is assigned another member to mail to for the duration of the train. On week one, each rider fills an envelope with the set amount of coupons following train guidelines and mails it to their assigned rider.
When each rider gets their first envelope full of coupons, they remove the coupons they can use and any that have a short expiration date. More coupons are added in and the envelope is sent out to the assigned rider. Repeat for as many weeks as there are riders.
A simple style train is a train where the riders mail out one or more envelopes to fellow riders assigned to them, and everyone mails on the same day. There is nothing to refill and mail back out. Riders receive as many envelopes back in as they send out and your ride is usually over in under a week.
Race train riders are divided into two teams. Each team starts off with one envelope and proceeds like a basic train. The first team to get to all of the stops and back home first wins. The members of the loosing team are each assigned a rider on the winning team to mail an envelope of coupons to as their prize.
Conductors run trains with differing variations on the above styles.
Coupon trains are a great way to see coupons from across the country that you might not even be aware of! They are a great tool in helping build your coupon supply for your weekly shopping.
Tags: Coupon Trading, Coupon Trains, Coupons, Trader In Training
Posted in Articles, Grocery Shopping |
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Hot CouponWorld is here to help you learn how to save like a pro! Having multiple coupons for your favorite products is a great way to boost your savings potential. There are several ways to accomplish this. One of the more obvious ways is to buy multiple newspapers–here are a few more:
