People lining up for newspapers

MOSES LAKE - The newspaper is seeing increased sales in the wake of the recession with help from coupons. The Columbia Basin Herald's single copy, or non-subscription sales, increased by 12 percent in May from the previous year, said the paper's Circulation Director Tom Hinde, on Wednesday.

Evidence of the demand was seen inside the Columbia Basin Herald's Circulation Department and front office Wednesday afternoon. Shoppers just starting to use coupons to trim their household budgets were lined up to buy extra copies of the paper. The paper offered 10 packs of Friday's edition and mixed packs of five Tuesday and five Friday papers. Each 10 pack cost $1.

Staff was telling customers to get the papers as soon as they could by 3:30 p.m., before supplies ran out. More than 800 papers were sold at the Herald Wednesday afternoon.

Cassie Mitchell, a Moses Lake mother of two, was waiting in line to buy extra papers with her infant son. She started using coupons about four months ago to find a way to feed her husband economically, she explained.

Deadra Harrison, of Moses Lake, said the economy and rising grocery prices drove her to start using coupons a few months ago. Harrison saved $15 during her last shopping trip on her $60 grocery bill. "So that's good," Harrison commented.

The surge in demand for the newspaper has proved to be a "win-win" for both customers of the Columbia Basin Herald and Moses Lake businesses, explained Columbia Basin Herald Publisher Harlan Beagley. He credited Moses Lake coupon expert Allison White for offering her coupon class to residents and the TV show "Extreme Couponing" for the uptick in demand. White even set up a Facebook page, separate from the Columbia Basin Herald's page, and gained 7,000 "friends" online.

The paper's coupon offerings in special 10 packs resulted in the company selling everything it is printing, which is "historic," he said. Not including subscriptions, the paper sold more than 5,000 papers this week. He mentioned an Idaho paper experienced people stealing papers from the racks and inserts. Beagley said the Herald is not seeing stealing, as the 10 pack program was created to provide extra papers at 10 cents a piece. The paper would violate advertiser contracts if it gave away coupons separate from the newspaper. Any unsold coupons must be destroyed.

Hinde said he was "very, very pleased," with the boost in single copy sales. On a typical Friday, the paper sells between 1,300 to 1,500 copies. Lately 1,850 copies have been sold on Fridays. Tuesday's single copy sales average is between 750 to 775. Now they come to 975 copies.

In May readers using all of the national coupons inside the Herald could have saved $521 on grocery and household bills. Safeway, Lep-re-Kon, Walgreens and Rite Aide offer coupons for their local stores.

One sure way to get coupons is to be a home delivery subscriber, Hinde said. "My goal is to provide the best news and advertising package possible for our readers," he commented. For those in the "Extreme Couponing" program, they have access to unsold copies of the paper starting at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, by visiting the Herald's office at 813 W. Third Ave., in Moses Lake. Extra copies are usually gone by noon on Fridays. For more information, call 509-765-8882.