Coupon thieves plague Standard
Including coupon packages in Sunday editions of the Southern Standard has had an unintended side effect — the doubling of newspaper thefts.
“People are putting their money in for one paper, then rifling through racks and taking the coupon packages out of five or six papers,” said Standard circulation director Bill Cathcart. “Or, they’re simply paying for one paper and taking five or six complete papers for the coupons inside.”
The Standard has recently started including the coupon packages in the Sunday edition following popular demand.
Prior to the offering, such coupons could generally only be found in large daily newspapers in larger cities.
“We’ve been trying to get this coupon package for a long time and now we’re happy to be able to offer it to our readers,” Cathcart said. “It’s a great deal for everyone because for 75 cents on Sunday you not only get the news, but you get coupons worth way more than the 75 cents you paid.”
The package includes numerous coupons for name-brand products.
Given the ongoing problem which has reached epidemic proportions, the management at the Standard has announced it will have to prosecute people caught stealing coupon books or extra papers.
“It’s a misdemeanor but it is something that could be prosecuted on individual counts, meaning one count for each paper theft,” said District Attorney General Dale Potter. “Now if there’s damage to the box during a theft and the damage costs more than $500, the crime is a felony.”
According to Standard management, the recent thefts of coupon books marks one of the highest spikes in newspaper thefts they have seen.
Prior to the coupon thefts, increased paper thefts had been seen during special editions which included Best of the Best ballots and papers which included special sections.