For years I have used Store Circulars to alert me to sales and specials. Circulars change weekly, and each local area varies the start date of the sale. For as long as I can remember, our sales always started on Sunday. However, for the past few years, that’s changed. Most of our sales now begin on Friday.

I don’t like this new change for the following reason. Coupon inserts are generally found in the weekend papers. The coupons often correspond to store sales. This translates to shopping without the benefit of the new coupons. I’m not sure why this change has taken place, but for the average shopper this is no benefit.

For me, I like it even less. A few of my local stores have a 4-day weekend special from Friday to Monday. So unless I can wait until Sunday, I lose the benefit of these extra coupon savings.

One interesting phenomenon is that with the advent of the internet Store flyers and other promotions are now on the Store’s web site. My local A&P has the following on their site:

• The full sale circular
• Coupons downloaded directly to my loyalty card
• A shopping list I can customize from the sales

So put in your store name, add .com and see what benefits you can glean from your store’s site