It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Five years ago, Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco's Mission District put an ad in the Yellow Pages, offering a 20% monthly discount. Times were good, and few people paid attention to the ad. They didn't need the help. Fast forward to the present, when a recession has families all over the nation struggling just to get by.
Now, as the San Francisco Chronicle reports, people are scouring the city for the coupon. People are raiding Library yellow pages, and taking the books from friends and family. Some are even signing up for multiple copies of the directory.
The news is a mixed bag for Rainbow Grocery. The store can't seem to stock the shelves fast enough and the company workforce has grown by almost 50% to keep up with the demand.
But that demand is also the problem. Rainbow Grocery is a co-op and employees are considering clipping the coupon program in an effort to alleviate the burden on workers and customers. They are also considering cutting back the offer to once every other month or increasing the days it can be used to spread out the number of customers. No verdict yet, so until then, the influx of customers will continue.
