Many people feel ashamed to use coupons. And studies show that many (most?) shoppers have a lower opinion of someone they see using coupons.

I don't understand this.

Not everyone has the time to collect coupons, of course. But not everyone has time to shop at department stores or go to baseball games either, and those are not greatly stigmatized activities, so it's not that leisure time is stigmatized. The cost is born by retailers and manufacturers that think it's a good way to market or clear inventory, but people who watch commercials or just buy things that are in stock aren't generally frowned on. To me, coupons seem like a great way for people to trade time for money, which is what most of us do every day we go to work.

So what gives? It's a serious question: why is there a stigma?