Fans of the newspaper coupon inserts witnessed a sad day this month when the final Procter & Gamble Brandsaver coupon insert appeared in print for the last time. The Brandsaver was a monthly feature in many newspapers for more than 20 years, and it’s strange to consider that there will no longer be a standalone insert offering coupons for the wide variety of products made by this manufacturer.

P&G released a statement regarding ending the Brandsaver, which reads in part: “Millions of shoppers have switched from clipping paper coupons to using digital coupons. Besides being faster and easier to use, digital coupons can also help reduce coupon fraud and shelf clearing, which ensures our products are available wherever people shop. We will continue to explore and implement new ways to make coupons available to shoppers, including ways that are simpler, more convenient, and more relevant.”

Instead of having their own, dedicated insert, some coupons for P&G products may still appear in the Save or SmartSource inserts in the paper in the future. However, P&G has been offering electronic coupons for their items in a variety of stores’ apps for quite some time now, and their move toward offering the majority of their coupons in digital format is not surprising, considering the way our world has been transitioning toward apps and electronic solutions for so many things.

One of the most common reasons I hear from shoppers that they aren’t fans of digital coupons is the fact that there are typically strict limits on the number of items that can be redeemed. I have subscribed to multiple copies of the Sunday paper for many years simply because I like having multiple identical coupon inserts to draw from and plan my shopping trips. If, for example, dog food went on sale, I would buy multiple bags at once with multiple coupons.

In a digital world, however, the same coupon is often issued with a single, one-time, one-item use. While we, as shoppers, are always grateful for any available discounts on the items we’d like to buy, stocking up and using a coupon for each individual item becomes much more difficult with digital offers.

So, what does this mean for the future of paper coupons? On a personal level, it’s difficult for me to see any of the newspaper coupon inserts disappear, as it portends the potential decline of the other paper coupon inserts. I have no inside information on this – but I do believe that if one major player in the couponing game has decided that it’s time to largely bow out of in-print promotions, at some point, another will follow.

If you’re sad about the slow demise of paper coupons, you’re not alone. I have always appreciated the security of holding a coupon in my hand for multiple reasons. I like being able to physically see and hold the coupon offers I’m taking to the store versus looking at them on my phone’s screen.

I also like knowing that if for any reason my coupon does not scan at checkout, the cashier will be able to assist. Coupon offers are not always encoded correctly (whether we’re talking about paper or electronic,) but having that little piece of paper in hand with text that outline what the offer should be is an enormous benefit when you’re trying to make sure your coupon’s discount is applied. With a non-tangible digital offer, this isn’t nearly as easy – especially for people who do not use smartphones and are loading their electronic coupons at home or at work prior to visiting the store.

Change is always inevitable in life, especially where technology is concerned. However, I don’t think any of us want to give up the savings game – especially faced with continue inflation predicted for the year ahead. We need to continue to utilize the coupons available to us, as well as trying to time their usage around those same items going on sale for lower-than-usual prices.