Bed Bath & Beyond to ditch coupons in favor of membership fee

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - We all love a good Bed Bath & Beyond coupon, but with a drop in profits, sales growth, and share price, the chain is now trying out an approach already used by other companies: pay a membership fee now and get discounts all year long. 

The reported Bed Bath & Beyond membership, which is not yet available to the general public, would cost $29 a year for a constant 20 percent discount and free shipping, following a model similar to Amazon Prime. 

Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at Splender.com, says the membership model is right for certain consumers that shop there regularly or order online frequently. She says if you shop there only a few times a year, you should skip it.

Hitha Herzog, chief research officer of H Squared, says it can mean a boosted bottom line for retailers.

While we're still awaiting comment from Bed Bath & Beyond, the retail experience is certainly moving beyond the coupon.