Get
instant savings. Save more in stores by signing up to have sales notifications and
special coupon codes sent right to your cell phone via text message. Then hand
your phone to a cashier to get the savings. Retailers that send text alerts
include Bath & Body Works, Dollar Tree, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Lord &
Taylor, Macy’s, Old Navy, Target, Victoria’s Secret, and Walgreens. Go to their
websites to get more info and sign up. Or search “mobile text alerts” with the
names of your favorite retailers to see whether they offer similar programs.
Get local deals.
A
new website and app make it easier to shop smarter locally. That can boost your
area’s economy and help you score special items and the kind of personal
service the chains often can’t deliver. Zaarly.com gives you an easy way to
find goods and
services
including cake baking, house painting, and more. It’s in five major cities and
growing. We also like the app called Pirq, which lists daily deals from
mom-and-pop stores near you. It’s free and works on Android and Apple devices.
Save even more at warehouse clubs.
A
club employee recently shared some insider tips with our sister site, Consumerist.com:
Don’t forget to shop club websites, which have exclusive products and deals.
When we checked Costco.com we saw 28 online-only offers. In stores, avoid the
first weekend of the month, when it’s “a zoo.” And don’t get your prices mixed
up: Tags are often above items, not below them.
Shop the best shelves.
Don’t
be tempted by supermarket “sucker” spots, where high-priced items are often
placed. When products are outside their usual sections—cold remedies next to
tissues, for instance—or even under a sale sign, they’re not always the best
deal. Even if a product is marked down, there might be a better-priced one or a
store-brand version. (Store brands can save you as much as 74 percent,
according to our
price
scans.) Good places to look for bargains include end-of-aisle displays
(warning: new, full-priced items often appear there, too) and bottom shelves,
which have less-popular but sometimes lower-priced items.
Get in on presales.
In
his new book, “Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World”
(Portfolio/Penguin, 2013), Mark Ellwood says that the best time to shop a sale
is before it starts. Insiders can get early access and other extras. Sign up
for Nordstrom’s Fashion Rewards loyalty club to shop sales before the crowds. Buy
lots at Ralph Lauren and be notified of secret sales plus get a VIP card for an
extra 15 percent off. Get sales alerts on Racked.com, Facebook, and Twitter. Or
ask a clerk about presales.
