Wednesday, April 15, 2015

3 Simple Ways to Shop and Save

There are a lot of angles out there that people have to save money. If you watch shows like Extreme Cheapsakes you will see people go to huge lengths to save a few bucks. A lot of the time these people are investing a lot of time and energy to do this. It makes for good television but many people lose interest quickly.



Some of the simplest ways to save money are actually encouraged by the retailer because there is so much competition out there. Even low end discount stores advertise more ways. They just need people in the store. Also, don't feel bad about taking advantage of these deals otherwise the store wouldn't advertise them.

Loyalty Cards

Almost every store out there now has a loyalty card and they are all free. It encourages people to go back because they can acrue points. I love loyalty cards. Everywhere I go I check to see if the store offers one. Look for pamphlets at the checkout or when you first enter. I have a loyalty card for 90% of the places I shop. I doesnt nessasaryily make me want to go there but wherever I go I can most likely get loyalty points.

Years ago I wanted to buy a watch so I went to Sears and found a beautiful Bulova which is one of my favourite brands. The lady at the checkout asked if I wanted a loyalty card and I said yes. She proceeds to tell me that I can sign up and use it now to buy the watch and get an instant $20 off just for signing up. Also, the amount I was spending on the watch was enough for another $50 in points. I scored and with very little effort.

Of course some are better than others. Here in Canada the best by far is The Shopper Drug Mart Optimum Card. Tons of points on everything and multiple bonus point weekends and bonus redemption weekends. One special weekend I redeemed $170 worth of points which got upgraded to $230. That's just free money for going in on a certain weekend.


Price Matching

This works best for grocery stores but to can do it almost anywhere that two competitors are in close proximity. Just ask an employee if they price match. If they do, ask which ones. Don't feel embarrassed, they want you to know that information. They don't want you to leave and buy your product somewhere else.

Once you find out if the store price matches or not you will need evidence that their competitor has a lower price. You can either use a flyer or take a picture with your smartphone. When you get to the checkout tell them you would like to price match an item, point out the item and show them the flyer.

The other most convenient way is to use an app for your phone. The one I use is called Flipp and it works perfectly. Look at the digital flyers on the app, circle the items you want that are the cheapest and they will be compiled on a list. You can even search for specific products from all available stores. This app works like you wouldn't believe. I have sometimes cut my final bill in half just by doing this.


Flipp

Store E-Flyers and Apps

It might sound like I covered both of these things with the options above but these are slightly different and you can reap rewards that you cant get from the other methods. Some owner operated stores and some large stores have the option for you the sign up for monthly or weekly E-flyers. They can contain upcoming promos, sales and coupons that are not available to people that dont recieve the e-flyer.

My local deli/butcher has one and its awesome. It tells me all their current sales, updated prices and even specially priced items that you can only get if you have the e-flyer. I went in one day and saw that London Broil steaks were on sale for a good price. I pull out my phone and find that they are an additional $1.00/lb off with the e-flyer. I tell the lady and I saved another two bucks. With that I bought my girlfriend a couple Nanaimo Bars. Win win.

Store apps are almost the same. Many large retailers have them and they are loaded with features and loyalty options. Canadian Tire for example, you can browse all their departments, look at just sale items or pick an item and add it to your list. When that item goes on sale it will alert you with the new price, tell you which store has it in stock and even which aisle to find it in. They are extremely useful and always free.

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