If you enjoy paying full price for products all the time, then this guide may not be for you! However, if you are passionate about finding a good bargain and thrive on saving money, then you’ve come to the right place. We’re very fortunate to be living in an era where there’s an abundance of internet connectivity at home, work and coffee shops, plus thousands upon thousands of online sites that you can easily browse for deals with just a few clicks of your mouse. The toughest part is finding the time to do all the necessary research and knowing what and how to go about it. I’ve put together 7 pro tips on how you can be an expert shopper of bargains and deals.
1. Digital Coupons Are Your Best Friend
Retailers and shopping sites are very experienced in the coupon space and are willing to give up a portion of their profits in exchange to gain your business. Digital coupons have come a long way and it’s easier than ever before. You should always start your search in Google or consider downloading the many coupon apps that exist today. If you’d rather stick with an online search, then all you have to do is enter the brand name of the product you’re looking to purchase and append the word coupon or coupon code and in a matter of seconds, you’ll be presented with a ton of sites with specific links to digital coupons that you can consider to include for your next product purchase.
2. Use Web Browser Extensions
This is an emerging area for the online shopping space and these type of products have paved the way for consumers to find bargains and deals even faster using the power of their web browser. Know that browser extensions are primarily on desktop or laptop devices and not prevalent on mobile web browsers. So if you’re the type shopper who typically uses your laptop or desktop computer to shop, then this is the route to go. The great part about these browser extensions is they take out a lot of the guesswork and do the price comparison research for you!
3. Knowing When to Look for Bargains
This is something that isn’t widely advertised but there are certain categories of retailers and merchants that tend to provide deeper discounts and bargains on certain days of the week, month or year. If you’re a seasoned and savvy shopper, then you might already be familiar with this concept but for most people, it might be a newer thing that will take some getting used to. Of course there are the standard run-of-the-mill holidays throughout the year where you can find stellar bargains including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Monday and also Free Shipping Day. One word of advice I want to give here is this, make sure you’re not buying TOO many things on these top shopping days that you don’t need just because the price point may be appealing! Not all prices are bargains!
4. Keep An Eye Out For Reduced or Free Shipping
Something to watch out for during “sale” or “deal” days with online merchants is although the sticker price seems low, they may get you on higher than normal shipping & handling fees. I’ve also seen charges for “Convenience Fees” which I’m not 100% certain what those are but a word of caution is to pay attention to the breakdown of fees if you’re making a purchase online. You also have to pay attention to minimum spend amounts before you can qualify for “reduced” or “free shipping”. Some online stores offer free shipping no matter the amount you purchase but in some cases, you may need to reach $100 or $150 to qualify.
5. Ask for a Price Match
A little known fact with big box retailers is their ability to offer a price match against certain online retailers and stores. Most people that make purchases at the store don’t even think about asking to price match against a different store and potentially end up paying higher than they should have. One thing to keep in mind is that in order to get a price match completed, the product must be exactly the same (make, model and sometimes even color) plus it has to show it’s in stock at the other store before they can do a match. Not all retail stores participate in price matching but I think it’s a good habit to ask if it’s something they would be willing to do. After all, they would rather make the transaction with you since you are already there versus having you walk out the door and buy elsewhere.
6. Check Social Media Pages
One of my favorite pro tips for finding bargains and deals is by frequently checking the retail store’s social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. There is a high probability that they may offer unique and exclusive bargains and deals through social in order to reap the benefits of engagement and receiving positive feedback from consumers like you and me. I’ve seen many instances where retail stores offer special discount codes (e.g. free shipping) or certain percentage savings by purchasing directly via social media.
7. Let Your Items Sit in the Cart
The beauty of online shopping and e-commerce is giving consumers the option and final say to making a purchase. The concept of the shopping cart is fascinating because you can fill the cart but can close your browser and session if you choose to not buy anything. Most of these online stores are smart enough to keep your items in the cart and do monitor “how long” items have sat in your cart. Some of the more sophisticated online sites will even go to lengths of teasing you with a pop up next time you come to their site and offer you a 10% or 20% code to complete your purchase! Watch out because you might turn into an impulse buyer like me!
Getting a bargain and deal on products is an awesome and amazing experience! Saving a few dollars here and there can really add up in the long run and I would recommend taking your time to proactively use these pro tips to find amazing deals that you can be proud of!
Thanks,
– Simply Sal
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