I’ve heard people say things like… “if we just wait to shop until after Christmas, we can get everything so much cheaper, when it goes on sale!”
Well… I have a secret!
I know how you can shop, and still get the sale price… even if it doesn’t go on sale for another month!
Here’s a scenario that I know you have all been through at least once… and I know that you hate it as much as I used to!
– You go out shopping for a particular item
– You go from store to store trying to find the best deal
– You finally make a decision to buy thinking you’ve done your best in making the choice
– A week later, you are in the same store and notice that the item you bought last week now has a sale tag on it for $20 less than you paid!
UGH!!!
Well, when I learned this little secret, I didn’t have to worry about that scenario anymore!
When you’re used to being the person who does the shopping in your household, you learn lots of little tips to try to save a few dollars here and there.
Most of us know about money savers such as; shopping with coupons, finding clearance items, and price matching. But until now, maybe you’ve never heard of the “price guarantee”?
After you learn this method, here’s how your new shopping scenario unfolds!
– You go out shopping for a particular item
– You go from store to store trying to find the best deal
– You finally make a decision to buy thinking you’ve done your best in making the choice
– A week later, you are in the same store and notice that the item you bought last week now has a sale tag on it for $20 less than you paid!
– You take your receipt up to customer service & tell them you want a price guarantee for an item, and they scan the receipt. If you paid $40, but it is now on sale for $20… they hand you $20 back in CASH!
Did you catch that?
You don’t have to bring the actual item back in – you just hand them the receipt!
What does this mean for you?
If you bought aunt Mary a pair of gloves for Christmas for $40, and now they went on sale for $20, you can simply take in your receipt and get $20 cash back… and aunt Mary is none the wiser 😉
Think… holiday decorations, seasonal clothes, seasonal gifts, etc. – you know… the items that always tend to go on sale soon after the holiday. But don’t limit yourself to seasonal items! This method works for anything!
Here is the step by step process for making this work for you:
Step #1: When you are shopping, always keep a little ziplock bag, pen, & piece of paper with you
Step #2: Put your receipts in the ziplock bag
Step #3: While in the store check outline, look for the time frame for the price guarantee in the store policies. Some stores have a limit of 1 week, while others have up to 3 months! Their policies are usually posted at the checkout area, if not just ask. Jot down the store name & time limit for price guarantee on the piece of paper that you keep in the ziplock bag with your receipts. That way you’ll have it for future reference.
* Different stores have their own name for this service, and might be called something such as price match, price satisfaction, etc.
Step #4: If you see an item that is now on sale while you are out shopping – take out your little ziplock bag – check the store policy – look for the receipt with this item on it… then go get yourself some cash!
I hope this little tip comes in handy, and helps you save even more money while shopping!
Pearl
Merry Christmas Pearl 🙂
Have a blessed holiday,
kay ellen
Wow! I am going to have to pop a zip loc bag in my purse today. Great tip!
Cass
Pearl,
What a great idea. Have you ever had a store tell you “no” when you have asked them for the reduction? It would be interesting to know what stores “do” and what stores “don’t” have this policy.
I know HomeGoods will give you back the full total a year later, as long as you have the original receipt. Doesn’t even matter if it’s ever gone on sale. You still get back full price if you choose to return it.
Have a great holiday.
Cathy
Cathy,
I’ve never had a store tell me “no”, if they have a policy in place.
I have used this method at MANY stores including – Wal-Mart, JcPenney, Sears, Hollister, and lots more!
* Don’t forget… we’re not talking about “returning items” – just taking in the receipt for cash back if the item goes on sale.
Let us know how you do!
Pearl
THANKS FOR THE TIP! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
SMILES, ALICE
I love, love, love, your shopping tip on sale prices. I am putting a zip bag in my purse right now to keep my store receipts. Have Merry Merry Christmas
Genevieve
You’ll have to be sure & tell us how you do!
Pearl
I’ve heard of that, but wasn’t sure it was true. Thanks for the tip!!!
I do that … I have been known to go back more than once as a price goes down …. get my 20% off, then the additional 10% when it goes to 30% off … the money is better in my pocket than theirs!!! Great tip.
Pearl, What a clever girl you are. Wonderful tip! This is the first time I have come across your lovely blog. But I will be back to visit often.
Thanks so much!
Yvonne
I did this with Amazon.com just this Christmas! I ordered an iPod docking system for my husband. Two days later, it was more than $20.00 lower, so I emailed customer service with my order number, the link to the item and explained how it was so much cheaper. They emailed me back saying it wasn’t their policy to price guarantee, but since it was such a large amount of money in such a short period of time, they would refund the difference.
It really felt good to save a little money during the holidays and still get my husband a gift he loved!
What a wonderful tip! You’re so clever. Thanks for sharing this.
hi would this work in the U.K
Hi Pearl,
Although this is one of your older posts I still would like to leave a comment and thank you for the good advice. I didn’t know yet what you have explained here so well and I sure will watch it from now on and hope it will save me the one or other dollar in rough economical times like this.
This is such a great tip, thank you and I love your site.
Thanks Lee & thanks for stopping!