Bargain Hunting Blog

Finding Deals in a Recession – 6 Bargain Hunting Tips

In an economic downturn it is important to become a frugal shopper.  There are many ways to avoid paying full price for the things you need, but here are six money saving shopping tips that will help you in a good or bad economy.

1. Research and Know Exactly What You Need:
Whether it’s a camera, bookshelf, or TV, make sure you do some research before buying.  Learning about specific products and brands, decreases the chance that you will make an uninformed impulse purchase.  Research will also help you recognize a good deal when you see it.

2. Shop Patiently and Plan Ahead:
The best sales occur during certain times of year like before, during, and after holidays or at the end of seasons.  Plan ahead and give yourself time to find a bargain.  If you know you’re going to need a new winter coat next year, start looking for it at the end of winter or in early spring.

3. Always Price Compare:
The web has made it easier than ever to compare prices for products and services.  With just a few clicks of you’re mouse you can browse price comparison sites or the actual websites of competing merchants.  Some price comparison websites have the added bonus of providing merchant and product reviews.

4. Use Discount and Coupon Websites:
By locating and displaying thousands of online deals and coupon codes, these sites take some of the work out of bargain hunting.  Before you’re ready make a purchase, just do a web search using the merchant name or product name with words like coupon code or promotion (i.e. “Widget Factory coupon code” or “digital camera promotions”).  The search will return several websites where you might find a coupon code or deal that provides extra savings.  Checkout a few of these sites, because some have better offers than others.

5. Join Merchant Email Lists
If you don’t mind getting a few marketing emails each month, being on their email list is a good way to get the best deals from a merchant.  Emailing current and potential customers is the most cost effective way to market products.  Because this form of marketing is so effective and affordable, merchants can include the best promotions.

6. Submit an Incomplete Order
Sometimes when you start an order on a website and don’t finish it, you get offered a discount to complete that order.  Some companies will prompt you with a discount when you try to navigate to another website and others may send a discount email within a few days of noticing your incomplete order.  As the competition to get customers on the web increases, this type of thing will become more common.  This is one more reason why it pays to be patient when shopping.

Circuit City Liquidation and Closing Sale

Circuit City is having a going out of business sale.  All 567 Circuit City stores will start selling products at liquidation and clearance sale prices immediately.  According to the Cirtuit City website (which is no longer open for shopping), the liquidation sales will start in some stores as early as Saturday, January 17.  These sales will run as long as it takes to sell all inventory.  When all the inventory is sold the store will be closed.  store locator >> 

This Circuit City liquidation sale will have many great deals, but shop with care.  A liquidation sale does not automatically mean the lowest price available.  During liquidations, retailers know that there is a tendency to be impatient and impulsive, so some prices may not be real bargains.  Take your time, and do some research before buying.  This will insure that you don't get taken advantage of.  Always keep in mind that the purpose of these sales is to generate as much money as possible in order to pay down the company's debt.  If they can sell a hot item at a higher price, they will certainly try.  Also, don't be afraid to negotiate price.

Here are a few things you should know about the Circuit City liquidation sale..

• All sales are final, no returns, or refunds are available.

• Circuit City gift cards will still be honored.

• Delivery service is not available.

• Installation and repair services are not available.

• Extended warranties will continue to be provided by the third-party that issued the warranty.

• A Circuit City Advantage warranty can be purchased for liquidation sale products. This service is provided by a third-party and will not be affected by Circuit City's closing.

• Circuit City's price matching guarantee is not available.

Outlet Shopping NYC - Woodbury Commons

New Yorkers looking for great deals on name brand products only need to take a short 1 hour bus or car ride to Woodbury Commons Outlets, in Woodbury, NY. Woodbury Commons is perfect for New York shoppers, because it is not your average Outlet Mall. Among the 220 outlet stores you’ll find outlets for the same brands found on New York City’s famous 5th Avenue. You’ll find tremendous outlet savings for Burberry, Coach, Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, Saks 5th Avenue, Ralph Lauren, Prada, and many more high-end retailers.  Plus, savvy shoppers will find outlets like Gap, Banana Republic, Timberland, and Nike that are common in other outlet malls.

To get even more savings take the Gray Line or Shortline bus from New York City’s Port Authority. It’s really easy to do and the buss ticket entitles you to a Woodbury Commons VIP Coupon Book. The VIP Coupon Book contains 100’s of coupons for additional savings at various Outlet stores.

When is Cyber Monday 2008? What is Cyber Monday?

What is Cyber Monday? Cyber Monday is the Monday after Thanksgiving. It is considered the busiest online shopping day of the year, because it is the first day consumers are back in the office after Thanksgiving. On this day, millions of American office workers have traditionally found a little time to surf the web for the best online deals of the year. Of course, this could not happen without retailers doing their part and providing big discounts. When is Cyber Monday 2008? This year Cyber Monday is on Monday, December 1.

Cyber Monday is fabulous day to find great sales, but don't get discouraged if you don't find the deal you're looking for on that day. With the tough economic environment there will be plenty of huge sales leading up to Christmas. Plus, if you are not in a hurry don't forget the huge deals that can be found during after Christmas sales.

The Incomplete Order - Shopping Tip

It’s happened to me, more than once, that I’ve been offered an additional savings by an online retailer simply by not completing a purchase.  If I’ve gone so far as to give my name, email address, and other personal information at check-out, but then change my mind and leave the page before submitting the order, the retailer sometimes emails me, offering a discount of up to 15% if I go back and complete the purchase.

This doesn’t always happen, but it might be worth a shot especially if your not in a rush. Let me know if this happens to you, and I’ll compile a list of retailers that offer this service.

Upcoming Sales Tax Holidays

Shopping online is not the only way to avoid paying sales tax. In the near future, many states are having sales tax suspension periods. This means that select products you buy within the state will be tax free. With back to school shopping just getting underway and everyone feeling the economic pinch, this news comes at the perfect time. Here is a list of upcoming sales tax holidays I found on the MSN finance pages.

State	Holiday	Tax savings*	Eligible products (cost is per item unless otherwise noted)
Connecticut	Aug. 17-23	6%	Clothing and footwear worth $300 or less.
Georgia	Oct. 2-5	4%	Energy-efficient and water-saving products worth $1,500 or less.
Texas	Aug. 15-17	6.25%	Clothing and backpacks worth $100 or less.
Virginia	Oct. 10-13	4%	Energy-efficient products worth $2,500 or less.
Washington,  D.C.	Aug. 2-10	6%	Clothing and school supplies worth $100 or less.
Washington,  D.C.	Nov. 21-Dec. 2	6%	Clothing worth $100 or less.
West Virginia	Sept. 1-7	6%	Energy-efficient products worth $2,500 or less.

Offline Sales Starting Early This Summer

I was out walking around this weekend getting roasted by the New York City heat. It’s a hot, humid, strangely aromatic heat that you need to be here to really hate. Anyway in between short thunderstorms I hopped in and out of a bunch of national retail stores. In doing so I was a shocked to see how many big sales were going on. You name it shoes, clothes, electronics, furniture, everything was on sale. It seemed like all the major retailers and even the small boutiques were having some sort of sale. I know, it's a week before the 4th of July, so that could explain some of it, but certainly all of it. So the good news is if you’ve got some disposable income (if you do I’m jealous), now seems like the right to get some shopping done. The bad news is that the economy is obviously slow and likely getting slower if stores are having huge sales, so early in the summer.

Most Popular Discount Coupon Searches

To illustrate how popluar the use of online coupons is becoming, I performed a simple investigation to find the top 25 internet searches that contain the word “coupon”. The list is based on the estimated average number of searches through Google, Yahoo, and MSN on one day. Using a keyword tool I checked total searches using the word "coupon" on 5 consecutive days. The the top 25 results are a rough compilation of my findings during the 5 days. Though internet search infomation changes constantly, the coupon searches in the list below proved to be the most popular every day. This is just a very simple list of popular coupon searches, but it represents thousands of individual searches each day. What I think this all means is that there are a lot of consumers looking for and using online coupons. The fact that these coupons exist and are relatively easy to find is great news for all of us. Here’s a coupon search tip just add the word coupon to the end of whatever you’re looking for.

1. Las Vegas Coupons
2. Outback Steakhouse Coupons
3. Pizza Coupons
4. Subway Sandwich Coupons
5. Grocery Coupons
6. Dog Food Coupons
7. JCPenney Coupons
8. Babies r us Coupons
9. Discount Hotel Coupons
10. Printable Coupons
11. Papa Johns Coupons
12. Coupon Organizer
13. Printable Grocery Coupons
14. Restaurant Coupons
15. Food Coupons
16. Wendy’s Coupons
17. Netflix Coupons
18. Pizza Hut Coupons
19. Cereal Coupons
20. Dell Coupons
21. Papa Johns Coupon Codes
22. Home Depot Coupons
23. Dominoes Pizza Coupons
24. Free Shipping Coupons
25. Car Rental Coupons

American Express Does Have Privileges

American Express frequently provides exclusive bargains on products and services for their cardholders. I don't own an American Express card, but I can't count how many times I've been in the process of buying something and found an exclusive discount or special offer for American Express cardholders. Most recently I was renting a car and had I used an Amex card I would have received a greater discount. I have a friend that just purchased tickets for the upcoming George Michael concert. I love George Michael, so I'm not embarrassed by this! Anyway, she was allowed to purchase the tickets before they were available to the general public because she has an Amex card. See what I mean. Get the idea. Owning an American Express card does come with benefits. It must be said that Visa and Mastercard do have some similar benefits, but not nearly to the extent of Amex.

Bargain Hunters Checklist

Here are four simple things to remember that will help you always get a good bargain.

1. Know what you’re looking for:
Whether it’s a camera or bookshelf, learning to shop for only specific items decreases the chance that you’ll succumb to the dreaded impulse buy. An impulsive purchase almost always guarantees that you will overspend and not get the best price for something.

2. Check price comparison sites:
Price comparison websites like My Simon, and Biz Rate are great places to find which retailers are offering the best prices on electronics, DVDs, books, CDs, and other select merchandise.

3. Check discount and coupon sites:
These sites offer thousands of online deals and coupons at any given time. Pick three or four of these sites and check them for special offers or coupons before you buy. Who knows you might find a Kodak coupon that gives you 20% off plus free shipping on the digital camera you are looking for.

4. If you can be patient:
The best sales occur during certain times of year like before and after holidays and at the end of seasons. Remember retailers use holidays to give you more incentive to buy and they use end of season sales to make way for the new seasons products.