With most countries experiencing an economic recession at the moment, it's important that you find new and innovative ways to save money. Basically you need to be able to stretch your dollar's value even further. This can be done with a little research and knowledge about the laws in your area and the various store policies and company advertising methods.
There's no reason why you should have to pay the store marked price when you can bargain with the customer representative especially at electronics stores and for bigger item purchases. People have been bargaining and negotiating for better prices for thousands of years. Why should the current period be different?
In this article, I'm going to show you a few ways and tips on saving money right now.
Research Product Prices
The best way to compare product prices is by using the Internet. There are countless websites that allow you to view and compare product pricing and savings. What I suggest is that you take advantage of and use these websites that are local to your area.
For example, Canadians may want to use RedFlagDeals.com. Using their search function, find the product that you are searching for and the prices at various stores in your area. Write down the store and the price. If the store is too far and not worth your gas or time or you don't want to order it online, check the pricing on the Internet at your favorite store where you usually shop at. If the price is more at your favorite store, you can advise their customer service about the lower price at their competitor. In most cases, they will match the price and give you 10% of the difference in the price.
In some cases, the customer service representative may not know about the store that you are talking about which is offering the better deal. Ask them to check the store's website. This is where your selling, bargaining skills come into play. You are now trying to sell the salesperson your better deal. It's very easy to do if you follow the steps that I have used and you are a little creative and have all your facts.
This approach involves a little bit of research but if you research the product carefully, you can save quite a bit of money.
Know Your Store's Policies
Sometimes stores have a policy that if the price on the shelf is lower then in the computer on check-out, you receive the product for free up to a maximum value of say $10. This happens a lot for items on sale. Sometimes the computer does not get updated in a timely fashion or the inputted price is missed and not entered. So the shelf price does not match the computer price.
Some stores tend to have difficulty in updating their systems correctly and in a timely manner for the new prices. Therefore it's a good idea to check store prices as you are shopping or check the flyer for sales and then check your grocery receipt. If the prices differ in your favor, you can mention it to the cashier or go back to the store the next time you are there with your proof. You will either get your product free or a full refund.
Sometimes there are stores that have in-stock guarantees like for inkjet cartridges and toners. If the product is not in stock, they will give you a coupon for say $10 off your next ink cartridge purchase. If they don't, email the company's head office and they'll make sure you get it!
In some places, such store polices can be the law. Therefore it's good to know and ask about a store's policy because it can work in your favor.
Products with Samples Attached
Many times companies attach samples of their other products or new products to those that you normally purchase. Sometimes it's worthwhile to purchase a few of these products to take advantage of this free sample offering.
Coupons or Bonus Offers
Coupons have been around for a very long time. Now more than ever, it makes sense to collect and redeem them. You can collect the coupons that come in the mail, in flyers or on coupon websites but these coupons you have to print off yourself. Given the high cost of ink for toners, if the coupon is not a high value coupon, then it's probably not worth your effort and cost.
There are also some products like cereals that I like to buy which contain coupons for bonus offers. I'm talking about if I buy a box of cereal, I can get a free movie or yoghurt coupon. These are relatively high value coupons worth collecting and redeeming. You may even consider buying this product in bulk to take advantage of this opportunity.
Of course there are countless many other ways for you to save money. You can read more about them at my website http://www.iwantswag.com. These are just a few ways that you may not know about or ever heard of, that can save you money today.
By Peter Kudlacz
Money saving tips at http://www.iwantswag.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Kudlacz
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