5 Shopping Secrets That May Suprise You
Getting you to spend more money is a game. Heres how to win.
Here are five ways to hold on to more of your hard-earned money while still enjoying the thrill of shopping till you drop.
1. Watch Your Step
Whether you're shopping for groceries, blue jeans, or TVs, do you ever feel like you're in a maze with only one way out? Retailers trap you on purpose. They make the easiest path from Point A to Point B a path that will cause you to pass the most (and most expensive) goods. The more items you pass, the more likely you'll be to buy them. Retailers also place the items they really want you to buy at eye level. Don't be afraid to take shortcuts through a store, and be sure to look up and down for more-affordable options. Ever wonder why clearence items are in the back? It's so you pass all the expensive stuff first!
2. Keep Your Hands to Yourself
Once you pick up an item, you're more likely to buy it. That's why retailers encourage shoppers to squeeze that melon, try on that necklace and inhale the scent of that leather jacket. If you don't want to buy items you don't need, keep your hands occupied - perhaps by clutching your wallet.
3. The BOGO Magic
A quick way to reduce store inventory on items that are not selling or about to go on sale is the BOGO. Whether its Buy One Get One Free or Half, the logic is the same. The Buy One Get One Free method is a huge enticement to buy something because it looks like a great deal, but you have to ask yourself, "Was I really going to buy this anyway?" or "Do I really need two of these, much less one?". The Buy One Get One Half Off model sounds great, and most shoppers assume "Well, Im buying one, I would be crazy not to take the deal and save a whopping 50%"! In reality, you just coughed up more money for something you were not going to buy anyway.
Think of it this way, imagine a pair of shoes for $40... Instead of "Buy one get one free", think of each pair of these shoes is $20, if I buy two pairs. Less sexy, right? How about the "Buy one get one half off" If I take the deal, I only spend $30 for each pair, but I pay $60 instead of $40.
4. Abandon Your Online Shopping Cart
When online shoppers contemplate buying items, they'll often place them in their online shopping carts while they consider the purchase. Online retailers automatically track un-purchased goods left in shopping carts. After a certain period of time, customers with items in their carts who are signed up to receive e-mails and alerts from the retailer in question often will receive e-mail coupons designed to entice them to complete their purchases. Make this practice work for you by leaving big-ticket items that you know you want to buy in your shopping cart and leave it there for a few hours to a day. Odds are high that you'll end up getting them at a price that's 15 percent or 20 percent less than you would have paid had you completed your purchase immediately.
5. Almost everythings for sale, if you know where to look
If you haven't discovered online coupon codes, you're spending too much money, period. If you're serious about saving money, reach for your mouse and keyboard (or smartphone) before you reach for your wallet. Simply type "retail store name" and "discount" or "coupon code" into your web browser, and you'll be rewarded with a list of options to save. Even better, Yay! Savings shows you multiple coupon codes in one place. The key is to be flexible. Items that are one price in a brick-and-mortar store often cost less on the store's website. Combine that with a coupon code for a percentage off of your purchase price and free shipping, and you can save a bundle shopping at your retailer's virtual store as opposed to the location down the street from you.
Coupons are pervasive; retailers just hope you won't bother to look for them. With Yay! Savings extensive search feature you can pretty much find a coupon for almost anything you are looking for. By just typing in a store or an item in the search, you may find multiple coupons for a single item!