It’s hard to believe that some stores can stay in business with all the legal ways to save money that are available.
Here’s the scoop. I go to an online auction site and search for coupons and cash cards that others are selling and buy the best offers they have. Today I could have bought 10 $5 off discount cards for a mere $6.17 total with free shipping for one of my favorite retail, chain stores.
Then I look through the email and snail mail coupons and cash cards, check the expiration dates, and get ready to shop. I bring my IPhone which has the email offers displayed so that the cashier can scan the bar codes online for additional discounts.
I’m ready to shop and first I look on the clearance rack and find a camisole to go under a dress that is a bit low cut for me. Instead of a safety pin, I can wear the dress over the camisole which matches the print.
I also found a gorgeous black cardigan with ruffles along the uneven hem and the cuffs. It is made of cotton and rayon and feels cozy. It looks luxurious.
The total of the two items without discounts was $67.00. With the clearance rack discount of 80% off, my $10 card, and an email on my IPhone that the price scanner could read, I only paid $6.23. I found out too late for this shopping trip about the cash cards I can buy online. If I had bought and used one, these items would have cost me $1.23. I’ll know better next time. It pays to talk with my neighbors about discounts because that’s how I found out about the online bonanza.
Now that I know this strategy, I’ll buy the cards and wait for sales on bedding. I want to replace my master bedroom duvet cover and go from dull red to eye popping yellow.
The markup on bedding, for example, is steep, even with discounts. If I wait for additional reductions, let’s say on Labor Day, I can score big by using several cash cards at one time.
The lesson learned for me is to read my mail carefully, save coupons and buy cash coupons when they are for sale at very low prices. I don’t know how the big stores can survive with scavengers like me shopping this way. If something is too good to be true, it’s too good to be true. It will not be this way forever.