Where and how to look for discounts: 7 ways to save on purchases
Everyone loves to buy profitably, but not everyone is looking for the best promotions and offers for a long time. So that hunting for them does not take much time and effort, together with the smart shopping service SeverX, we tell you what methods and resources will help you quickly find discounts and make shopping as economical as possible.
1. Check promotions before going to the store
This will allow you to see interesting discounts in advance, make a shopping list and not waste extra time looking for benefits, looking at each price tag in the store. And also do not grab onto unnecessary goods, because often any promotional products fly into the basket, which will then simply lie in the closet.
You can search for the best prices in catalogs with special offers or in online versions of stores. But the latter does not always work: sometimes offline promotions do not coincide with those on the Internet. For example, this happens with clothing or cosmetics. In this case, you can go to the store to get a closer look at the product, evaluate the appearance and quality, and order it online.
2. Look for discount coupons and promotional codes
Two discount tools with a similar principle of operation. A promo code is a combination of letters and numbers or a code word that must be entered in a special field during the purchase or named to the seller. Coupon – a document with a number or barcode that must be shown to the seller; it usually only applies to offline purchases.
You can search for them in several ways:
- On the websites of the stores themselves . Offers are shown on a banner or in a pop-up window.
- In social networks . Brands collaborate with bloggers and provide them with promotional codes for discounts in their stores or services. And they, in turn, share them with readers or viewers.
- In a search engine . It is enough to indicate in the request the name of the desired store and the word “promo code” or “coupon”.
- On services with coupons and promotional codes . It contains offers from hundreds of different brands that can be sorted by category or benefit size.
Before using a promo code or coupon, pay attention to the validity period, the possible number of uses (single and multiple) and the conditions. For example, sometimes you need to spend a certain amount to get a discount. But the conditions are also pleasant: for example, a promotional code can be added to existing promotions.
3. Buying things out of season
Skates and a down jacket at the end of winter, and a swimsuit and shorts at the end of summer. At this time, seasonal discounts reach their maximum, and you can buy the desired item with a profit of up to 90%. This rule applies not only to clothes: an artificial tree, toys and other New Year’s decor at the end of January will be much cheaper.
But it is important to bear in mind that the promotional assortment of stores during this period is very limited. Finding the right size or the right model won’t be easy. Therefore, if you are sure that you need a specific item and that it is popular, it is better not to wait for exorbitant discounts, but to purchase it at the beginning of the sale.
4. Issue loyalty cards
Sometimes, without them, you will not be able to get benefits at all. For example, in many grocery chains, some or all of the discounts are available only to loyalty program members. But in other cases, cardholders are rarely left without bonuses: they have access to closed promotions, coupons for purchases and point cashback, which can later be spent on paying for goods or receiving gifts.
Some brands allow you to join the loyalty program simply by registering in the official app. But still, in order to get a card, you need to purchase goods for a certain amount or pay: the price, as a rule, is small and fights back from the first purchase. But don’t rush to waste your money. Check out the loyalty card apps first : some paid cards are free to use. Such services will also allow you to abandon the densely packed business card holder and store everything in digital format.
5. Collect the maximum cashback
The savings, although not instantaneous, are no less pleasant from this: the money earned from shopping will definitely come in handy next month. It is advisable to use a card with a ruble refund – so the cashback can be spent on anything, not just on the goods of the bank’s partners. And try to use non-cash payments more often, so bonuses will fall even for insignificant expenses.
You can return even more using cashback services . They act as intermediaries between stores and customers and receive a reward from the brand for attracting new customers: they keep one part of the money for themselves, and the other is credited to the user in rubles. The amount of return can be as small, for example, 1%, and significant – 20 or even 50%.
6. Use discount aggregators
These are services that collect special offers from different stores. There are aggregators only for products, only for clothes and shoes, or universal, with products of different categories.
With them, you can immediately find the best prices near the house, indicating your address on the map, and make a shopping list. Sometimes this option is available in the applications themselves – you don’t need to open a notebook or notes in your smartphone. And the list of promotions is easy to customize using filters: sort by discount size, keep only your favorite stores, or select the desired product category.
7. Subscribe to the mailing list of your favorite stores
A way not to miss out on benefits for those who do not want to waste time looking for discounts. Information about all new offers will find you on its own – come via SMS or e-mail. So that the newsletter does not annoy and clog up the mailbox, you can create a special folder and set up sending letters from brands to it. So you won’t miss the promotions, and you won’t lose an important letter.