How to find a bargain


With end-of-year holiday deals and discounts long gone, it’s back to the real world, where we all have to work a little harder to find bargains for the products and services we’re dreaming of.

To help you save all year round, our Shop Talk team has scoured the internet to find bargain hunting pros’ best ways to save. Here’s what we found:

Always haggle – or at the very least never be afraid to ask. As the old saying goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and most businesses would rather give you even a small discount to close the sale than risk you walking out the door (or surfing to another online site) and not coming back. If a retailer is already offering deep discounts it may be unlikely you’ll squeeze out more but ask anyway.

Stay in the know. It’s a bummer to buy something today and find out a week later that it’s gone on sale. When in-store, ask your favorite retailer if there’s a sale coming and, if there is, see if they’ll offer you the sale price early. If not, consider holding on to your cash until the promotion begins.

Buy off-season. Everyone wants a barbecue before the summer and winter tires before the first snowstorm. But if you plan ahead, you can buy early or during a product’s slow season and reap the rewards with deeper discounts.

Go out of your way. Retailers in busy locations tend to bump up their prices because overhead costs are higher and they know they’re more likely to get customers to pay the full price. Try locating your favorite finds off the beaten path – outside city centers or in warehouse locations – where businesses have more of an incentive to bargain. But be sensible – if it takes you two hours to drive there and back, the savings may not be worth the gas and time you spend.

What are your surefire ways to find bargains? Share your secrets with the Shop Talk blog community forum!

Did you know? Band of savers

Another smart way to save? Team up with likeminded bargain hunters or set up a bargain club or Facebook group to network and find more deals.

57 thoughts on “How to find a bargain

  1. I would really like to know if this is a scam because I have done alot of surveys even the one you guys have and still nothing so I’m thinking you guys are the same but I guess we will see .

  2. I like to check out all the Clearance Sections in a Store and apply Coupons to the already marked down prices. A lot of times they pay me to take it out of the Store . And the overage that I receive from doing just that .. I apply it to other things in Store that I may need ..toilet paper. Shampoo.Food an snacks.. And I shop off.. season items . It saves me a lot of money . Because disability doen’t even pay the bills anymore. Some of the things that I like to resist it online and sell it for a small profit just to pay the Bill’s. That’s how A Single Disabled mother of 2 gets by these days. With no ones help. We figure it out.

  3. i always buy stuff for the holidays after for the next year. i have found great bargains doing this. i also check the online and printable coupon sites before i check out too

  4. I really hope you provide all of the perks you offer! It sounds like a really good deal. I’ll be looking forward to the e-mails. Thank you Robin A Patton.

  5. look in the newspaper inserts for sale items

    When something you use regularly is on sale, buy a bunch, to last as long as you can afford.

  6. I often shop off season to find and buy good bargains. For instance, during the summer I found a really nice, warm, cute coat for winter time. And during the winter you can find good spring summer clothes at a bargain.

  7. Where is my free Walmart card? I took your time consuming survey and have yet to receive a fucking card. This is a scam. And if I don’t get a card. Imediately…. I’m reporting y’all to the attorney general of Mississippi. So you need to send me my free digital gift card for 100$ Like was advertised! And I screenshot everything. So I will be sending all this to him. If I don’t receive one now!

  8. I have done many surveys that promised coupons, free samples, etc. Also I have gone on sites saying if I filled out this form or picked out which samples I’d like to try, I have done it all. Texts saying your samples are ready click here tell us where to send them & then another survey to fill out, which I did. Guess what, my samples NEVER CAME nor any coupons. It’s a scam & I’m tired of being LIED to!

  9. My favorite thing to do is buy off-season! I just got marked down Christmas items from last year for prices from 30 cents to $2!

  10. I alwats try to purchase seasonal items like winter jackets at the end of the season when they go on clearance.

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