How to Get Sale Prices without all the Hassle

If you are like me then you hate going into stores to look for merchandise on big sale days. But my wife showed me how to almost always get sale prices on good quality merchandise without having to fight the crowds. This is especially great for buying clothes when you have to look for just the right sizes.

What we do is we look for upcoming sales that cover merchandise we need. Then, the day before the sale we go and make the purchase. Yes, we pay full price. But many stores will allow you to take the unopened/unused merchandise back in the next day (the day of the sale) and either do a return for a full refund or they’ll just give you the difference between full retail and what you paid.

You need to keep your receipts intact to do this. Also, some stores may have a reshelf policy where they won’t give you the refund but will allow you to purchase the item back after it has been placed on the shelf. If you do the exchange after the store has sold all its other stock for that item you’ll have to wait for the reshelf.

So always check out the store policies before you plan to do this. You don’t want to embarrass yourself or waste time (and gas money) by making an unnecessary trip to the store.

And here is another cool idea.

If you know a store is about to run a sale, check to see if the item you want is in their online inventory. You may be able to order the item for “in-store pickup” at sale prices. In-store pickup saves you shipping costs because the item is delivered to the store through their normal shipping channel.

You may have to place your order FROM the store itself in order to get both the sale price and the free shipping. Check with a store clerk to see what their policy is.

You may also be able to find great prices on merchandise while you are visiting out-of-town friends. Large brands often put merchandise on sale at stores that don’t generate as much revenue as stores in large cosmopolitan areas. If you know your local store is always packed with people it may offer fewer sales per year because its merchandise turns over more quickly.

Stores with lower revenues have to sell as much of their stock as possible and so they may have more sales. These stores tend to be located in or near smaller cities and away from large population centers.