Grocery coupon clipping is just one way to save a good deal of money these days. You've heard the stories about people buying a cart full of groceries and paying very little for it. Savings like that take a lot of time and hard work. Here are some tips that you can use daily to save a penny here and a dollar there.How do "Buy One Get One Free" sales work?From the store's point of view, this kind of sale has two big advantages: It brings shoppers into the store and encourages them to buy more of an item than they otherwise might. It's also a good way to move loss leaders, items that have been sitting on the shelf at regular price.
"It depends on the store. A lot of times if you go to a store, a lot of them will let you purchase one Buy One Get One Free item at 50 percent off without having to buy two items. If you don't think you're going to use both items, that might be a better deal for you. Just check out the store's policies before your purchase," said Carrie Lybarker, public information director for the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs.
Savvy shoppers should watch out for the technique of raising the list price of a "buy one get one free" item before the sale to offset the discount.
"A scam we have seen in other states deals with sale prices," said Lybarker. "Right now consumers are very cautious and very tight with their funds, so people are often not buying something unless it's on sale. Some organizations have been found to put a more expensive price on a product above the manufacturer's suggested retail price and then putting it on sale at the manufacturer's suggested price."
Are generics better than brand names?The name of the game with generic products is "no frills." Makers of generics save on the expense of flashy packaging and marketing paid by their brand-name cousins, and the savings is reflected in product price. The pitfalls of generics are twofold: a product may not have used the exact "recipe" in its manufacture as its brand-name version, making for slight differences in taste or effectiveness, and materials or ingredients used may be of slightly lower quality than the brand-name version to keep costs down."I think it's more of a personal preference," Lybarker said. "There are some generics that are identical to brand names, and there are some areas where people don't want to, per se, skimp on those items. But there's one thing I always caution people about when shopping: Maybe the brand name is on sale but the generic is not, but the store pushes the generic with a 'special' price tag. Make sure you're looking at prices and price per ounce carefully to make sure you're getting the best deal for you."Quality differences between generic and brand-name versions vary from product to product and, in many cases, may be negligible from a consumer's point of view.Do store discount cards work?"Those items are often used by companies hoping you'll come in and shop at their stores because you have that card. Again, we encourage people to shop around," said Lybarker. "If you want to save money, take the time to compare prices among different vendors."
Membership or loyalty cards also enable stores to compile databases of purchase information on their customers, enabling them to offer targeted marketing deals to specific shoppers. These databases can be a double-edged sword; the privacy of CVS customers was breached in 2004 when the chain's ExtraCare Card membership information was published on the company website, according to consumeraffairs.com.Is there an advantage to buying in bulk from places like Sam's Club or Costco?It depends on what you're buying in bulk. If it's something with a long shelf life and an item you use regularly, bulk buying may be a good option."This goes back to looking at price per ounce, and if you're actually going to use the item you're buying in bulk," Lybarker said. "Items like cereal don't have as long a shelf life as canned goods. Think also about space issues; a lot of people don't have the room to store bulk purchases, and that may lead to not using your bulk items."Seth Fiegerman of MainStreet.com posted a column on msn.com listing 15 items that shouldn't be bought in bulk. Fiegerman cites brown rice, nuts, mayonnaise and condiments, spices, bread and bleach as items with a shorter shelf life than a shopper might expect.Does clipping coupons really save money?
"If you're clipping coupons for items you'd actually purchase in your everyday shopping, there can be an advantage," Lybarker said. "On the other hand, some people clip coupons and then feel the need to buy a product they normally don't use or choose it over a lower priced equivalent that's available. Sometimes it's the more expensive products that have coupon deals available."Lybarker said coupons can also be beneficial when they can be combined with other offers, such as a store loyalty card discount.
Source: Yellowbrix
