WANT to bag a real bargain on the high street? It turns out you may need to pay a little more attention to the labels.
According to Grace Forell, who posts under The Sustainable Shopper, many shops such as TK Maxx, Costco, and Home Bargains have secret codes on their products.
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She claims the ‘secret’ codes will help you “spend more wisely” when you are doing a shop.
In a video on her @graceforell account, Grace broke down the things to look out for at some popular retailers.
TK MAXX
The savvy shopper claims you should look for a single digit on TK Maxx price tags.
She added: “The most common numbers are 1, 2 and 7.
“From what I’ve researched – ‘1’ means the product was made specifically for TK Maxx – so is unlikely to be a ‘wow bargain’.
“‘7’ is a ‘packaway’ item – usually from a previous season.
“It’s probably discounted.”
However, she said you should really look out for a “2” as that is the “thriftiest number.
Grace explained: “These are usually designer bits, being sold at a cut price, that have been bought as part of a deal.
“THESE are the wow bargs.”
RIVER ISLAND AND NEXT
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Grace claims that if you notice handwriting on a price tag in a store like Next or River Island, hold off from buying it there and then.
She continued: “There’s a good chance it’s about to be discounted, usually within days.
“In theory, the number you see written is the price it will become.
“From what I can tell, this is common practice at several retailers – but staff are understandably tight-lipped about it.
COSTCO
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When shopping at Costco you should look carefully at the last two digits of prices.
“She added: “Prices ending in .99 are regular, non-sale items.
“Prices ending in .97 are marked down, so worth buying if it’s something you want or need. “Products with an asterisk * or cross + on the shelf sign are likely being DISCONTINUED.
“If it’s something you use regularly, take it as your cue to stock up!
HOME BARGAINS
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The savvy shopper said that when you are in Home Bargains you should look for Star Buys with a red sticker featuring a gold star.
She explained: “Not only do Star Buys usually have the highest discounts, these particular ones are TOP SELLERS.
“How can this help you?
“The red sticker is a STRONG INDICATION of high CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, which means you can buy with confidence.”
How to bag a bargain
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
