Most shoppers think that in order to get the most out of a shopping trip, one needs to know where the latest sale is being held or where one can find the most coupons to save money. However, in order to learn more tried and tested ways to save money, one should get the inside scoop on retailers’ pricing and secret deals, and those can only come from people who work or used to work in retail.
Refinery 29 has compiled valuable advice from people who used to work for major stores. One of them used to work for Madewell, and the worker revealed that almost 95 percent of the time, items are marked down online but not in stores. So it always pays to check the shop’s online store first to get good deals.
Another former retail worker who used to be employed by Brandy Melville suggests going to stores on Wednesday, as this is usually when the retailer gets their inventory.
“If any items are found with stains like foundation and lipstick, bring it up to the cashier and you can get 15 percent off the item,” said the worker.
Meanwhile, a former J. Crew worker said that the retailer always does its markdowns on Thursdays. The tipster also said that becoming friends with a J. Crew stylist would benefit you as they will always let you know when the sales are.
Other former retail workers took to Reddit to share some of their shopping hacks. Redditor r3solv said that one should never pay full price at Kohl’s.
“There’s always 20 or 30 percent off coupons out there, and even if you ‘forget’ yours, they’ll input it for you at the register,” said the commenter, adding that this tip usually works when buying perfume or wallets.
A former Sears employee posted some valuable shopping tips on Reviewed.com, saying that shoppers should always check the last two digits printed on the price tag to know what kind of promotion it is.
“A price that ends in 99 cents is either not on sale or a planned, advertised sale price,” said the retail worker. “A price the ends in 88 cents is usually a better deal…a price that ends in 97 cents means an item is clearance merchandise. It’s the lowest price you’ll ever see on an item.”
For more, check out Jobs & Hire’s report on the tips that hotel workers are sharing to get the most out of a hotel stay.
