How to save money on shopping
It’s a good time to go shopping. Yes, we’re all suffering from the highest inflation in years, our mortgages are spiralling upwards and the credit crunch is making many of us twitchy about our employment prospects. But if you have a little cash to spend, you’ll get bargains like never before. It’s all because the shops are suffering too. We’re not spending (June 2008 retail sales were the worst in 22 years) so there are some great deals out there. But let’s see how we can do even better … and get more for less. Here’s my six point plan for saving hundreds on your shopping.
- Price comparison sites
Of course you don’t have to rush round comparing prices yourself. That’s what price comparison websites such as pricechecker.co.uk, kelkoo.co.uk and pricegrabber.co.uk are for. The way to use them is this. Find the product you want to buy and be specific about what you’re looking for - it’s crucial that you’re comparing like for like - prices of Duracell AA four-packs, or the iPod nano in baby blue. If you’re looking for the Pirates of the Caribbean two-disc set you don’t end up with the one-disc set. Then type your spec into the comparison site and let the clever robot go off and search for you. - Be a late adopter
Of course early adopters aren’t bothered about saving money, they want the new Playstation or the latest iPhone before everyone else … that’s the point for them. It does mean they occasionally end up with a LaserDisc system or a Betamax video, but hey. But for the rest of us it pays to wait. In fact, you don’t even have to wait these days. Technological change is so quick and so relentless, that you can simply buy the state of the art product from six months ago … and you’ll get a hefty discount.Take the example of the Canon EOS400 digital SLR camera, the market’s best seller. In July 07 it was selling for £700; this summer it’s literally half the price. There ARE newer and more expensive SLRs now of course … but ask yourself. How much SLR do you need to pay for?
- Always haggle
Brits hate doing it but haggling works - another reason to buy instore rather than online of course. I’ve got to admit I’m terrible at this, but I have an indefatigable sister in law who argues the price of everything … and she invariably gets a deal. Cars, electrical goods and other consumer durables are prime targets. In fact the salespeople are often given permission to knock 5% or 10% off without even speaking to their manager. Give it a go. - Travel to the shops
And barmy as it may sound to fly halfway round the world to do your shopping, consider this. Americans generally pay less for jeans, cameras, iPods … in fact just about anything. Factor in the current strength of sterling against the dollar and the US is one big bargain bin just now.A great idea is to combine a shopping trip with a holiday - because your hotel room and eating out will be cheaper too of course. By the same token, we wouldn’t advise anyone to go shopping in the eurozone just now, as the euro is horribly expensive against the pound. In fact if you can avoid going ANYWHERE that uses the euro in the next few months you’ll do your wallet a favour.
- Buy online … with care
You can’t haggle on the internet of course, but the other side of the coin is that online shopping means you’re under no pressure to buy, with no pestering sales people. Compare prices, go away, have a cup of tea, come back to the screen and then push the ‘buy’ button. But do watch out for the online tempters. I’m not Amazon bashing here - they’re brilliant at what they do. But their little buying hints, the ‘if you liked that why not buy this’ are deadly to your bank balance. Again, buy at leisure, never on impulse.It might surprise regular listeners to know I have my reservations about online shopping. For CDs it’s great … for cauliflowers not so good. I know what I’m getting if I order the new Bob Dylan album or the Wall-E DVD, but I don’t know if those tomatoes are ripe when I order from Sainsbury’s. There are other downsides too. Delivery charges can rack a huge amount onto an online ‘bargain‘. Check that prices aren’t quoted net, with tax then added on (a killer with airfares of course).
And if time IS money, then I’ve spent a fortune waiting in the house for deliveries to arrive - not to mention having to head off to the UPS depot to reclaim my stuff because I nipped out to the shops. Sometimes it’s just cheaper to get stuff at the store.
- Voucher codes
We had to mention them eventually. No matter how good a deal you’ve already snared for yourself, you can frequently get an extra 10% off, perhaps free delivery, or extra freebies, by tapping in a voucher code at checkout. A huge variety of retailers are using voucher codes now. The trick is to go to Google and do a search for the product you want, add a PLUS sign and then type in the phrase ‘voucher code’. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Tags: How to save money on shopping, save money shopping, save money online, smarter shopping
