Best Shopping Day EVER! Saved big $$ At Staples, Food, Feed-Store

[Nifty]

Well, maybe not the best "ever", but still really good!


First stop - Staples:
1) Submitted 10 empty printer cartridges for $2.00 each ($20 in rewards)!
2) Purchased two 16 packs of batteries to get 100% back in rewards
3) Purchased a new speaker system and got 30% off for them matching Wal-Mart online price
4) Used a $20 rewards card from a previous 10 cartridge return a few months back
5) Used credit card that gets me 5% back from any office store


Second stop - Fast Food:
This was unplanned. I went to a place that my family likes to go to. Get a $25 gift-card and get a free meal while there ($6.50 value). So, that's basically like 25% off for the total to be spent and total value received!

Thirst stop - Concord Feed:
Every 6 months they do 20% off everything in the store. Stocked up on chicken feed and shavings / bedding!

I'm pretty darn happy!! :bun

 

[Wannabefree]

That's pretty darn good and a blessing this time of year

 

[BarredBuff]

Thats awesome!!!

 

[Nifty]

Thanks!

I was most excited about how Staples turned out. I wasn't sure they would price match WalMart, but it all worked out perfectly!

 

[Wannabefree]

Gotta love that price matching! I get alot of good deals that way!

 

[Nifty]

Price matching ROCKS! Great idea for every store to do this... especially with online ads (where there is often no tax or shipping in addition to better prices).

I've had very good success with Fry's Electronics price matching almost anything I find on the web. I use my "Red Laser" app to scan a barcode at the store and then show them the price online and they'll match it. I was going to buy my camera there, but on the phone the lady said they have a list of places they will price match... and it wasn't as long as I expected. So, either they have a limited list now or the guys that pricematched in the store didn't care that the place wasn't on the list.

 

[Wannabefree]

I mostly price match with groceries at WalMart who will price match the Mississippi grocers. Our local stores limit who they price match too :/ So unfair Where I live we have limited stores anyway, mostly mom and pop type places, but a few national chains. We don't even have a Staples within an hour of here. Count your blessings Nifty! I have found most of the good deals are in the cities, not in rural areas like my neck of the woods.

 

[hqueen13]

Was once knife shopping in a nice local knife shop (that is now out of business, go figure). We found a small knife that we bought online for a LOT cheaper. When we went back to the store to ask about it, they said "Oh, we don't price match THAT much."

 

[Nifty]

From a business perspective I understand it can be tricky. There might be a store online that buys 5,000 units and gets them at 70% off retail where a mom-pop only buys 200 units and gets them at 20% off retail.

From a customer perspective I wish every store would price match everybody offline and online!

 

[Joel_BC]

Was once knife shopping in a nice local knife shop (that is now out of business, go figure). We found a small knife that we bought online for a LOT cheaper. When we went back to the store to ask about it, they said "Oh, we don't price match THAT much."

It's harder for small, locally owned businesses to trim their prices. They don't get the same volume-ordering "price breaks" that bring down the wholesale price they have to pay, for any given "unit" of inventory. That's the key advantage that big box stores have. Because not only is the box store itself larger, and therefore doing huge-scale business (which affords them great stability), but their costs - as provided through their main office, which buys inventory stock in volume for hundreds of stores - are lower.

Only the management of the box stores makes good salaries. Many of the low-end staff (who may represent 90% of the people working in the tore) are making barely above minimum wages, although they possibly have a few "benefits".

A locally owned store is an attempt to provide a decent income for its owners. And that has to be accomplished even though the unit cost of their inventory is higher - sometimes much higher.