I’ve talked to many anti-Costco shoppers over the years who cite the receipt checking at the exit doors as one of the reasons they DO NOT like shopping at the warehouse club. Many say it makes them feel like a criminal shoplifter. But did you know that the checking of receipts has nothing to do with loss prevention? I have a friend who works at Costco and has done many shifts at the exit doors checking receipt, and I recently had the chance to ask her exactly what Costco trains their employees to do when a customer hands their receipt over. Here’s what I found out.

1. They’re Looking for Double Charges

My friend told me the #1 reason they eyeball your receipt is to look for double charges.

With a quick scan of the price column, they can see if any prices match up exactly and then investigate if you were charged twice.

She said this happens most often “when shoppers buy 3 or more of an item” as the cashier can get in hurry and easily scan an item one too many times.

So it has nothing to do with Costco thinking you’re a potential shoplifter, they actually check your receipt to make sure you aren’t overcharged.

LET’S PLAY DEVIL’S ADVOCATE

While Costco might not admit that one of the main reasons they check your receipt is to deter stealing, it’s clear that it is. You’d have to have Rain Man at every Costco exit in the U.S. to make sure customers weren’t being under or over charged. It’s definitely a bit of psychological game that Costco is playing by having an employee check receipts. There’s no doubt they’ve run the tests to determine that it helps with their bottom-line and makes shoplifters think twice about trying to pull a fast one.

2. They Make Sure You Got Everything You Paid For

There are some expensive items at Costco that employees have to go and retrieve for you when your checking out OR you have to go to customer service to get.

Items that jump to mind include Apple products, jewelry, gift cards, and some electronics.

With this said, sometimes these items DON’T end up in your cart as the cashier forgets to retrieve them or you forget to “fetch” them.

Enter the receipt checker at the exit doors.

They’re trained to make sure these items end up in your cart so you avoid a HUGE headache down the road when you get home and realize you didn’t leave with the product.

See Also: Costco Employees Tell Me the Best Day of the Week to Shop

3. They Only Count Items If You Have Less Than 15

In an effort to not hold up the exit line, my friend also told me that they’re instructed to only count the items in your cart if it’s less than 15.

This seems to be a suggestion, more than a rule, as the last time I was at Costco I had 14 items in my cart and the receipt checker definitely didn’t count them.

I’m guessing if the items are large they’re more likely to count everything as it’s easier and they’re not having to dig through your cart to find all the things on the receipt.

My friend told me that she tends to count stuff only if it’s less than 15 items.

If it’s more than that, she’ll pick 2-3 items on top, 1-2 items on the bottom, and verify that they’re in the cart.

She also said she’ll look for the most expensive item on the receipt and makes sure the correct number is in the cart.

4. “Bottom of Basket” Screw Ups Are a Thing

Amazingly, I had this “Bottom of Basket” screw up happen to me the last time I was at Costco and the picture of my receipt above is my evidence.

I was buying Kirkland dog food, had the 40 pound bag on the bottom of my cart, and the cashier accidentally scanned my bag twice.

I probably would have noticed later, but fortunately the receipt checker noticed it and saved me a trip back to Costco, or possibly saved me $34.49 if I had never noticed the double charge.

My friend told me that the receipt actually says at the bottom “Total BOB Item Count” so they can quickly check the bottom of your cart to verify the correct number of items.

She said this happens more often than you think, especially on crowded weekends when cashiers are super busy and sometimes scan things a little too quickly or miss things altogether.

See Also: Ever Wonder if Costco Delivers? Here’s How the Whole Thing Works

5. Costco REALLY Wants a Line Drawn Through Your Receipt

I was also told that Costco wants a line drawn through your receipt to keep scammers from scamming.

My friend told me that it would be fairly easy to come back into Costco and fill up your cart with the same exact items and try to walk out with the same receipt, especially on a busy Saturday afternoon.

The line drawn through the receipt keeps scammers from trying to pull it off.

See Also: Want to Work at Costco? Here Are ALL the Perks and Benefits

Bonus Tip: Can I Bypass the Receipt Checker?

No.

When you sign-up for your Costco membership you’re agreeing to let Costco check your receipt when exiting.

 Yes, somewhere in the boiler plate it stipulates that you have to let Costco check your receipt.

There actually was a case where a shopper tried to sneak through the exit doors, but ended up getting in an altercation with the receipt checker.

He pushed the receipt checker up against a wall, and during the melee that followed, ended up breaking his leg. Carma, anyone?

Ask the Reader: Has a Costco receipt checker ever found anything on your receipt that didn’t add up? Let me know in the comments.

By Kyle James

I’ve discovered in recent months that owning a home, especially an older home, can get really expensive quickly. Because of this, I’m always on the lookout for tips to save even more money at Lowe’s and The Home Depot. So I recently wandered into my local Lowe’s and started talking to employees in an effort to score some insider savings tips. I was impressed with what they told me and now I want to pass these tips along to you. I hope they help you save some cash.

1. Learn to Negotiate the Price on Damaged Items

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of negotiating a better price at big-box stores, and that’s especially true at Lowe’s.

On a whim, I actually negotiated a price recently on a new washer and dryer.

They were both floor models that were for sale because it was the end of the season.

The dryer had a quarter-sized dent in the door.

I went up to an employee working the appliance section and started a conversation with him.

I told him I badly needed a new washer and dryer and pointed to the set I was interested in.

I then informed him of the dent and asked if he would take a 15% discount if I bought BOTH of them today.

Long story short, he went and got his manager’s approval and came back and offered me a 10% discount.

I jumped all over it and saved $110 just for asking.

3 Keys for Negotiating Success:

1. Look For Imperfections – Dents, scratches, paint missing, even damaged packaging or a box is a reason to ask for a deal at Lowe’s.

2. Bundle Items – They are much more likely to do this if you’re buying more than 1 thing. Consider bundling things like a washer and dryer or a refrigerator and a microwave. You’ll want at least one of the items to have an imperfection. If both items have something wrong with them then you can really ask for a deal.

3. Look For Returned Special Orders – When shopping for appliances, doors, windows, and flooring, ask about Special Orders that went unsold. I had an employee tell me that these items are an immediate write-off and shoppers can offer pennies on the dollar for them and Lowe’s will usually accept. If you’re fixing up a house, and not particular about specific styles, these make for a GREAT way to save a TON of money.

PRO TIP: PRICE REDUCTIONS ON APPLIANCES

Every 7-10 days, Lowe’s will markdown their already reduced appliances that are either display models, damaged, or repaired. You can flip the actual REDUCED clearance tag over and it will show you the date of when it first went on clearance, and how many times it has been marked down since. If you’re close to the 7 day point, wait another day or 2 and you’ll get if for 20-25% less.

See Also: Lowe’s Outlet Stores: Locations, Prices, and Selection

2. Find an Employee and Make an Offer

Piggybacking on the above tip, Lowe’s is notorious for making deals with customers on clearance items that they want out of the store.

Recently I was checking out some clearance items on an endcap in the paint department and an employee actually came up to me and said, “Anything catch your eye? Let me know as I have the authority to give you an even better deal if you buy several products.”

He said they just “want it ALL gone”. I was kind of blown away with his honesty.

So I picked out some painting accessories that I knew I would need and said, “How about 50% off all of this stuff?”

He said “sure” and wrote me a price adjustment form that I took to the checkout aisle.

I ended up with 7 items with a full-price of $90 and I got them all for only $18.

Bottomline, always find an employee and start making low ball offers on clearance items, you’ll be amazed with the results.

See Also: Read This Before You Rent Tools and Equipment at Lowe’s

3. Ask For a Quantity Discount at the Pro Desk

The same employee that gave me a discount on my washer and dryer also gave me the tip of going to the Lowe’s Pro Desk and asking for a quantity discount if I’m buying a lot of stuff.

For example, you might be fixing up a home and will be buying paint, flooring, appliances, kitchen cabinets, and maybe even windows, IN MANY CASES Lowe’s will give you a discount if you buy all this stuff from the Pro Desk.

So I wandered over to the Pro Desk and got the 411. You can actually a setup a Pro Account for free and I was told the discounts are in the 10-50% off range on thousands of eligible products.

The employee at the Pro Desk told me to always get a special price quote when buying at least $1,500 or more as they can often bring the price down for you.

4. Return Dead Plants Up to a Year Later

Do NOT be embarrassed to bring dead plants back to Lowe’s up to 365 days after you buy them.

After all, this would not be in the Lowe’s return policy if they didn’t want you to do it as they get reimbursed from the grower.

Keep in mind that the plants need to be perennials and NOT annuals that are supposed to die off every year.

Be sure to keep your receipt as it’s a must to make a plant return within a year of purchase.

PRO TIP FOR INDOOR PLANTS

I was talking to an employee about this policy and she had the great tip of putting your receipt in a Ziploc bag and taping it to the bottom of your indoor plant container. For outdoor shrubs, trees, and perennial plants, get in the habit of putting all your receipts in a file folder and keeping them safe somewhere.

5. Don’t Forget About a Lowe’s Price Adjustment

Did you find a better price at Home Depot or Ace Hardware?

No worries, Lowe’s will match the price so you don’t have to drive across town to save a few bucks.

Best way to make it happen? Have the Home Depot app on your phone and do a quick price comparison when making significant purchases at Lowe’s.

The product must be in-stock at both stores and 100% identical. Just head to the Lowe’s customer service desk and they’ll verify the price match and get you your savings.

The best part? It ALSO works when buying from Lowes.com as they’ll price match online pricing from online stores like Amazon.

The easiest way to make it happen is to visit this page and start a Live Chat and they’ll help you get your online price match.

See Also: Home Depot Savings Tips Directly from Employees

6. Score Lumber Deals By Looking in the Right Spot

Next, I was walking through the lumber department and asked an employee what was the best way to save some money on wood.

He immediately said, “follow me”.

So I did just that and he led me to the back of the store where they had a rack of wood that was ALL 50% off (see pic above).

He said it was wood that was either a miscut, an overstock, or had a small flaw in it.

It’s perfect wood for a small DIY project, or to patch fencing, or one of a hundred other uses around your house.

7. Make “The Back Aisle” Your Best Friend

The next time you’re at your local Lowe’s, head directly to the back of the store, typically in the middle of the back wall and you’ll find some good clearance deals.

They call it “The Back Aisle” and it’s where every department puts their clearance stuff marked down to 75% off the original price.

You won’t find big ticket clearance items in this section, but instead you’ll find a bunch of smaller things like paint brushes, batteries, flashlights, garden tools, cleaning products, ceramic pots, and lawn products and they’re ALL a great deal.

PRO TIP: BUNDLE AND NEGOTIATE IN “THE BACK AISLE”

Lowe’s really wants to get rid of the clearance stuff on “The Back Aisle”. Use this to your advantage and buy multiples of an item (or a similar item) and ask for a quantity discount. I’ve down this several times and have NEVER been turned down. I usually ask for a 20% discount and settle for 10-15% off. 

8. Don’t Forget About Their Military Discount

If you’re currently in the military, or a veteran, be sure you’re taking advantage of their 10% military discount.

You can either sign-up in-store at the customer service desk, or online by visiting this page.

Even spouses can get the discount which is limited to $500 in savings per year, so you’ll get 10% off your first $5,000 spent.

Once you’re signed up, you just have to give them your telephone number when you checkout and you’ll get your discount.

It’s a pretty easy process to get verified and much easier than The Home Depot’s military discount as HD makes you go through their smartphone app and pull up a barcode every time you want to use it.

9. Learn How to Read Lowe’s Price Tags

Lastly, learn how to read the price tags at Lowe’s so you know what kind of a deal you’re actually getting.

Thanks to a couple helpful employees, here’s what I know so far about the hidden language in Lowe’s price tags:

“N” below the Barcode on Clearance Tags – I had an employee tell me to look for Yellow clearance price tags with a small “N” below the barcode, which means “Non-Stock”. He told me this means the item is discontinued and it’s up to the manager to lower the price further. So in other words, the price is probably not the lowest it’s going to get, so if there’s a lot of stock, wait until the price goes down to buy it.

No “N” below the Barcode on Clearance Tags  – This means the item is priced to sell and is the lowest the price will get. So buy it before it’s gone.

Price Ending with .02 – This one is rare but it means that the item has run through its final markdown schedule and the vendor has paid Lowe’s for it and it will typically be destroyed. You can try and buy it, as it’s really cheep, but most cashiers won’t let you.

Ask the Reader: What great money saving tips at Lowe’s did I miss? I’m sure I missed a couple good ones. Let me know in the comments.

By Kyle James

I was shopping at Marshalls recently with my wife and daughter and was really bored as the men’s department is TINY and I’d already looked at everything twice. So on a whim, I decided to start chatting with a few employees and ask them what they thought was the best way to save money at Marshalls. The results did NOT disappoint and I knew immediately I had to get their highly creative tips put together in an article before I forgot. I hope these great tips help you save some money in the future.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask About a Possible Markdown

Do NOT be afraid to ask a Marshalls employee if a product is due for a markdown, especially if you’ve seen it on the rack or shelf for a while.

I talked to several employees and they ALL told me it’s totally cool to politely ask this question, especially if they aren’t busy.

They have a phone scanner available and they can quickly check to see if the item should be marked down and give you the lower price (on the spot) if they can.

See Also: All the Name-Brands Found at Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls

Pay Attention to Clearance Price Tags

According to a Marshalls employee here is how the clearance price stickers work:

• White Price Sticker – This is the regular price.
• Red Price Sticker – This is the first clearance markdown price.
• Yellow Price Sticker – Yellow sticker means it’s been marked down at least once from the “red sticker price”. It will continue to be marked down with a yellow stick moving forward. See the picture above, the product originally had a $10 yellow sticker and has been marked down again to $8.
• Blue Price Sticker – This means the product comes in a set, so be sure to find the other item (probably nearby) with a blue sticker.
• Purple Price Sticker – This means the item is a “Runway” item and comes from a high-end fashion brand. I’ve never seen one of these.

I had a couple employees actually walk me around the store briefly so I could could snap a picture of these tags for this article which was really nice of them.

I was also told that Marshalls does their markdowns throughout the week and will continue markdown items that do NOT sell every 7-10 days.

What’s the Best Day for Beauty Restocks?

I talked to an employee that actually does the beauty restocks at her store.

She said without equivocation that Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting at 9:30 a.m. is the BEST TIME to get first dibs on “the good stuff”.

She added that they get a lot of their stuff from ULTA and Sephora, so DON’T buy from those stores, instead come to Marshalls and save up to 75% off the original price.

She also wanted to preface this information by saying to ask at your local Marshalls as it could vary by location.

Also, she told me employees are very open with this “restock information”, so ALWAYS ask.

See Also: When Does Marshalls Restock? Here’s EVERYTHING We Know

Hit Up Marshalls.com for HUGE Deals

Unlike TJ Maxx and Ross, Marshalls actually sells stuff online, and if you know where they hide the best deals on their site, you can REALLY save.

In particular, I was told by a Marshalls employee to always check out the toy deals on their website as the prices are really LOW and way cheaper than Amazon.

So off I went to the Marshalls website for some quick price comparisons with Amazon and the toy deals were definitely screaming.

For example, Marshalls was selling the Fisher-Price Batman Batcave set for only $15 while Amazon had it “on sale” for $38.99.

I also found great deals on kids books, games, puzzles, baby toys, and even arts and crafts supplies and kits.

Also, Marshalls offers free shipping if you spend at least $89 online, just use the coupon code SHIP89 when checking out.

When Shopping for Home Furnishings ALWAYS Negotiate

While negotiating a lower price at big-box stores is something I’ve talked about before, I had never considered it at Marshalls.

I think the reason I never thought of it at Marshalls was because the prices were already low.

But I had 2 separate Marshalls employees tell me that they will almost always lower the price on furniture if you ask politely.

Before you try this, be sure to find a small stain or imperfection in the furniture and use that as your ammo for negotiating a slight discount.

Depending on how bad the imperfection is, it’s reasonable to politely ask for a 15-20% discount and be prepared to settle for 10%.

INSIDER TIP

I was told that managers at Marshalls are ALWAYS trying to get rid of furniture before new merchandise comes in as it takes up so much room on the sales floor. Use this knowledge to your advantage and get a small discount on chairs, end tables, lamps, tables, and even couches.

Bonus Tip: Do NOT Try to Remove the Clearance Sticker

If you’re thinking of trying to remove the clearance price sticker so you can make a return without a receipt, think again.

Marshalls employees are onto this “hack” as the stickers are really sticky and will damage the price tag if you try to peel it off.

Don’t try it, your return will not be accepted and you’ll be asked to leave.

Ask the Reader: What’s your best tip for saving money at Marshalls? Let me know in the comments.

By Kyle James