Kohl’s is a bit of an odd beast to figure out when it comes to techniques to save money. This is due to them having a lot of different savings opportunities available to shoppers and it can be overwhelming to figure them all out. A few of the more obvious tips that I’ve discussed in the past include stacking coupons at Kohl’s, using Kohl’s Cash in-conjunction with a 30% off coupon, and taking advantage of their liberal return policy. But I think it’s time to dig a little deeper and talk about some of the lesser-known Kohl’s shopping secrets that will take your Kohl’s game to the next level.

Over 60? Gotta Shop on a Wednesday

We’ve talked about senior discounts before on this blog, and Kohl’s is on the leading-edge with their generous 15% off senior discount.

Every Wednesday, all Kohl’s brick & mortar locations offer those aged 60 and above a 15% discount.

The catch is that the senior discount cannot be combined with any dollar-off discounts, including Kohl’s cash coupons, Yes2You Rewards and promotional gifts.

Be sure to ask for your 15% discount when checking out as most cashiers will not mention it unless you do first.

See Also: Kohl’s Return Policy: How It Works + Tips for Success

Learn to Crack the Kohl’s Price Tag Code

You’ll never look at one of their electronic shelf price tags the same way again.

In particular, you’ll want to focus on the letters in top Right Corner of digital shelf tag.

Here is what you need to know:

• NM = New Markdown. This means that the product will be going on clearance that night/the next day. Wait to purchase and save some money.
• S = Sale Price.
• BGH = Buy one, get one for half off.
• PP = Price Point. Language used for internal reasons to help employees place specific ad graphics and toppers on products.
• BB = Bonus buy.
• GV = Great Value. Limited time price drop, usually only lasts 1-2 days. Thanks to Ginger Allen at CBS Dallas for this tip.
• Clearance Items Tip = Clearance is usually marked every other month or so, with additional marks in between. Clearance at Kohl’s is based on quantity of the item, and can vary by color. So let’s say a shirt comes in both blue and red, but there are 25 blues vs 10 reds. The blue would go to 70/80% off while the red would go to 60 off%. Typically, everything starts at 60%, and the lowest it will ever go is 90% off. Also, most clothing items will be labeled as “Limited Quantity” before going clearance at 55-60% off. Also keep in mind, unlike many stores, Kohl’s coupon will work on clearance items unless an item is considered “Prestige”, but that typically applies only to beauty products.

Forgot Your Kohl’s Coupon? No Worries

When shopping online, it can be easy to forget to use a Kohl’s coupon code, or maybe you simply couldn’t find one at the time of your purchase.

But what happens if you get a coupon code, or realize you forgot to use one, after you’ve already completed your purchase?

Simply email Kohl’s customer service after your purchase, include your order number and coupon code, and they’ll give you credit for the coupon by refunding money to your original payment method. Pretty cool.

When shopping in-store, you can also ask for a coupon discount after-the-fact by going to the customer service desk.

Mileage may vary depending on how long ago you placed your purchase. The sooner the better.

Also, it’s worth noting that your Kohl’s Cash does expire these days, but you usually have a 48-hour grace period after the expiration date, so be sure to use it.

Score Free Shipping with In-Store Kiosk

Have you ever noticed those in-store Kohl’s kiosks?

They kinda look like a modern ATM machine and are typically found near the shoe section.

If you can’t find your size, or a particular item is out-of-stock, they’re an awesome money-saving tool as a kiosk-placed order gets you free shipping right to your doorstep.

The kiosk also allows you to shop a HUGE selection of inventory which is really handy for hard-to-find sizes, colors, and model numbers.

Get a Price Match, Then Use a Coupon

Kohl’s has a pretty user friendly price-match policy which stipulate that they’ll price-match any competitor’s in-store price as long as it’s an identical product sold in Kohl’s stores.

But what about using a Kohl’s coupon on top of the price match?

Well, if the coupon is good for no more than 15% off your total purchase, they’ll let you use it in addition to the price match.

This is for in-store shopping only.

Thanks to Kohl’s employee Arlene for passing along this great tip.

Clearance “Markdown Schedule” Tip

While I’ve talked many times about cracking the price tag code at Kohl’s and figuring out how to read those digital codes they put on their pricing signs, I have some new info to pass along.

Similar to how Target does it, Kohl’s places clearance items on a markdown schedule that usually starts at 60% off, then goes to 70%, 80% and the holy grail of 90% off the original price.

They’ll actually place the new clearance sticker right over the old one so you can visually tell how many times a product has been marked-down. See picture above.

I was told by a Kohl’s employee that they typically mark clearance items down every 14-21 days.

So if they have ample inventory of a product that is marked at 60% off, in many cases it’s worth waiting and coming back in a week or 2 and get it for less.

Related: Check out my article What Day to Shop? 12 Insider Tips on Store Markdowns.

Shop Between 3 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday

Kohl’s routinely has what they term “Power Hours” between Friday at 3 pm and Saturday at 1 pm.

During this time period they mark down hundreds of items between 10% to 30%.

A quick chat session with a Kohl’s representative confirmed these “Power Hours”.

Apparently they are most frequent during the Christmas shopping season of November and December but do pop-up throughout the year.

Keep an eye on sales/coupon flyers as they routinely post information on upcoming “Power Hours” at your local Kohl’s.

Ask the Reader: Have you ever tried any of these tips? If not, how do you save money when shopping at Kohl’s?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to hattiesburgmemory.

By knowing which expensive items have cheaper alternatives, we can always opt for the best value and save a bunch of money in the process. But often the problem is knowing which brands are the “best buys”. Without reading through hundreds of Amazon product reviews, some of which are fake, it can be hard to figure out which brands are smart buys. Here’s a great list to get you started so you can make informed buying decisions.

Here are a few of the most glaring examples where the more expensive brand is often NOT noticeably better in terms of quality and features.

1. Blender: Vitamix vs. Ninja

This blender battle has been well documented in the past and the $121 Ninja blender is absolutely comparable to the $450 Vitamix.

So the Ninja might be a little louder and seconds slower, I can EASILY live with both and be $300 richer in the process.

2. Vacuum: Dyson vs. Shark

At $400, the Dyson DC41 is a very spendy fun-suck.

I’ll happily opt for the $160 Shark Navigator which actually sucks way more.

3. Stand Mixer: Kitchen Aid vs. Hamilton Beach

Save an easy $100 by opting for the highly regarded $199 Hamilton Beach stand mixer over the $300 KitchenAid mixer.

The Hamilton Beach variety is 12-speed and 4.5 quarts and has the tilt head and everything PLUS it gets 4.5 stars with over 1,100 reviews on Amazon.

4. Espresso Machine: Breville vs. De’Longhi

If espresso is your thing, save a butt load of money an opt for the powerful $145 De’Longhi machine.

Leave the $1,000 Breville Touch for the coffee connoisseur who “claims” they can taste the difference.

See Also: 23 Company Logos with Really Cool (or Strange) Hidden Messages

5. Water Bottle: Stanley vs. Takeya

The Stanley tumbler craze is ridiculous. Why would you pay $50 for a Stanley when you can get a Takeya for only $25?

Oh, and by the way, with 2 teenage daughters in my house we have both of these tumblers and I’ve tested them.

Which one do you think keeps ice frozen the longest? Yep, good guess.

6. Noise Canceling Headphones: Bose vs. Sony

This one is my favorite.

If you’ve ever priced Bose noise-cancelling headphones, you know they’re quite expensive at around $250.

If you find yourself on a loud airplane several times per week, they may be worth the money, but for infrequent travel and office use, the 4-star Sony version ($99) will more than suffice.

7. Memory Foam Mattress: Tempur-pedic vs. NovosBed

At under $1,000, the NovosBed appears to be a great buy when comparing it to the $3,600 Tempur-pedic mattress.

This is especially true when you compare material and owner satisfaction with each.

Although, as a faithful Tempur-pedic sleeper, I’d want to test out the NovosBed for a couple nights first.

See Also: Costco and Trader Joe’s Shoppers: The Cheaper Version of Name-Brands

8. Cables: Monster vs. Monoprice

If the cable is less than 6 feet long, the cheaper Monoprice cable ($4-$14) is a very smart buy compared to Monster brand cables ($30 and up).

This is especially true for HDMI cables as the average TV viewer will never be able to tell the difference in terms of picture and audio quality.

9. Chef’s Knife: Shun vs. Victorinox

At a spendy $125, the Shun knife is a popular top-of-the-line chef’s knife.

But….the comparable Victorinox for under $40 is a solid knife with some very positive reviews.

Heck, you could buy 3 Victorinox for the price of a single Shun knife.

Ask the Reader: Have you had success with any of the cheaper brands mentioned above? Or maybe other products that weren’t mentioned?

By Kyle James

Are you aware that many of the “in-house brand” products at Costco and Trader Joe’s are actually made by the more expensive name brand? It’s 100% true and if you know the Kirkland and Trader Joe’s products to buy, you can SAVE BIG and still get great quality. Here’s how it all breaks down.

So to help you out, I researched the cheaper version of many name-brand items, which in many cases, are actually made by the name-brand and simply repackaged and sold for less. Below is what I found. I hope it helps you make some smart buying decisions in the future.

Costco

Here are the Costco Kirkland brand items that are rumored to be produced by the popular (and more expensive) name-brand.

Kirkland Signature Craft Beer = Gordon Biersch: I love Gordon Biersch beer, and guess what, I love Kirkland craft beer too. Go figure.

Kirkland Signature Premium Small Batch Bourbon = Buffalo Trace: From Insider Louisville, “Kirkland is from Buffalo Trace and tastes like Jim Beam — a little bit, anyway.”

Kirkland Vodka = Grey Goose: The fact that we’re even having the conversation tells me to always buy the WAY cheaper Kirkland brand vodka.

Kirkland Scotch = Macallan 18: A great way to save on a quality Scotch is to buy the Kirkland brand.

Kirkland Tuna = Bumble Bee: According to a bunch of Amazon reviews, Kirkland Tuna tastes just like, or better, than Bumblebee Tuna.

Kirkland Diapers = Huggies: Apparently the Kirkland brand of diapers is made by Huggies.

Kirkland Laundry Detergent = Good chance it’s made by Sun.

Kirkland Canned Chicken Breast = This originally was made by Bumble Bee, but is now made by Costco in their Fremont, Nebraska chicken facility.

Kirkland Batteries = These are actually made by Duracell then labeled as Kirkland brand and sent off to your local Costco.

PRO TIP: FIND GREAT DUPE RECOMMENDATIONS

Specifically, join forums and social media groups dedicated to sharing affordable alternatives to popular products from Costco, Trader Joe’s, and other popular stores.

Here are 4 tips for success:

1. Make Reddit Your Next Best Friend

Platforms like Reddit’s r/Frugal, r/Costco and r/TraderJoes are three of the most active and helpful subreddits for finding cheaper alternatives to name-brand items sold at these stores.

Example posts: “What’s a good Kirkland Signature dupe for X?” and “Trader Joe’s version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – yay or nay?”

2. Next, look for “Best Buys” Lists in Facebook Groups

Join Facebook groups like “Trader Joe’s Meal Ideas for Busy Moms” and “Costco Buys and Finds”.

Members frequently share their favorite in-store dupes, like Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken (a dupe for Panda Express) or Kirkland Signature Protein Bars (similar to Quest Bars).

3. Use Social Media Hashtags for Store-Specific Dupes

Search hashtags like #CostcoDupes or #TraderJoesDupes on Instagram and TikTok.

Examples: Find TikTokers raving about things like Kirkland Signature Coffee as a Starbucks alternative or Trader Joe’s Cheddar Rocket Crackers as a dupe for Annie’s Organic Bunny Crackers.

4. Post Questions in Groups and Forums

Examples include “Is the Kirkland Signature detergent comparable to Tide?” and “Does Trader Joe’s have a dupe for Sriracha now that it’s hard to find?”

Many members share personal experiences and comparisons, saving you the trial and error.

Trader Joe’s

If you shop at Trader Joe’s here are some brands to be aware of.

Pita Chips = Stacy’s (Frito-Lay): But them at Trader Joe’s for significantly less.

Cream of Tomato Soup = Pacific: I’ve never had the soup, but apparently it’s pretty good.

Indian Food = Tasty Bite Brand: If you like Indian food, buy it from TJ’s and save.

Organic Shells and White Cheddar = Annie’s Homegrown: Never had it. Can it possibly be better than Kraft Mac & Cheese?

Yogurt = Stonyfield Farms: I love their yogurt and it’s definitely priced right.

Pretzel Chips = Snack Factory: Get your snack fix at TJ’s and save money.

Veggie Chili = Amy’s: Yummmm, chili.

Other Products to be Aware of:

Girl Scout Cookies = Keebler: Looking for a cheaper cookie fix than the pricey Girl Scout box? Check out this great Lifehacker article to see which cookie alternative fits the bill.

Victoria’s Secrets pantyhose = Hanes: Shop the Hanes brand pantyhose and get Victoria’s Secret quality for less cash.

Ask the Reader: Any products that I might be missing? Let me know in the comments and I’ll check it out, thanks.

Happy savings.

By Kyle James