I recently stumbled upon a Reddit forum with some great advice for Costco shoppers looking to maximize their membership. Smart Costco shoppers have definitely figured out the best times to shop and how to smartly navigate the warehouse in order to save time and money. And guess what? They’re happily sharing the info with all of us so we can save money too. Here are the key insider tips when it comes to saving money shopping at Costco.

8 Ways to Save Money & Time at Costco:

1. Shop on the Right Day and Time

Avoid weekends as they’re typically a madhouse.

The best time to shop, and avoid the crowd, is during the week, preferably on a Tuesday, about an hour or two after they open.

According to Cormath, a Costco employee, “In my experience it slows down a bit about an hour to an hour and half after open at my warehouse. Big rush at first then it dies down until people start getting off work.”

PRO TIP: STAY IN THE COSTCO BORDERLANDS

The best values at Costco all exist on the outside walls of the store. Dairy, produce, pet food, paper products, and of course the $4.99 rotisserie chicken deal. Once you start walking toward the center aisles, you’ll find the products with the biggest markups and the impulse purchases that Costco hopes you make. DON’T DO IT.

2. Short on Time? Try This

A Reddit user by the name of Stakesandwich had great advice for those who are in a hurry when shopping at Costco. “I look mad, walk fast, and don’t go near the popular sample stations with the cart.

I know where everything is, I stick to the outside when possible, and if I need to squeeze between two sample stations to get something like cheese I leave the cart a row over and just walk through people.”

Great tips.

See Also: Here’s How Costco Catering Works…With Hacks to Save

3. Check out Google Maps for Specific Info

From another Reddit user, “While all the anecdotal times posted are helpful to grasp the gist of when to possibly go. I suggest you head to Google Maps on your phone, search your specific Costco and scroll down in the details area.

There will be a graph of the busiest times right there set to whatever the day is. Use that to adjust your times for when you find slow times to that specific store.”

4. Never Shop Alone

From Sadsauces, “I shop with two people at Costco, no exceptions. One person mans and drives the cart, maneuvering it into a good “dock” position in whatever section of the store.

The second person is a runner, fulfilling the needs of the almighty list. Get a friend and go.”

PRO TIP: THE REAL COSTCO PARKING LOT “TIME SAVER”

Don’t keep circling around the parking lot hoping to get a spot right next to the Costco entrance…it’s a total waste of time. Instead, quickly find a spot close to a cart return. The time saved at the end of your Costco journey will more than make up for the short walk to your car.

5. Looking for Free Samples?

The only reason to go on weekends is for the free samples as that’s when they’re in full-force. Just do it early in the morning if you can as the warehouse will be much less crowded.

Even better, try shopping on a Sunday morning. According to user 4077, “On Sunday mornings before Church lets out. Lots of samples and by the time I’m leaving, it’s starting to fill.”

6. Never Wait for Free Samples

According to Reddit user Thrashertm, “Protip #1 – don’t wait in line for a sample; it’s very gauche. Better to do your shopping and potentially circle back if you REALLY need a taste of that jalapeño popper.

Your time is worth more than 10 minutes standing in line. Protip #2 – you can hit up the samples more than once if you are nice to the samplers. The servers don’t care.”

PRO TIP: USE THE BIG IKEA BAGS AT COSTCO

A friend of my wife’s turned me onto this Costco hack and it’s brilliant. Buy a few of the big blue IKEA bags ($0.99 each) and leave them in your truck when you go to Costco. Then when your done shopping, and return to your car, load from cart to IKEA bag. Load each bag by where it goes in your house like pantry, freezer, basement, etc. Then when you get home, your unloading process is a PIECE OF CAKE.

7. Membership Not Required to Shop

From the same Reddit user quoted above, “You don’t need a membership actually.”

They sell gift cards, which can grant you access to the store. A friend can buy them for you and even reload it for you online – http://www.costco.com/cash-cards-gift-certificates.html”

Be aware that when using a Costco cash card you’ll be hit with a 5% surcharge on purchases from Costco.com.

This applies to non-members only.

PRO TIP: GET 50% MORE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN FOR ONLY $1

The next time you’re at Costco, go to where they sell the premade salads, pasta, and other meals. You’ll notice a plastic container filled with rotisserie chicken meat that’s been pulled from the bone. This is the chicken from the day before that they were not able to sell. For only $5.99, you’ll get the chicken meat from 1.5 rotisserie chickens. Great for meal prep, fajitas, wraps, and sandwiches. Plus you can freeze it for later as it freezes really well.

8. Eat The $1.50 Hot Dog Meal Before You Shop

The old adage of never shopping hungry absolutely holds true at Costco.

Because of this, several Reddit users chimed in with the tip of stopping by the food court before you do your shopping and get your grub on.

By doing so, you’ll probably end up with less items in your cart if you have a hard time ignoring the growling coming from your stomach.

Ask the Reader: How do you save money at Costco and maximize your annual membership in the process?

By Kyle James

Photo by Mike Mozart.

While Best Buy sales continues to struggle in recent months, there’s no doubt they’re a much need retailer in the consumer electronics space. Not only do they keep online players like Amazon honest in terms of pricing, but shoppers need a place to go to check out new electronics. “Show-rooming” if you will. The good news for consumers is that Best Buy has many ways to save money, many of which not even the loyalists of shoppers are aware of.

Here are 7 insider tips to save money at Best Buy that just might blow your mind and help you score a great deal the next time you’re in the market for a new HDTV, computer, home theater system, and hundreds of other cool gadgets.

1. Crack the Best Buy Price Tag Code

Learn how to read Best Buy price tags to determine what kind of deal you’re getting

In particular, the cents column tells you some pretty cool things.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Prices ending in a .99 – Could be a full price or a sale price. Sale items ending in .99 are typically not that big of a savings. Try to avoid the .99 if you can.
• Prices ending in a .92 – This is a 1-time price drop at or below Best Buy’s cost. Typically a screaming deal.
• Prices ending in a .96 – Anything ending in a .96 is an adjusted price designed to beat the price of a competitor.
• Look for Code “C” – If you see a price tag with a small “C” in the lower right-hand corner, it means the item is clearance and no longer stocked.

I have it on good authority that managers are able to give discounts on these products, so be sure to negotiate an even better price.

2. Products You Can Negotiate a Lower Price On

When it comes to knowing how to negotiate a lower price at Best Buy, you need to keep the following in mind.

Bundle items and negotiate.

When buying more than one complementary item, think HDTV and Blu-ray player, politely ask for a bundle discount if you buy both items today.

I’ve personally done this several times and it works. Start by asking for 15-20% off and be prepared to settle for around 10%.

Listen to the salesperson.

When trying to negotiate, they’ll often steer you towards the brands that they can lower the price on.

Whether it be a higher margin, excess inventory, or clearance items they want to clear out, listen to them and they’ll often give you hints about the HDTV’s or computers where they can help you on price.

See Also: Best Buy Return Policy: 8 Must Knows Before You Make a Return

The more expensive the item, the better.

This one is fairly obvious. It’s all about profit margins.

Best Buy is more willing to lower the price on a $3,000 75″ HDTV than they are on a 32″ HDTV priced below $250.

Look for damaged packaging.

I recently needed a new DSL router and headed to my local Best Buy.

The NetGear router that I wanted was indeed in-stock, but they only had one left on the shelf.

I picked up the box with the router in it and one corner was completely smashed in. I immediately knew I had some great price negotiating ammunition.

I walked up to a nearby sales associate and explained the situation.

I told him, “I realize the router inside is probably OK, but I am taking a bit of a risk taking this thing home. Any chance you can knock off 25% and I’ll take this trashed box off your hands?”

He says he has to get a manager’s approval and within minutes he comes back and says “Deal”.

Memorize this list and use it often…it works!

3. Open Box Products Offer Great Chance to Negotiate

Every time I walk into a Best Buy I find several floor model HDTV’s that are marked down for a quick sale. But they don’t always sell quickly.

So whenever you see a floor model for sale, consider it an opportunity to negotiate an even lower price. As a general rule of thumb start at 25% and be prepared to meet in the middle.

4. Oft-Forgotten Student Discounts

Many college students are still not aware of Best Buy’s Student Discount program, but it’s pretty dang awesome.

Sign-up if free and only requires you to be a college student actively enrolled in at least one course at a post-secondary educational institution, and be verified by Best Buy as a currently enrolled college student and be able to provide proof of enrollment upon request.

Some of the current deals include $50 off a MacBook or iMac, 10% off select Surface Books, $50 off select Blue Label Laptops, and 20% off Rocketfish Home Theater accessories.

See Also: 50+ Places Where Students Get a Sweet Student Discount

5. Their Online Outlet is AWESOME (and Hidden)

The Best Buy Online Outlet is not easy to find when you’re on their homepage. Because of this, many shoppers have no clue it exists but it’s a great way to save BIG on open-box, refurbished, clearance and pre-owned electronics.

You can regularly find savings in the 50-60% off range and the best part is that these items are all backed by their Return & Exchange Promise, covered under warranty, and are all verified to work properly.

By the way, to find it on their website you click on “Deals” which gives you a drop-down menu, then click on “Best Buy Outlet”.

6. Negotiate at the End of the Month

Sales floor managers are trying to hit sales goals at the end of the month and are much more willing to wheel and deal with you.

I’m talking about the last 2 days of the month, like the 30th or 31st.

See Also: Here Are the Best Days of the Week to Make Purchases to Save BIG

7. Special Discounts for Gamers

If you fancy yourself a gamer, and you’re not a member of Best Buy’s Gamers Club, you’re clearly doing it all wrong.

A membership will get you a bunch of free rewards that you can exchange for discounts on new and used games, along with gaming accessories.

At the very least, get the Gamers Club free option which is a no-brainer.

The $30 for a 2-year membership will get you the Gamers Club Unlocked membership which can really save you some money by getting you 20% off all new video game software plus 10% off all pre-owned games.

Ask the Reader: How do you save money at Best Buy? Have you ever taken advantage of any of my tips?

By Kyle James

Photo by Mike Mozart.

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.