While I’ve talked about discounts for military/vets, teachers, and students in the past, I’ve never given First Responders their deserved credit. I’m talking about police officers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses and even correctional officers and paramedics. I discovered that many companies these days happily offer these heroes a generous discount on their purchases. Here are the most popular retailers that I’ve discovered so far.

First, What You Need to Know:

The majority of the companies in this article use one of two online services to verify your employment as a first responder.

You’d be smart to register with each so you can start getting your discounts today.

Here are the details…

1. ID.me – This service simplifies the process of identifying your identity and employment status.

2. VerifyPass – Similar to ID.me but with more of an emphasis on military, responders, students, and teachers.

Also, if you work as a volunteer firefighter or EMT you should be able to register as well.

Now that I got that out of the way, here are the current companies that offer a discount…

Affliction Apparel

Affliction is happy to offer first responders a 15% discount.

This deal on apparel is good for both active and retired police, fire, and EMT.

They use VerifyPass to check if you’re eligible. Sign-up for free NOW.

Clarks Shoes

Clarks offers a discount for active Police, Fire, Nurses, Medical Professionals, and EMT workers as well.

They use ID.me to verify your employment status.

The specific discount changes all the time so you’ll want to login and check it out for yourself.

Columbia

Columbia Sportswear offers a 15% discount via ID.me.

The discount is good for police, fire, and EMT.

See Also: Veteran & Military Discounts: 90+ Places Where Heroes Get a Deal

Costco

Did you know Costco also offers a first responders discount?

Not only will you get a $20 Costco cash card with your new membership, but you’ll score $60 worth of freebies and coupons.

The discount is done via ID.me.

Dickies

Dickies is also proud to offer a 10% discount to first responders including nurses, doctors, EMT, and firefighters.

They use SheerID to verify your eligibility.

Fanatics

Save a cool 15% off your purchase the next time you shop at Fanatics.

This includes Police, Sheriff, State Trooper, Corrections Officer, Federal Officers, 911 Dispatcher, Firefighters, Volunteer Firefighters, EMT, and Paramedic.

The discount is good for spouses and family members as well.

Helzberg Diamonds

Score a 10% discount when you shop online at Herzberg or call them at 1-800-435-9237.

Good for nurses, doctors, police, fire, and EMT professionals and their spouses.

Jockey

Jockey is proud to offer a 10% discount via ID.me to nurses, fire fighters, EMTs, and paramedics.

Never pay full-price for underwear again.

See Also: 50+ Places Where Educators Get a Teacher Discount

Leatherman

Leatherman offers a discount via the Leatherman Pro program.

The discount gets you access to deals that top 50% off the original price.

Good for those in Fire (including volunteer), EMS, and LE, nurses, doctors, and police.

Lululemon

Lulu offers a 15% first responder discount.

The discount is good for online and in-store purchases and it’s good for We Made Too Much products as well.

MLB Shop

MLB Shop offers first responders a slick 15% off their next purchase.

This deal is also good for spouses and immediate family members.

MooseJaw

Get 20% off all full-priced purchases at the outdoor gear and apparel company Moosejaw.

They use ID.me to verify if you’re currently EMT, police, or fire.

Excludes kayaks, canoes, SUPs, cameras, snowboards, skateboards, bikes, skis, and gift cards.

NBA Store

The NBA Store discount works the same as the MLB Shop above, 15% off.

It’s also good for immediate family members and spouses.

See Also: A List of Over 80 Nurse Discounts Broken Down by Category

Overstock.com

First responders can join Club O Rewards for FREE and get free shipping on EVERY purchase, 5% cashback, and additional coupons/perks.

Free for police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and EMT’s.

Quiksilver

Quiksilver is proud to offer a 15% discount to EMT, fire fighters, and police.

Excludes gift cards, GoPro camera, and some hard goods.

Reebok

Via ID.me, Reebok offers 50% off your purchase for nurses, physicians, hospital employees and first responders.

This discount is also good for students, government employees, and those in the military.

Roxy

Roxy happily offers a 15% discount to all first responders.

This discount is available online only and not at any outlet locations.

Saddleback Leather

Saddleback offers a 10% discount to military and first responders (Police/Fire/EMT).

They use ID.me to verify your information.

Under Armour

Under Armour offers a 10% online discount for active Police, Fire, and EMT.

After you verify your purchase via ID.me you’ll select “Military and First Responder Discount” at checkout.

Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley offers a generous 15% discount to “Police Officers, Sheriffs, State Troopers, Corrections Officers, Federal Officers, Volunteer & Career Firefighters, EMTs, and Paramedics.”

Their discount also includes nurses, doctors, and physician assistants, including their spouses.

Vera Bradley also uses ID.me for verification purposes.

Verizon Wireless

Verizon has an excellent First Responders Program.

From their website, “First responders save on their personal wireless plans. Get Go Unlimited for as low as $30/line with 4 lines. Per month. Plus taxes & fees.”

Join visit the above linked page and sign-up for free and you’ll get access to all the current discounts.

Yeti

Yeti offers a discount program via ID.me that includes nurses, EMT, fire, police, and all government employees.

Just verify your service or employment and gain access to Yeti discounts and perks.

Ask the Reader: What first responder discounts and perks have I missed? Let me know in the comments section and I’ll check them out.

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Andrew Magill.

Is it just me or are Amazon Prime packages having trouble always getting to your front door in 2-days? With the HUGE volume of packages they mail daily, it’s not surprising that not all packages get to the customer on-time. But did you know you have recourse if Amazon doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain and deliver in the 2-day shipping window? What they’ll give you for the inconvenience just might shock you. Here’s what you need to know the next time you get something late from Amazon.

Score a FREE Credit to Your Account

I had an Amazon Prime package arrive 2 days late just last week.

There were no storms in the area and no obvious reasons for it to be late.

So I did what I usually do and hit up Amazon live chat to let them know that they didn’t hold up their end of the Prime shipping guarantee.

I knew they would offer me something for the inconvenience, but I wasn’t sure what it would be as I hadn’t done this in quite some time.

I was pleasantly surprised that the Amazon rep immediately offered me a $5 credit to my account. But keep reading as this get MUCH better.

Here’s how the initial chat went down…

What About 1-Month of Free Prime?

Amazon use to give you 1-month of free Amazon Prime when your package arrived late.

You just had to complain a little bit and they would quickly credit your account.

I’ve received this little-known Amazon perk as early as last year.

But when I asked the chat rep about getting 1-month of free Prime, in lieu of the $5 credit, I was told that this practice was discontinued last year.

See Also: 6 Out-Of-The-Box Ways to Get Amazon Prime for Free

But Wait…It Gets WAY Better

After I asked about the free 1-month of Prime, the chat rep volunteered something even BETTER.

A free $10 credit to my Amazon account to be exact. No joke!

Not sure if I triggered this because we order from Amazon often, or if this is standard practice if you seem unsatisfied with the $5 credit.

I’m also guessing that this could be a 1-time dealio and the next time I’ll only get a $5 credit.

In any case, the bottom-line is to try this trick the next time your package arrives late…you just might end up with a FREE $10 like I did.

Don’t believe me? See my chat session below…

Ask the Reader: How often do your Amazon Prime packages arrive late? Have you ever held Amazon’s feet to the fire and received something for the inconvenience?

By Kyle James

Do you love shopping online? Maybe it’s the coupon codes, or the easy price comparisons, or the overall convenience? Whatever the case, many retailers let you shop their website then pickup the item in-store at their brick and mortar locations, usually within an hour or two. Here are eleven such popular retailers along with details on how their in-store pickup service works. Hope it helps!

Best Buy

After you add items to your cart at Best Buy’s website, you’ll want to choose “Store Pickup”, then select your local store.

They’ll then give you an estimated pickup time which is usually within an hour.

Then wait for an email telling you the order is ready for pickup.

Bring in your order number, photo ID, and credit card to collect your items.

Look for reserved parking spots labeled Store Pickup which will be close to the front door for even faster pickup.

Also, they have a convenient program called “Friends and Family Pickup” which allows you to order something online and have someone else pick it up.

An example where this would be handy is an away-at-college-student.

You can buy them something online and they can pick it up at a Best Buy near campus.

BJ’s Wholesale

If you have a BJ’s in your neck of the woods you should be aware of their Pickup Service.

Penned the “Shop BJs.com – Pick Up in Club” program, most orders will be available for pickup within 2 hours.

Just place your order, select Club Pickup and wait for your email confirmation.

See Also: The 8 Best Return Policies in the Known Universe

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Dick’s has upped the game by offering Free One-Hour Pickup.

Just shop their website like you normally would, set your store preference and add items to your virtual cart.

Under delivery options, select in-store pickup and finalize your purchase.

Wait for the email notification that your order is ready and drive on down.

When you arrive, visit the Self-Service Pickup Station to let employees know you’re there.

Home Depot

To take advantage of the Home Depot In-Store Pickup option just shop like normal but select “Pick Up In-Store” on the product page in your virtual cart.

You’ll get 2 emails, the first will be an order confirmation followed by an email telling you the order is ready for pickup. The 2nd email will usually arrive within 2 hours.

The 2nd email will also contain the instructions needed to make the pickup process seamless and quick.

IKEA

The IKEA “Click and Collect” service is WAY slick.

Just shop at IKEA.com and add products to your shopping cart.

Once you get to the checkout page select “Click & Collect” and they’ll prepare the order at the store of your choosing.

Wait for the email or text message then go get your stuff.

Important Note: This program will cost you $5 upfront but you’ll get it back in the form of an IKEA gift card when you pick up your purchase.

Kohl’s

The Kohl’s Free Store Pickup is pretty straight-forward.

Just place your order, choose Free Store Pickup Today and wait for the email (usually within 2 hours).

Then drive to Kohl’s, park in a reserved space and head for the designated pickup line.

Lowe’s

The Lowe’s In-Store Pickup policy works very similar to the Home Depot’s.

Just select “Store Pickup” at checkout and grab your item(s) at the customer service desk when you get a notification that your order is ready.

They don’t specify a specific time frame but it’s always been within a couple hours in my experience.

See Also: Lowe’s Return Policy: All Your Questions FINALLY Answered

Macy’s

The Macy’s in-store pickup system is pretty slick too and available on a vast majority of items.

Simply pick Free Pickup In Store at checkout and get an email within 2 hours that it’s ready.

Be sure to place your order before 6 p.m. to get the 2-hour in-store pickup window.

Staples

The Staples In-Store Pickup program is cool too.

Just shop the Staples website and click the “Pick up Today” button and select your local store.

Once you complete your purchase you’ll get a “Ready for Pickup” email within 1 Hour. Now that’s fast.

Target

The Order Pickup service at Target is pretty darn convenient as well.

When shopping the Target website, look for eligible items marked Free ship to store or Free order pickup.

Select either option and complete your purchase.

Next, wait for an email confirmation that your order is ready for pickup and you’re good-to-go.

Also, keep an eye out for Target Drive Up in late 2019. The service will allow you to place an order via the Target app and have a Target employee bring it out to your car.

Walmart

Walmart has a handy in-store pickup service that is often underutilized.

Just order online and get same day pickup (usually within 2 hours) at NO extra charge.

The one catch is that it only applies to select items….but the selection is in the millions of items.

Just look for “Free pickup today” under the item’s price and follow the instructions.

Ask the Reader: Did I miss any retailers? Let me know in the comments, thanks!

By Kyle James