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Posted 2 November 2020
By DustedPenny
Yes, you can save money when you walk into a big-box store. Luckily for us, these big-box stores have us in mind to make us buy goods and save money as well. 
Saving money is good, especially if we are on a strict budget. And we can’t afford to lose a dime to a product that went up in price. 

When I walk into a store, I already know the amount of money I’m willing to spend and even what I want to buy. Yes, I sometimes add extra things to my cart, but that doesn’t mean I’m not on the lookout for deals or how I can purchase and get more for my money.

Some people might argue that there's no point in saving pennies, but they are wrong. Sometimes these stores give %50 off and even %80 off. No matter how rich you are, there’s still something in your mind that tells you to save some extra cash when you see a deal.

These big-box stores know that people get excited, and they even spend more than they planned to buy when they see a good deal. But unknown to them, these are sales tactics. Sometimes, these big-box stores might put a price on something while they have in mind to reduce it in the future. They know from the get-go that the product might not sell very well at that selling price, and they even know when it’s time to give the discount. 

Below are what you can do to save money at big-box stores.

1. Items on sale

There are many reasons why an item can go on sale. It could be that the product is about to expire. When the stores know they won’t sell those items, they immediately put them on sale. You can save big on these items because they usually sell way cheaper than their original prices. For example, a mango selling for $2 would be selling for $0.99 because they have too many.

Another good example is bread. There’s always an expiration date on bread, and when it’s three days or two days before it expires. If the stores know they have so much remaining and that the traffic has reduced, they will quickly put it on sale. 
There’s no known time when these deals will happen, so you should frequently visit the stores that could be doing this.
 
2. Shop before the season begins

Some big-box stores sell products months away from a season. You can take advantage of these sales because you could save a lot compared to prices during a season. Big-box stores know that people are happy to spend as much as they want, especially the last hour buyers. So if you are planning to buy a gift for someone or yourself, you have to plan ahead of time. 

When you come to these stores earlier, you should find these items cheaper because they have massive amounts in stock and want to start selling them before the season begins. Don’t think that they’ll give discounts when the season comes. If they find out they can’t sell all, the stores will ship the products to other locations that have either run out of the products or to stores that can sell them. Some of the companies that own these stores can even put all the items that didn’t sell in a warehouse so that they’ll just sell them when the season comes.

3. Have a budget

These big-box stores have mastered the game of impulse buying. They have strategically placed items in places that you can’t miss seeing the things that get your attention. If you don’t spend, that means you are saving. When you have a budget, it will be like you are on a mission. You’ll walk in and walk out with what you came to buy. But as humans, this is almost impossible because we have feelings. There’s no problem going a little above your budget, but buying something totally because it was on sale is not right, especially when you are on a budget. 

Budgeting can save you from the shiny objects you see in there. Next time you walk into those stores, make sure you are on a budget. You can read this article by Investopedia to learn the six reasons why you need to budget. 

4. Try to buy store brands

Store brands are usually cheaper than other brands. You might be surprised to know that some of the brands you think are not good quality are owned by stores. 

Some people believe that because these products are cheap to buy, they are not quality products. But that’s not the case. These products with store brands have reasonable price tags so that they can get off the shelves as quickly as possible. So when you walk into a big-box store, make sure you ask the customer care representative to know if the store sells in their brand (or brands) what you want to buy. Stores are always adding products to their line, so you should ask so that you’ll save money. 

5. Loyalty Programs

Big-box stores love people who are loyal to them. If you are always coming back to buy from a particular store, you are a loyal customer. These stores have figured out ways to make their loyal customers come back even more. They have introduced various forms of loyalty programs so that they can attract all demographics. 


You can take advantage of their loyalty programs. When you do this, you could save hundreds of dollars every year. However, some of them demand that you pay a monthly fee to take advantage of their programs.