Shopping and Money Saving Tips from the Deal Rat..

Finding the Best Deals at Costco Wholesale Club

2011-03-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

I really love shopping at Costco. It's well documented that nothing Costco sells is priced more than 14% above what Costco actually paid for the item. 14% is a maximum markup! That fact alone should make you feel confident in just about any purchase you make. This is why certain items like jewelry and furniture come across as exceptionally good deals. They are! Most jewelry and furniture stores have a minimum 100% markup.

Keep an eye out for savings. If the price tag has an asterisk on the price tag... one of these stars: * ..they are not going to restock that item when it runs out. If you like it, or think you will like it, stock up now! If the price also ends in 7 (e.g. $14.97) not only is it not going to be replenished, but it's been marked down to clearance pricing!

Not all Costco locations have the same price. I discovered this by accident. In my town, the Costco across the street from a Sam's Club carries printer ink that is about $3-$4 cheaper than another Costco only 10-15 minutes away. A Costco employee verified this fact, stating that Costco secret shops the competition and adjusts their prices accordingly to make sure they always have the cheapest price on "like-items."

Not all Costco locations have the same markdowns. Last summer I purchased a lunchbox which had a specially printed discount right on the price tag. When I found the same lunchbox at another Costco location in the same city just a couple days later, they were still charging the full price.

No membership required! Due to a federal law, no membership is required to purchase drugs from the Costco pharmacy. That's great news for you non-members, because the Costco pharmacy has some of the best bargains in the store! When walking into a Costco to get a prescription, simply say, "Pharmacy!" as you walk in the door and they won't even ask for your membership card. I do this even though I'm a member, just to avoid the hassle of taking out my wallet! In many states, you can also purchase alcohol and gas without a Costco membership.

deal·rat, n. Slang. A person in constant search of great deals.

Are YOU a deal rat?

How To Get The Most For Your Money At Restaurants

2011-02-22T07:57:00.000-08:00

I love restaurants that allow you to order certain items à la carte. I see this with Mexican restaurants in particular, but also with breakfast houses and others. The beauty of the à la carte section in a menu, is that more often then not, there's a flaw in the pricing structure.

A common mistake on the restaurant owner's part is this: If you order a 2 item combo plate that comes with 2 tacos, beans, and rice it might cost $9.99. If you order the exact same items à la carte it might be $2.50 for each taco, and $3.00 for a side of beans & rice. Total it up à la carte and it only costs $8.00.

Now I gotta warn you, sometimes they'll question you when ordering à la carte. Usually they're just trying to be helpful. Sometimes, they know the pricing flaw and are trying to bump the bill for a bigger tip!

"Are you sure you don't want the combo plate? We offer that as a combo plate."

"You're darn right I'm sure!" Don't really say that, simply say, "yes" or if it makes you feel better and you're with at least one other person, tell them you're going to share the items.

Professional Tip: With small groups, if one person orders for the whole table, ordering a combo à la carte never even gets questioned. This ordering method generally catches the waiter or waitress off-guard at most places.

Something to remember: Do us all a favor, never "clue-in" the people that work at the restaurant! Menu pricing flaws like this often go unchanged for years!

deal·rat, n. Slang. A person in constant search of great deals.

Are YOU a deal rat?

How To Get The Best Deal Online Or Offline

2011-02-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to save more money, fatten up your wallet, and brag to your friends about the incredible bargains you keep getting? If you answered yes, you might be a deal rat! In the following article, I'll show you step by step how to maximize your savings and always get the best deal currently available.

Lesson 1: Deal Rats realize that getting the lowest price doesn't necessarily mean getting the best deal. The lowest price and the best deal are often times, two, totally different things.

There's no point in buying the least expensive item if the quality, features, and reliability are below your expectations. To come up with the best deal we have to consider value. Here's the formula I use to find value: Low Price plus High Quality, Features, and Reliability = Value.

An example of calculating value: In a recent Consumer Reports test on heart rate monitors priced from $35 to $110, their top pick was a $50 monitor by Timex. Another Consumer Reports "Best Buy" was only $40. Sure, you could spend over double the price ($80 to $100 or more) but, you wouldn't buy a monitor as good (according to Consumer Reports) as the inexpensive, top rated Timex.

So, the first step in finding a great deal is to select the top few choices with the best VALUE.

In this example, Consumer Reports has done most of the work for you. They've done the testing, analyzing, and general pricing. They have determined which items have the greatest value. To calculate the best deal, use this formula: Value minus the most Advantageous Discount (or in some cases, Multiple Discounts) = the Best Deal.

Your job (aka Step 2) as a Deal Rat, is to find the lowest possible price on each of the top 1 to 3 items with the best value.

To find the lowest possible price in your local marketplace (offline), you'll want to keep your eyes and ears open. Local TV and radio commercials may offer a time sensitive sale, discount, or special. Browse newspaper ads and local coupon books like the Entertainment Book too. Finally, check online sites like Wow Coupons which let you print retail coupons you can take to the store.

For online/Internet purchases, I like to use a price comparison tool like Google Product Search. Type in the item in question. When you see the results, click on Compare prices and you'll get a list of pricing complete with tax and shipping information. Remember, tax and shipping can make or break a good deal!

Your next step is to take the top 1 to 3 stores with the lowest price and enter them one at a time into the search box of a site like RetailMeNot. Browse through the coupon codes listed and try them in each site to see which store offers the lowest overall price and consequently, the best deal.

Professional Tip 1: Before I click Submit to finalize any order online, go to Google or Bing and do a search. Type the name of the store you're shopping at, and the words: Promotional Code, Discount Code, Coupon Code, or whatever their exact wording is. Sometimes this comes up with a code that is better than the one you were just about to use!

Professional Tip 2: Some online sites let you use more than one promotional code so always be sure to check and see what happens when you enter multiple discount codes.

deal·rat, n. Slang. A person in constant search of great deals.

Are YOU a deal rat?