Thursday, January 22, 2009

Saving big bucks online.....

OMG, what woman doesn't get heart palpitations over the thought of saving money? I have to tell you this little story that happened to me today.

I had to make a purchase and started out "shopping" for this item online. Once I found the style and make that interested me, then I set out to find the best price. The first price I found was $183.95, plus a whopping $32. to have it shipped. Wow! Definitely too much money. I would never ever pay that kind of money in postage. Most of the time I only shop online if I have free shipping. The smart stores offer it often if you buy a certain amount and also give out promo codes for free shipping, no matter how much....those codes can be obtained here. Those promo codes have saved me bundles, not only in free shipping, but in percentages off of your purchases. Sweet!

So I googled the item and found the stores that carry it. I found it at one place for $129.00 and then at another for $111.00 with $18.00 shipping and bookmarked that in case I couldn't find anything better. One store shouted in red letters that it had free shipping but the small print said "on most items" and, of course, MY item was not one included. I gave this store a second chance, even though I considered them sneaky, because the price of the item was $99.99 and that was a substantial saving. The shipping was $19.99 and that didn't set well with me so I called them and asked them if they could do better on the shipping costs. I even pulled the "senior citizen" card on them but they didn't bite. They wouldn't give me a better deal, so I thanked them and continued on my way. You can even flip them the bird or stick out your tongue or waggle your hiney at them without fear of reprisal. Internet shopping is so great like that.

After only 3 or 4 minutes of searching I found my item at the $99.99 price at a store that actually did honor free shipping. I am so proud of myself. To their misfortune, the store I called missed out on a sale just because they didn't want to work with me on the shipping.....so maybe they didn't really need the sale. What amazes me is the price difference for this item. Obviously the store selling it for $99.99 is still making money, so look at the profit margin there is originally at $183.95! And how about that shipping....its not like I live in Bora Bora. Look at the difference in that....all the way from $18 to $32...to ship the same item. In the end you know the store I chose is making money on my $99.99 purchase and enough so they can even ship it for free and still come out ahead. But in the long run, I'm the one who benefited and something like that would make it a banner day in the life of anyone!! Keep smilin'. Hey Brad....are you reading this?

10 comments:

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

Val - GOOD for you!! I agree with you that on all points, and I cannot believe that a company would lose a sale over a shipping charge. Ridiculous in these troubled economic times.

Bravo and hooray for you. "Waggle your hiney" has me dying laughing. Well, not YOUR hiney but just waggling a hiney in general...you know what I mean.

fiwa said...

Good for you! Excellent work there. I would never think to bargin on the shipping - I'll keep that in mind next time.

I'm so proud of you Val, for being so thrifty!

love you,
fiwa

Brad said...

Of course I'm reading this. and I won't even call you out for the sexism. (men like sales too!) I'm learning quick to speak up and ask for the better deal. What can they do? take away my birthday?

Love ya baby!

desert dirt diva said...

right on ,I just love a good deal :) and the codes thing was a extreme plus..i book marked that one too ..thanks for the tip..

Mama Llama said...

You know, Val, I do the EXACT SAME THING...

(great minds, eh?!)

That has saved me so much money, the virtual "shopping around" and googling the item(s) in question.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few months, especially with regard to stores like Sears, Gap, K-Mart, Macy's and the like. News isn't good; what kinds of stops will be pulled out? Will they be able to save themselves from completely going under?

Happy armchair shopping, Val! Be well.

Summer said...

So, what you do is, find the store with the best price and then go to the site to see if they have promo codes? Is this only for online shopping?

I need to learn this stuff!

Anonymous said...

Good for you Val. It just goes to show that it pays to do that extra little bit of work to find the best deal. I can't believe that other company stuck to their original shipping arrangement and consequently lost the sale. Very poor management but their loss eh?

Cheryl said...

I love this story. I get so much pleasure out of finding deals. I added your link to my other deal bookmarks.

ac said...

You are my online shopping hero! ac

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