Discount Shopping Hacks

I think we all can agree that finding discounted goods is like finding a pot of gold, except this pot of gold is much easier to achieve.

With the COVID-19 pandemic increasing the price of products and/or services from our favorite companies, finding discounted deals are in higher demand than ever before. And with the holidays around the corner, "retail sales in November and December are expected grow between 8.5% and 10.5% this year compared to last year's holiday season," accumulating up to $859 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.

Listed below are a few of the discount shopping hacks I use before making any purchase.

1. Follow influencers and bloggers

Influencers and bloggers are hired by brands to promote their products, often resulting in personalized discount codes for influencers and bloggers to share with their followers via social media.

2. YouTube is your friend

If your favorite influencers or bloggers are not offering codes and discounts at the time you are looking to shop, search the name of the online retailer you want to purchase from on YouTube and a list of videos, which may include potential discount codes in the video description, will appear.

3. Cash back rewards app

Whether using Fetch or RetailMeNot, cash back rewards apps are one of the best ways of saving money and never paying full price. Fetch is an app that collects receipts from up to 14 days ago from stores like but not limited to Best Buy, Walgreens and Amazon then rewards the user with points that can be redeemed for gift cards and coupons. Every 1,000 points is equivalent to one dollar, with grocery stores, restaurants or gas station receipts from up to the last two weeks can be used to earn approximately 25 points. Unlike Fetch, RetailMeNot is primarily a coupon finder but also allows users to activate online offers, or upload receipts and scan barcodes for discounts. RetailMeNot is one of the most popular apps used by shoppers and remains a top cash back app for its simplicity and easy navigation!

4. Skip the middle shelf when shopping in-store

What many shoppers do not realize is that companies place their most expensive products on the middle shelves of their stores because shoppers are attracted to what is easily directed in front of them while discounted goods are laid out on the top and bottom store shelves. If you are looking to save money one products, look to the top and bottom shelves first!

5. Shop on the right days of the week

According to Insider, online retailers offer the best prices Wednesday through Friday with markdowns taking place at noon on Friday and Saturday. Because pricing trends change with the market, be sure to stay up to date with market news.

6. Abandon your shopping cart

Abandoning your online shopping cart before clicking the "buy option" often results in companies sending you a personalized discount code via email to finish your purchase so they can cash your sale.

7. Register on websites for first time purchase coupons

As annoying and tedious as receiving emails may be, online retailers will always offer discounts of 10% to 15% off for first time shoppers who register on their website. If you do not want to receive updates from the store however, you can always unsubscribe from the websites general email list once receiving your discount code.

8. Use the Honey plug-in app

Using the extension Honey, you can automatically find and apply coupon codes when shopping online to find the best deals while saving money!

9. Use price comparison

PriceBlink, one of the top rated browser add-ons, can help you compare product prices by pulling up prices for the same item at other stores while notifying you if there are coupons available to use.