ERRANDz Online Shopping Tips

ERRANDz is committed to not only sharing great deals on great products – we want to help you save even more by highlighting the best strategies for getting the most bang for your buck by scouring the Internet for the best liquidation, overstock and retail clearances.

STEP 1 – BANK REWARDS

Use bank rewards. Make sure you’re signed up for a tier with your bank that benefits you, and have the discipline to put those rewards to work. Using credit cards like this for every purchase and then making it a habit to spend a couple of minutes paying down all credit card debt at the end of each month really can save you a significant amount on purchases each month. Credit companies pray on a lack of discipline to recoup their debt fees, but how difficult is it to payoff a credit bill just like you payoff rent each month? It’s insanely easy in the age of online banking we enjoy today. These perks probably will decrease over time as more people become savvy to just how easy it is to “win” at rewards programs.

STEP 2 – PATIENCE & PLANNING

We know. It used to make our eyers roll, too. But seriously – Be patient with your shopping. You’ll find out that it’s insanely easy to pull off. It takes little more than discipline to make an attitude / routine adjustment that will save you a LOT of money, and you’ll never look back! Good things (like massive discounts) really do come to those that wait and the tiny bit of discipline it takes is an easy learned behavior. In the age of Internet shopping and running errands online, it pays to have a plan or Wishlist that helps you intelligently buy when category prices are trending lower. Every day is Black Friday if you know what to shop for, when!

STEP 3 – GET MORE CASH BACK (eBATES before you buy online)

Use a checkout site that gives you even more discounts and coupons WITHOUT adding much time/complexity to completing a purchase. EBates Chrome browser app integration is an incredibly powerful service (the best we’ve seen) as it instantly allows you to check both coupons and recoup cashback rewards for just signing-up and taking this simple, fast extra step. It literally only takes a matter of seconds per purchase and over the course of a year saves most online errands shoppers HUNDREDS of dollars. Sign-up for your own free EBATES account using this link and you’ll get $10 added to your account for free just because you signed-up! One of the great things about the eBates Chrome app, is that whenever you load a rebate eligible site, a subtle reminder appears in the top right corner of the browser window to let you know to activate your cash back rewards. It’s an amazingly simple and refined integration that gets you cash back almost effortlessly.

STEP 4 – GET COUPONS (RetailMeNot before you buy in-store)

Again, a little discipline will go a long way to saving you money. The beauty of it all is that technology (smartphones) has made the process wonderfully fast, easy and dare we say, seamless! Before you make a purchase in-store or online (or even while you wait in the checkout line), do a quick search on RetailMeNot or any other preferred “promo code” or “coupon code” aggregator to find out if there any additional coupons, daily promos or other benefits available for your purchase. In the age of Amazon, most retailers and e-tailers are working extremely hard to earn your business. Which means that the likelihood of scoring stackable coupons or online-only offers is higher than ever and worth the seconds it takes to check. We’ve found discounts more often than we haven’t, so that’s the best indicator of what a value and simple extra step this is for saving you $$. Again, there’s lots of options out there, but we like RetailMeNot because they are reliably on top of which coupons do/don’t work and their app functionality, ease of use and timeliness is top tier.

Some of Our Favorite…

 

Discount Sites

  • eBates – What’s better than bargain basement prices on high quality merchandise? Getting paid for taking those deals!!! Seriously. This is not a scam so it’s worth the seconds it takes to save hundreds of dollars in spending a year by using the ebates browser plugin/extension. The too-oft overlooked cash back incentives that come with using additional discount sites like eBates. eBates has quickly become one of the most powerful ways to save more, and they’re tools in the age of apps (like built-in browser plugins) are not to take likely. They’ll save you a LOT over time provided eBates becomes an easy plugin to your shopper workflow. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and sign-up for your own free EBATES account using this link.
  • DealNews – consistently a great range of products/services at often unbelievably low prices. Our only gripe is how long it can take to sort through the so-so deals to find the great ones.
  • RetailMeNot – like we said before, a consistently reliable and relatively fast and user-friendly coupon tracker.
  • Paribus – Paribus automatically monitors what you buy from 29 popular e-tailers including WalMart, Overstock, Best Buy, Target, Staples, Old Navy, Sears, Home Depot and many more. When Paribus notices a price drop that applies to anything in your purchase history they automagically negotiate a price-matching refund for you. Another almost effortless way to gets real results and cash back that requires practically no effort other than signing-up. They used to keep a part of the refund they secured on your behalf, but now they are offering the service for FREE. Many online stores offer a price-matching or purchase-protection policy. That means if you buy something and the price drops or a competitor has it for less, Paribus will right a letter automatically for you in an effort to secure a partial refund. The tradeoff here is that the technology needs to scan your email receipts to conduct the service for you, so you have to be willing to grant access. But Paribus operates completely out-of-sight in the background, so you will probably forget all about it unless / until it sends you a notice of a refund. Sign-up with Paribus and find out if any of these major online retailers owe you a refund!

Electronics Bargains

  • Amazon.com – Best for: Everything Everything under the sun, new, used, and usually competitively priced.  Hard to beat for price and convenience which is why we feature so many of their daily deals and other product offerings, daily. Overall, nobody does it better than Amazon.
  • Monoprice.com – Best for: Electronics accessories, cables, even budget pro audio equipment. High quality and low price.  The best place to buy most of your electronics online.  The quality supersedes most of what you find elsewhere, for less money.  An extremely rare mix of quality and bottom basement pricing.  Particularly great for computer, audio, video, and music periphery devices, cords, cables and boxes thought their mainline products continue to improve and impress (monitors, camera gear, music instruments, etc.).  Also offer a great and relatively hassle-free returns policy.
  • Jet.com –Best for: Last minute gifts and electronics you forgot you needed (hard drives, cameras, toys). A new player recently acquired by Way-Mart, fast on the rise, especially after an unusually competitive holiday deal season.
  • Newegg.com –Best for: All things electronic and building your own computer. Electronics, computer builds, peripherals.  Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are particularly great.
  • Target.com –Best for: Toys and Home Supplies. VERY competitive seasonal and especially Black Friday markdowns during the holiday 2016 shopping season.
  • Walmart.com –Best for: Toys, Home Supplies, and Everything Else! The acquisition of Jet.com has been a boon for Walmart’s digital strategy. VERY competitive seasonal and especially Black Friday markdowns during the holiday 2016 shopping season.

For Travel Deals

 

Clothing

Shopping options and value propositions change constantly, especially online.  Leave ideas and comments below for us to consider incorporating your shopping and travel hacks into our list!  ~ERRANDz Team

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