Save Major Money at the Mall by Making 5 Changes to the Way You Shop
Shop at your favorite stores for much less.
Shopping malls are seeing a slight reassurance these days! This is great news as shoppers are more willing to go into their favorite stores and see the clothes in-person rather than only shopping online. But, rising prices call for shopping and spending smarter at various stores. So, we asked experts to reveal the savvy ways for how to save money shopping with each trip to the mall.
Score deals by shopping pop-ups.
“The temporary retail spaces that literally pop up in the mall are typically used to introduce a new store or new products to shoppers. Often, these pop-ups will offer great prices on merchandise to drum up business. For example, my mall recently had a Lululemon pop-up, where customers could score scarves (which normally cost $68) for $29, and $118 leggings for $79. Plus, these pop-ups often hold drawings for gift cards to the mall or hand out freebies. Find out about upcoming pop-ups on the website, Facebook page or at the information kiosk of your mall.” — Amy Livingston, savings expert at MoneyCrashers.com
Get coupons by connecting to Wi-Fi.
“Ever notice how the moment you walk into a store you suddenly get a notification about their daily deal or a coupon offer? That’s probably because you have the store’s app on your phone. So as soon as you connect to their Wi-Fi, it sends a signal to ping you with coupon alerts for a percentage off a purchase or item, often in the 10 to 20 percent range.” — Kyle James, founder of Rather-Be-Shopping.com
Snag discounts by signing up here.
“Make sure you’re subscribed to the marketing SMS messages — or short message service — of your favorite mall stores by going to their website and signing up. This is how retailers send out flash sale alerts or information on other limited offers. For example, Bath & Body Works recently sent out 25 percent off deals to those who are subscribed via SMS, and Westfield malls use SMS to send offers like 30 percent off the purchase of fashion jewelry at Kay Jewelers.” — Jessica Kats, budgeting and finance expert at shopping site Soxy.com
Earn gift cards by snapping pics
“Even if you have to pay full price for something you really love when shopping at the mall, many major retailers work with apps that allow you to reap the rewards on the back end. One great app to use? Fetch Rewards (FetchRewards.com). You simply scan shopping receipts to amass points, and once you earn enough, you can trade them in for gift cards to stores like Macy’s, JCPenney, Ulta and more. These are usually e-gift cards, which are great since you won’t run the risk of misplacing them, and you can use them to save on any future pur-chases!” — Andrea Woroch, money-saving expert at AndreaWoroch.com
Spend $100 less by ignoring these
“Research has shown that folks are more likely to spend $100 when purchases are broken up into smaller increments, like $1 here and $5 there. That’s why mall stores place so many low-cost, colorful items for $1 to $3 at the checkout. They’re counting on you thinking, What’s an extra buck? But it adds up! The best way to avoid temptation? Bring a book or magazine to read (or scroll social media on your phone) while you wait in line.” — Trae Bodge, shopping expert at TrueTrae.com
This article originally appeared in our print magazine, First For Women.
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