Secret Price Codes Can Help Shoppers
DENVER (CBS4) - Whether it's at discount stores or not, it's no secret that shoppers want a good deal. With Black Friday coming up shoppers only have one thing on their minds.
"I think saving money is vitally important," said father of three Scott Stare. "It's something I do personally and I try to teach my kids the same thing."
Those savings can be found easier than many think. Kyle James, a shopping blogger for RatherBeShopping.com, discovered that stores have secret codes in their prices.
"I started digging around a little bit and I found some forums where employees posted some stuff," James said.
James found that the final two numbers on a price tag often contain a secret code that can make saving much easier for shoppers.
"I think it's a great little tool for consumers to make sure that they're getting a good deal," James said.
At Costco, prices ending in .99 mean that you are paying full retail price, but if you find a product ending in .97, .88, or .00, you are getting a discount. Price tags with an asterisk mean that the product is being discontinued, and prices ending in .79 or .49 indicate a manager's special.
Target uses a similar system for its pricing. Prices ending in .99 are full retail price, but discounts look a little different.
"I discovered that if prices ended with .98, it was a mark down price," said James. "Then if it was .04 it was a final markdown price, so .04 was the best deal."
At Home Depot .06 is the final markdown price and at Old Navy, .47, .49, .97, and .99 indicate discounted or clearance items.
"It's kind of been a work in progress," said James. "I keep changing it as I get new information and I hope to keep adding stores to it."
Find James' full report at Ratherbeshopping.com. James also made a PDF file of the codes that consumers can print out and keep in their wallets.
- Written for CBSDenver.com by Conor McCue
