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The Budget Tip of the Day
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Today's Tip: Simply Ask a Store Employee
Yesterday, my wife and I went to Lowe's to take a look at some of the ceiling fans. Would
you believe that a person who dedicates his time to running a money-saving website doesn't
even have a ceiling fan in his master bedroom? Talk about missing out on a golden
opportunity to lower your energy bill! I know! Well, as you pick up the stones to cast at
me, I do want to share with you my experience when buying the ceiling fan.
If your mail cycle is anything like mine, you most likely get a mailer about once a month
that offers 10% off any purchase at Lowe's (or Home Depot). We typically get it once a
month, and it either gets pinned to the refrigerator or taken to the glove compartment of the
car. Well, the problem was that our coupon had expired, and not really at an ideal time, as
we were considering purchasing something at Lowe's.
Ceiling fans generally run in the range of $49 - $299. Yes, I'm sure you can spend over
$300 on a ceiling fan, but if you have that kinda money, do you really need daily budget
tips? Anyway, I didn't have the coupon. Woe was me. I decided to take it upon myself to
simply ask the cashier about Lowe's marketing programs.
Me: "I am curious. You know how your company always sends out those mailers that
offer you 10% off a purchase? What circular or paper do you send those in?"
Store Associate: "Actually, we don't usually put them in circulars. They are just sent at
random to people who live within a certain radius of the store."
Me: "Bummer. Are you guys running any other deals, or is there any other way I can get
my hands on a coupon? I'm going to buy a ceiling fan which will most likely cost about
$100, and any money I can save would help me immensely!"
Store Associate: "Actually, every purchase over $50 right now is printing out a coupon that
offers $10 off of your next purchase over $50. The coupon prints right after your receipt
prints at purchase. You know what, a lot of customers are leaving the coupons at the
counter, so I have a few extras over here. Here you go!"
How awesome is that!! All I had to do was talk to an employee and she handed me a $10
coupon. It was practically like her handing me a $10 bill! I was ecstatic, and sure enough,
I went to the register about five minutes later and saved myself some good money!
If you are anything like me, you believe in the innate goodness in human nature. Call me
naive, but I truly believe that deep down, people want to help and are generally nice. Sure
there are a few bad apples, but I haven't let them spoil my view. I understand, if you're
reading this and you manage a Lowe's store, you might be upset with the employee. But
from my vantage point, she probably just wanted to experience that feeling of knowing that
she helped someone! By simply asking her the question, that opened up the opportunity for
me to save some money. I'm not saying this will work every time, but who knows...you
might just have the same luck I had!
And this wasn't the first time I tried this tactic. Right after Christmas, I bought two place
settings for the dining room and asked the exact same question. That employee actually
pulled out a coupon from under the register and said, "Oh you mean this one?" She just
scanned it at checkout!
Next time you are at a store that you know mails out coupons often, just ask a store
employee! Chances are, they just might make your day!
Have you downloaded the free budget yet? Our free budget spreadsheet is updated for
2008 and features a monthly account tracker and budget form!
Yesterday, my wife and I went to Lowe's to take a look at some of the ceiling fans. Would
you believe that a person who dedicates his time to running a money-saving website doesn't
even have a ceiling fan in his master bedroom? Talk about missing out on a golden
opportunity to lower your energy bill! I know! Well, as you pick up the stones to cast at
me, I do want to share with you my experience when buying the ceiling fan.
If your mail cycle is anything like mine, you most likely get a mailer about once a month
that offers 10% off any purchase at Lowe's (or Home Depot). We typically get it once a
month, and it either gets pinned to the refrigerator or taken to the glove compartment of the
car. Well, the problem was that our coupon had expired, and not really at an ideal time, as
we were considering purchasing something at Lowe's.
Ceiling fans generally run in the range of $49 - $299. Yes, I'm sure you can spend over
$300 on a ceiling fan, but if you have that kinda money, do you really need daily budget
tips? Anyway, I didn't have the coupon. Woe was me. I decided to take it upon myself to
simply ask the cashier about Lowe's marketing programs.
Me: "I am curious. You know how your company always sends out those mailers that
offer you 10% off a purchase? What circular or paper do you send those in?"
Store Associate: "Actually, we don't usually put them in circulars. They are just sent at
random to people who live within a certain radius of the store."
Me: "Bummer. Are you guys running any other deals, or is there any other way I can get
my hands on a coupon? I'm going to buy a ceiling fan which will most likely cost about
$100, and any money I can save would help me immensely!"
Store Associate: "Actually, every purchase over $50 right now is printing out a coupon that
offers $10 off of your next purchase over $50. The coupon prints right after your receipt
prints at purchase. You know what, a lot of customers are leaving the coupons at the
counter, so I have a few extras over here. Here you go!"
How awesome is that!! All I had to do was talk to an employee and she handed me a $10
coupon. It was practically like her handing me a $10 bill! I was ecstatic, and sure enough,
I went to the register about five minutes later and saved myself some good money!
If you are anything like me, you believe in the innate goodness in human nature. Call me
naive, but I truly believe that deep down, people want to help and are generally nice. Sure
there are a few bad apples, but I haven't let them spoil my view. I understand, if you're
reading this and you manage a Lowe's store, you might be upset with the employee. But
from my vantage point, she probably just wanted to experience that feeling of knowing that
she helped someone! By simply asking her the question, that opened up the opportunity for
me to save some money. I'm not saying this will work every time, but who knows...you
might just have the same luck I had!
And this wasn't the first time I tried this tactic. Right after Christmas, I bought two place
settings for the dining room and asked the exact same question. That employee actually
pulled out a coupon from under the register and said, "Oh you mean this one?" She just
scanned it at checkout!
Next time you are at a store that you know mails out coupons often, just ask a store
employee! Chances are, they just might make your day!
Have you downloaded the free budget yet? Our free budget spreadsheet is updated for
2008 and features a monthly account tracker and budget form!
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continue to provide a completely
free budget spreadsheet to the
general public!
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