Walmart is the second biggest retailer in the world, known for offering low prices and amazing discounts. However, the low everyday prices at Walmart are just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to saving money.
In fact, they have amazing saving opportunities, loopholes and a few policies that you simply can’t ignore. And today, we’ll cover them all. So let’s dig into simple ways to make sure you’re getting the best prices that will help you lower your shopping budget.
1. Walmart’s Price Matching Policy
Even if Walmart is not offering the lowest prices, you can apply Walmart’s price matching policy and secure a better deal. In a nutshell, Walmart matches any local competitor’s advertised price and you need to bring the ad and show it to the cashier.
So in case you find a cheaper price before, during or after your purchase, Walmart will refund or match the difference. However, the item in question has to be identical and in stock at the other retailer.
In addition, Walmart will match online competitors’ prices from Target, Amazon, Family Dollar, Dollar General, BestBuy, TigerDirect, Walgreens and many others for everyday household items. Simply mention the site where you saw the advertised online price and the cashier should make the adjustments. You can also visit their customer service page or call them at 1-800-925-6278.
To find the lowest prices (both online and at stores in the local area) use the ShopSavvy app.
Important note: As of June 9, 2016, some of the Walmart stores are ending price matching policy and are instead lowering their prices. If your store is affected by this change, just use the Walmart Savings Catcher app.
2. The Savings Catcher App
Apart from price matching policy, you should also take advantage of Walmart’s Savings Catcher App.
First, you need to download the app on your smartphone (Android and iOS). Then you need to shop at Walmart and scan the barcode or enter your receipt number on the Savings Catcher app within 7 days of your purchase.
After that, Walmart automatically compares the prices found on your receipt against the advertised prices of local competitors, and if it finds a lower price, you will receive the difference in the form of an eGift Card. It’s definitely a great way to ensure you bought an item for the lowest price without visiting different stores or doing research on your own.
3. Online Shopping
Apart from price matching other retailer’s prices, Walmart’s price matching policy applies to their own website, which sounds strange. However, for some reason, Walmart’s online prices are sometimes cheaper than their in-store prices. Therefore, before making your purchase in their store, check the online offers to see whether there is a better deal on their website.
If you don’t want to do an in-store price match and prefer online shopping, then order the items online and choose to pick them up within 24 hours. All you have to do is put the item in the shopping cart and select “free pickup” and choose the store location.
In addition, you can sign up for the ShippingPass program and receive your items without the hassle of going to the store.
4. Free Shipping
The ShippingPass program enables you the convenience of fast and free shipping. For $49 per year you get free, 2-day shipping on eligible items for the entire year without minimum order requirements.
Eligible items are the best-selling products in categories like health & beauty, electronics, clothing and baby, while the ineligible items include eGift Cards, personalized items, items with freight charges and any item that is not marked eligible on their website. In addition, free shipping doesn’t apply to international destinations.
For more information, visit their website.
On the other hand, you can receive free shipping on orders of $50 or more without being the ShippingPass member. Although this is another amazing feature, it often leads to shoppers filling up virtual baskets with stuff they don’t need, just to qualify for free shipping. On top of that, you’ll have to wait 4-6 days to receive your items.
5. Coupons
Just because Walmart offers the best prices doesn’t mean you can’t save even more money using coupons. And while their policy prevents combining store and manufacturer coupons, couponing can still contribute to significant savings.
In addition, if the coupon value exceeds the price of the item, you’ll receive cash back or your bill will be lowered for the price difference. So for example, if the item is on sale for $10 and you have a coupon for $15, you’ll either get $5 back or your total bill will be reduced by $5.
With that being said, it’s definitely worth checking their weekly ads before shopping at Walmart or placing an online order.
To check Walmart’s coupons, click here.
6. Clearance Aisle
We all know that Walmart changes its prices and marks down items every single day, which makes it difficult to pinpoint the best day for shopping. However, this means you are getting great deals every single day of the week – that is, if you know where to look.
Most Walmart stores have an entire aisle loaded with deeply discounted items that you simply must check out. This area is usually in the back of a store, near the lawn and garden or toy department. And the best part is that you’ll never know what you’ll find there – for example, we found a beautiful floor lamp for $20 (the original price was $45).
In addition, you should look at the health & beauty, household cleaners, grocery, and electronics department, where you can also find clearance sections with older models or discontinued items.
For example, always make sure to look down in the glass cabinets/cases in the electronics section, as the biggest discounts of the high-end electronics are placed in cabinets under (or near) their respective items. The reduces items are usually not displayed and don’t have a price tag. Therefore, you have to ask for their clearance specifically in cases – this is where they store excess inventory that is priced way below their original price.
On the other hand, if you are shopping online, all you have to do is type “clearance” into the search bar and you’ll access the clearance deals.
7. Seasonal Savings
Apart from many money-saving tips mentioned above, Walmart is also known for offering great discounts during special occasions, such as Black Friday. In fact, Walmart is in the top five retailers when it comes to deals on Black Friday and the entire Thanksgiving week.
Walmart is known for its 1-hour guarantees during Black Friday when customers can purchase any item at the Black Friday price for 60 minutes. If the store runs out of the selected item, you can simply pay for it that day, and before Christmas your item will be in store and all you have to do is pick it up.
In addition, Walmart organizes huge mega sales in mid-July to counter Amazon’s one-day sale for the Prime members.
8. Refurbished Deals
Amazing way to save money (mostly on electronics) is to purchase refurbished items that contain manufacturer’s warranty. The refurbished items have been thoroughly checked, certified as fine, and they even contain similar return policy.
You just have to type in “refurbished” into the website’s search bar and you’ll see amazing deals.
9. The Price Tag Code
Most people have no idea that you can tell if a clearance item is going to be even cheaper just by looking at the price tag. Walmart has a special system for marking down items on discounts and you should use this to your advantage.
Price tag ending with 7 means it’s the original price, 5 means it’s the 1st markdown price, and 1 is the final (cheapest) price.
So when you see an item with an ending price of 5 ($19.95 for example), and there’s still plenty in stock, it’s better to wait for the final discount.
10. Shop Early
If you want to get the best deals on meat and other perishables, then go shopping as soon as you wake up. Usually, at 8 am there will be amazing discounts on meat.
Therefore, by shopping early in the morning you’ll get first dibs on amazing deals that save you the most money.
11. Rebates
While our tips have definitely saved a fair amount on your bill, using cash back rebates has the potential to provide the biggest savings.
We even dedicated an entire article to these amazing smartphone apps that help you earn rewards that you redeem for money. Among the best rebate apps are Ibotta, Checkout 51 and mobiSave.
To read our review of Ibotta, click here.
Takeaway Notes
Walmart is one of the best places for shopping on a budget. Apart from its cheap prices and everyday discounts, it offers several ways for customers to save even more money.
Therefore, make sure to study our suggestions carefully, and the next time you go shopping you’ll be armed with powerful knowledge that you can turn into reduced dollar signs.
