Costco’s money-saving code
Posted on April 18, 2014 | By Lynsi Burton
According to bloggers who report on pinching pennies, those looking for deals at Costco can save even more money if they know what to look for on the price tags.
Bloggers call it a “secret price code,” but according to a Yahoo! article, Costco uses certain markings on the price tags for the efficiency of stocking clerks and fork lift operators.
Regardless, money-saving mavens say a study in price tag can save you hundreds in the course of a year.
The key is to look at prices ending in .97 instead of .99 or some other fraction of a dollar, according to bloggers. The .97 typically means the price has been marked down from the original price. A price ending in .99 means it’s listed at Coscto’s full price.
Price tags with asterisks in the upper right-hand corner means the item won’t be re-ordered after it has sold out, so the store is trying to move that product and it is listed at the best price you’ll get.
Furthermore, there is a date listed in fine print below the price, which indicates when the shelf tag was either created or when the product’s price was changed. If the item is regularly stocked and has a fairly recent date on the price tag, it usually means the price was lowered on that date and is a good buy, according to rather-be-shopping.com.
Blogger Len Rapoport also advises shoppers to find close-out sale items just after holidays to either resell or use for the next year. And, he says, if shoppers find an item they already bought at a cheaper price within 30 days of purchase, they can be refunded the difference.
For the magnum opus on saving at Costco, check out Rapaport’s guide.
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