Easy ways to get an instant price drop when shopping

YOU could pound the pavement for hours sniffing out a bargain, but there’s an easy way to save cash when you’re running short of time. Here’s what you should know about price matching.

I LOVE to sniff out a good bargain.

I’m proud to say I’m one of the savvy shoppers who won’t just buy something on the spot.

Instead nearly every time I will do my due diligence and hunt down who is offering the cheapest deal.

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You should always look to find who is offering the best deal. Picture: iStock

It’s part and parcel of being a personal finance writer. You have to practice what you preach right?

I don’t mind pounding the pavement and getting my steps up to visit another store offering a cheaper deal or scrolling stores online to find out who has the best price.

This usually pays off and I end up letting less money leave my pockets.

One of my favourite ways to score a decent deal is to either get a store to price match an item or even better, price beat it.

I’ve done this twice in the past month and saved myself at least $60.

It’s all well and good to pound the pavement looking for a bargain, but make sure you price match at your shopping destination. Picture: Getty Images

Low-cost carrier Jetstar has a price beat guarantee which allows jetsetters to price match flights on another airline that departs within the hour of the Jetstar flight.

Not only do they match the rival carrier’s fare - travellers can also score a further 10 per cent off the matched cost.

I did this on a recent flight from Brisbane to Melbourne and knocked off at least $30.

Not a bad little saving just by doing a quick scroll online.

And another price beat guarantee on offer is by stationery giant Officeworks.

This too left me with a handy little saving.

I purchased a pair of Apple wireless AirPods — the best invention ever particularly for running — and again saved myself a decent slice of cash.

A scroll online showed many sites and shops charging prices over $200, but after some hunting around I found a better deal from an online store under $200.

I went to Officeworks, showed them the reputable site and they were happy to price match and take a further 5 per cent off.

A quick search online can often reveal cheaper offers that you can take advantage of. Picture: Supplied

These two purchases let me with about $60 in my pocket that I would have otherwise spent if I just walked into the first store or jumped on to the first site online.

But be mindful when price-matching, as there is often fine print that can catch you out.

For instance, when price-matching against websites, a bricks and mortar store will often factor in the postage charges you would have otherwise paid had you got the item sent via snail mail.

And some stores won’t price match against any old site. They pick and choose which ones they are happy to do this for.

Often all you need is evidence you can buy the exact same item somewhere else for cheaper.

In most cases the store will match the price on the spot.

This can often save you the hassle of going to that store that offers a cheaper price and instead buying the item from the retailer you prefer.

It can save you time and money.

This is particularly handy with Christmas just seven weeks away.
Happy shopping!

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@sophieelsworth