Don’t Get Tricked Into Overspending at the Store

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Do you ever make a purchase and almost immediately wonder why you did it? Retailers have some great tricks to get you to spend more than you planned, or to spend when you didn’t plan on spending at all. Here are the top four tricks to be on the lookout for.

  1. Heavily Discounted Add-On Items

How many times have you been shopping online, headed to the checkout only to have a new screen pop up with tons of great add-on items you can purchase? These online retailers are trying to entice you with heavy discounts to add on additional items to your original purchase. In many cases they are things you never would have purchased otherwise. Don’t fall for it and only buy these add-on items if they are things you would have bought separately or if it really is too good a deal to pass up.

  1. Awesome Rebate Offers

Retailers like to advertise great rebate offers on top of great sale prices to make the deal look even better. We have even seen deals in the past where an item is completely free after you submit for the rebate.

Stores can do this because around 50% of the shoppers who purchase these rebate items will never submit for their rebate, making this a better deal for the retailer than it is for the average shopper.

  1. Great return policy

Stores will convince you that it is super easy to return something if you get home and decide you don’t like what you are planning to buy. The large majority of shoppers will take this into consideration when making a purchase.

Retailers are counting on the fact that there is another large majority of shoppers that will never take the time to return the item. Instead it will sit in their closet until it gets thrown out.

  1. Free shipping

Show of hands – How many of us have bought something online JUST because the retailer was offering free shipping? It seems too good to pass up, right? Don’t let free shipping offers stop you from doing key research and price comparisons to make sure you really are getting the best deal available. You may find another site offers a much lower price or has better return policies than the one offering you free shipping.

What tips do you have to stop yourself from overspending in these types of situations?