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| LivingSocial Coupon Search |
Showing posts with label coupon codes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coupon codes. Show all posts
Saturday, October 19, 2013
LivingSocial Is Expanding Coupon Offerings
This morning, my inbox had an email from LivingSocial promoting a new coupon code searching function. Similar to RetailMeNot, perform a simple search, say for Gap, and then a list of available coupon codes comes up. I am guessing that LivingSocial is looking for another revenue source via referrals, much how many shopping comparison sites work. Here's a screen shot.
The next time I need to buy something, which will probably be today since my modem is crapping out, I will compare coupons found on this site to see if there are any unique savings opportunities.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Review: Proctor and Gamble eStore
Some time ago, I wrote about P&G launching an eStore to compete not against grocery stores or e-drugstores per se, but assuming against other consumer products companies, such as Unilever, maker of Lever 2000 soap and other products. P&G's hook? $5 flat rate shipping, no matter what you buy. Since the store has been functioning for some time, I figure it was time for a review and comparison.
The first thing I noticed was a slick, clean, and easy to use interface. Products are categorized logically and have a large picture so you know exactly what your buying. The second thing I noticed was the site offered digital coupons, which was a nice surprise. So far, so good. But most importantly, let's talk about prices. How do they compare with other online stores?
The first thing I noticed was a slick, clean, and easy to use interface. Products are categorized logically and have a large picture so you know exactly what your buying. The second thing I noticed was the site offered digital coupons, which was a nice surprise. So far, so good. But most importantly, let's talk about prices. How do they compare with other online stores?
Here are a couple of items and how they stack up (without coupons):
| Item | Store | Price | Shipping | Total |
| Gillette Dry Skin Hydrator Body Wash - 16 oz | P&G eStore | $3.99 | $5 | $8.99 |
| Drugstore.com | $4.99 | $5.99 | $10.98 | |
| CVS.com | $4.99 | $5.49 | $10.48 | |
| Tide 2X Ultra Detergent Spring & Renewal | P&G eStore | $8.49 | $5.00 | $13.49 |
| Drugstore.com | $8.39 | $5.99 | $14.38 | |
| CVS.com | $9.39 | $5.49 | $14.88 |
The results from this limited experiment are clear: the P&G eStore wins out on a few sample products. However, there are a few things to consider as well in price comparison with the other online retailers. First, after spending $25 (any time) at Drugstore.com, you get free shipping on select items, and the coupons that the P&G eStore listed are also available digitally with Drugstore.com, too. Drugstore.com promo codes via Retailmenot.com or other coupon sites can lower your costs, and you can earn "Drugstore.com Dollars" for for savings on future purchases. Moreover, by shopping through a portal, such as Ebates, you can receive cash back for your purchases. Drugstore.com also participates in the Shop Runner program, which for $79/year, you get "free" two day shipping with no minimum purchase and special savings offers. Several retailers participate in this program.
Second, CVS.com has free shipping after spending a whopping $49 on selected items, they do not seem to have digital coupons for the P&G products as does the eStore and Drugstore.com, but they do have Extra Bucks you can earn just by buying their products, which can be used for future savings. You can also earn Upromise dollars by shopping at CVS.com, and use promo codes to save even more. Just visit Retailmenot.com or Evreward.com for any available coupons.
Bottom line: you have a few viable options to choose from when shopping online for these products. I would stay away from CVS.com if your purchase is going to be under $49. Paying for shipping will mitigate your savings. If you are planning on spending more than $25 anyway, then carefully compare Drugstore.com and the eStore. You will have to pay $5 shipping, but the savings could make it worth it. If you have the time, also check if you are better off just buying the products at the brick and mortar store using regular coupons. Depending on how savvy you are, you might even get them for a lot less, or even free.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
An update from yesterday's post
If you caught my post a few days ago about ideas to help save money and earn cash back on purchases, a reader pointed me to a resource with which I was unfamiliar: Cash Reporter Cash Reporter is very similar to Evreward, another site in which one can search for a particular company and/or website and research any cash back opportunities by shopping through their portal that are available. A quick glance at Cash Reporter was promising: a simple interface, major retailers listed, and an ability to browse item categories. The % or fixed $ value is prominently displayed under each store name listed as well.
One thing to consider about this, and other sites: they may not always list the store you are looking for, thus, you might want to research a couple before committing. Case in point: Evreward showed Rue La La (a discounted clothes site) shows a $1 cash back or 60 Delta Skymiles if you shop through the Upromise portal on the Evreward site, but Cash Reporter listed another website called Shop at Home as the only shopping portal.
Another tip to keep in mind is that cash back portals all have different payment methods, thresholds, and pay periods. For example, one site may only require you to earn $10 in rebates before sending you a check, but another may require $15 and only pay by check once every 4 months. Thus, it's best to typically keep to one portal and max out its minimum requirements, rather than having only a few dollars here and there scattered across multiple sites.
Since it's hard to track down all of the aggregated cash back portal websites that are out there, please let me know if you come across any I haven't.
One thing to consider about this, and other sites: they may not always list the store you are looking for, thus, you might want to research a couple before committing. Case in point: Evreward showed Rue La La (a discounted clothes site) shows a $1 cash back or 60 Delta Skymiles if you shop through the Upromise portal on the Evreward site, but Cash Reporter listed another website called Shop at Home as the only shopping portal.
Another tip to keep in mind is that cash back portals all have different payment methods, thresholds, and pay periods. For example, one site may only require you to earn $10 in rebates before sending you a check, but another may require $15 and only pay by check once every 4 months. Thus, it's best to typically keep to one portal and max out its minimum requirements, rather than having only a few dollars here and there scattered across multiple sites.
Since it's hard to track down all of the aggregated cash back portal websites that are out there, please let me know if you come across any I haven't.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Hidden hotel savings tricks
After several unsuccessful attempts at bidding for a four star hotel in Baltimore at a bargain rate last weekend, I conceded defeat and opted for the "automobile association" discount at a Sheraton property. Although I was disappointed in not paying less, I did earn points and was able to flex my elite status into an upgrade. But, the real lesson, besides learning to bid better (or more realistically) on priceline, was not considering what might be going on before I got there that 1) might have influenced the room/rate availability and 2) presented savings opportunities to exploit.
Over Labor Day, there happened to be a large conference/convention going on at this particular hotel. While it was great for the hotel, it was not so great as a guest in attendance that was not a part of the group. After learning what the conference was, I was curious and researched the group. Sure enough, there was a "special rate" for this conference last weekend. While it may be a little sneaky, one could have easily found this promotion code and used it for their reservation, saving a bit more than I paid. However, if you are looking to earn points as well with these special rates, you might be out of luck. Starwood, in particular, doesn't allows this. In many cases, though, you are better off saving the money when and where you can than worrying about the points, if you don't travel frequently.
For future bookings, when you want a particular hotel, and are willing to do a little "extra" research, try using Google to see if there is a conference going on. It might not only yield a discounted hotel room, but airfare as well. Here is a suggestion: in Google, enter the date(s) for when you want to stay in the search bar, add "special conference rate" and the city. Using this method, a sample result can be seen here. Scroll through the listings provided and look for a direct booking link or other code to use. This is somewhat crude and can be refined to include the actual hotel name as well. Most major cities have conferences going on all of the time at larger, more upscale hotels.
Over Labor Day, there happened to be a large conference/convention going on at this particular hotel. While it was great for the hotel, it was not so great as a guest in attendance that was not a part of the group. After learning what the conference was, I was curious and researched the group. Sure enough, there was a "special rate" for this conference last weekend. While it may be a little sneaky, one could have easily found this promotion code and used it for their reservation, saving a bit more than I paid. However, if you are looking to earn points as well with these special rates, you might be out of luck. Starwood, in particular, doesn't allows this. In many cases, though, you are better off saving the money when and where you can than worrying about the points, if you don't travel frequently.
For future bookings, when you want a particular hotel, and are willing to do a little "extra" research, try using Google to see if there is a conference going on. It might not only yield a discounted hotel room, but airfare as well. Here is a suggestion: in Google, enter the date(s) for when you want to stay in the search bar, add "special conference rate" and the city. Using this method, a sample result can be seen here. Scroll through the listings provided and look for a direct booking link or other code to use. This is somewhat crude and can be refined to include the actual hotel name as well. Most major cities have conferences going on all of the time at larger, more upscale hotels.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Free photo albums
Having just gotten back from my honeymoon, and of course wedding, the question lies in what to do with all of the media I just acquired. Storing photos/videos on a hard drive is convenient, but it will kill space quickly and bog down your system. The solution: photo sharing sites.
While there are many to choose from, such as Snapfish or Fotki, if you are looking to share, store, or get free (or low cost) albums printed up, these are excellent sites to do so. Typically, when you register for the first time, you will be offered so many photos at pennies on the dollar for a photo album. If you have a lot of pictures that you want printed up, register with multiple sites and take advantage of their sign up offers.
Sometimes, these promotions aren't readily apparent on the site, or are available even to long time customers, but aren't easily found. In that case, use one of the many featured couponing strategies mentioned on the blog to see if there are offers before paying full price.
Say cheese!
While there are many to choose from, such as Snapfish or Fotki, if you are looking to share, store, or get free (or low cost) albums printed up, these are excellent sites to do so. Typically, when you register for the first time, you will be offered so many photos at pennies on the dollar for a photo album. If you have a lot of pictures that you want printed up, register with multiple sites and take advantage of their sign up offers.
Sometimes, these promotions aren't readily apparent on the site, or are available even to long time customers, but aren't easily found. In that case, use one of the many featured couponing strategies mentioned on the blog to see if there are offers before paying full price.
Say cheese!
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