11 smart saving strategies

If you don't shop at warehouse clubs, give it a try

As you'll see How much warehouse stores can save you, it really can pay to join a warehouse club. If you've been wondering whether a club membership is worth it for you, you might be able to try before you buy. If you don't know a member who will let you tag along on a shopping trip, look online for a free trial membership. BJ's recently promoted a 60-day free trial, way better than the typical day pass, which sometimes comes with the caveat that you pay a nonmember surcharge (usually 5 to 15 percent extra). Or you might be able to finagle a special discount. Sam's Club gives college students a $15 gift card when they sign up, plus an additional card for a roommate or friend. Costco offers an upgraded $100 membership that includes a 2 percent rebate on almost everything you buy. Watch the clubs' sites for special deals like those.

Be smart about outlets

Outlets aren't just at outlet malls. Many retailers have outlet stores and Web sites where they clear out merchandise. Sears, for example, has bricks-and-mortar outlets; to find one near you, go to the Sears Web site and click on the outlet tab. Best Buy auctions off its stuff on Overstock.com. Even Zappos has an outlet online: 6pm.com.

Know how to size up a sale

Just because it's on sale doesn't mean you can't get it cheaper elsewhere. According to one study by a retail consulting firm, 70 percent of shoppers are influenced by a sale when they're making a planned purchase (only 47 percent said they would shop at a store offering "everyday low prices"). But don't get blinded by 50 percent off signs. Do a quick check on a price-comparison site such as PriceGrabber.com or Shopping.com before you go or Google the item. If you have a Web-enabled phone, you can punch up those sites while you're in the store.

Save time, go online

Before you hop in the car, get on the Internet. Some stores will tell you whether an item is in stock in your local store. If it isn't, you might be able to order it online for free in-store pickup. The site might offer products that aren't sold in stores, along with special savings. For example, the Sears site recently ran an offer for 15 percent off on clothing, shoes, and home fashions. And if you shop a store often, you might want to follow it on Twitter. Sam's Club recently sent out a tweet offering an instant discount of $70 on four Michelin tires if you buy online.

Cash in on those coupons

Of the warehouse clubs, BJ's is the only one to accept manufacturers' coupons. But Sam's Club recently announced that it had added in-store coupon kiosks where you can find specials. Costco also offers its own in-house coupons, and so does BJ's. And don't forget that mass retailers like Walmart and Target accept all manufacturers' coupons. So you can use the ones you clip from the Sunday papers as well as many of the deals listed on popular coupon sites such as CouponCabin, CouponWinner.com, and RetailMeNot. We recently went online and saw 15 percent off when you spend $125 on furniture at Target.

Choose that first item carefully

"Once tightwads start spending, it primes the pump," says George Loewenstein, professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. If you're really focused on saving money, something happens as soon you put that first item in your cart: You're apt to keep buying, and you can easily lose track of how much those incremental purchases are costing you. (Interestingly, spendthrifts seem to be less prone to this.) The fix: Try hopping from store to store. That resets the calculator at zero, so you'll be more aware of what you're spending. But that works only if other stores are nearby; otherwise, you can easily blow all your savings on gas!

Remember returns rules

Even if you get a great discount, you could still end up with a raw deal if you don't check return policies before you buy. Also be aware that different items have different return rules. For example, Walmart and JCPenney often have more restrictive return policies for electronics and jewelry than for other merchandise. Ditto for so-called "special-occasion dresses." At Target, some items, including camcorders, DVD players, and digital music players are subject to a 15 percent restocking fee. At Walmart the return window for most items is 90 days, except for certain electronics, which are 15 to 45 days, depending on the item.

Don't miss that rebate

Maybe you can save even more by getting a rebate on what you just bought. Check Rebate-Tracker.com for lists of current rebates on all kinds of products, including shampoo, backpacks, and lightbulbs. Bonus: It offers an online tracking tool to monitor those forms you've sent in. And if you shop through Ebates.com, you'll automatically receive a cash-back bonus on whatever you buy.

Jump on last-minute deals

If you want an item on the clearance rack, you know you'd better grab it before it's gone. But did you know that the warehouse clubs use special codes on their marked-down items? At Costco, these items are marked with prices that end in .97; at Sam's a "C" at the end of an item number indicates that the item is "cancelled" and won't be restocked. It's not necessarily clearance-priced, but when it's gone, it's gone.

Don't let pricing strategies trick you into spending more

We all love saving a buck. So you're probably more likely to buy a product that's $1.99 than one that's $3. But if the price is $2 instead of $2.99, the cheaper item may not seem that much cheaper, according to a recent study. Pricing strategies like that work to help retailers get the most dollars. But if you're wise to these retailer tricks, you're less likely to fall prey. Here's another to watch out for: There's a "right digit" effect in advertised prices, according to researchers at Clark University and the University of Connecticut. When the last digit of a sale price is less than 5, you're more likely to think the discount is greater than if it's larger than 5. So you might think an item on sale for $211, reduced from $222, is a better deal than one that's now $188, originally $199, even though the difference in both cases is $11.

Beware of where you walk

"Nothing that happens in a store is accidental," says Paco Underhill, author of "Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping" (Simon & Schuster, 2008). When you walk in, you might be funneled through a narrow corridor of seasonal merchandise the retailer wants to unload but hasn't necessarily put on sale. Big tables piled with merchandise might be placed in the middle of aisles to get you to stop and look. Women are much more vulnerable than men to making unplanned purchases from an end cap (those shelves at the ends of aisles), says D'Anna Hawthorne, strategy director for Miller Zell, a retail consulting firm.

This article appeared in Consumer Reports Shopsmart Magazine.