Bargain Savvy

It’s in our human nature to seek out a good bargain, we do it to benefit our family and to improve our quality of life as a whole. Unfortunately, many companies use this desire to find a bargain (as well as other parts of our personalities) to their advantage. They target their ad campaigns towards what we want, rather than what we need and as a result we end up over-spending under the guise of saving.



This is why we’ve compiled a list of three seller tricks that are the most easy to fall for. Once you know about them you’ll know what to look for, and can hopefully stay well away from their lure...



1. Read between the Lines



Sellers use exciting words but often don’t actually mean what they imply. One prime example of this is online casinos that advertise a $1500 free welcome bonus. You don’t get that money given to you when you create an account, you have to deposit $1500 first, and then the site matches that bonus 100% and adds the $1500 on. In most cases you have to deposit in small bursts, too. In the end, people leave because they’ve been duped, but the casino have done no wrong (it was all written in the small print) and they’ve got your email address and various other details for future use.



Be aware that any deal may not be quite what it seems. If it involves investing a large amount of money, or giving your personal details, just make sure you read into it carefully and check that you won’t be stripped of your cash later on.



2. If It’s Too-Good-To-Be-True, Investigate!



When it comes to free samples you can’t go far wrong; the company benefit from the exposure. Yet when you’re being offered a free product with no evident motive, you should try and seek it out first.



What we’re trying to say is that things are rarely really free. It’s an incredibly attractive prospect, but you should be investigating into why and how the product is free. Are they asking for great amounts of your personal information? Where will those details go? Am I going to be entering into a contract that I have to start paying for after the first 2 ‘free’ months?



3. Don’t Fall for In-Store Tactics



Sellers have spent a lot of time and money researching how shoppers behave and think. They’ve now utilized that knowledge to manipulate us when we’re in the ‘shopping zone’. Some even carried out surveys where they installed cameras on grocery store shelves to track where our eyes go when we’re browsing for products. From there, they could decide on the optimal place for different ranges.



The important thing to remember when shopping is that sellers know just how to change our mind set from ‘I’m buying only what I need’ to ‘I don’t need it but like the look of that, it’s discounted, I’m buying it’. Consideration of an item goes out of the window after that point, and we’re far more likely to impulse buy.



Breaking the momentum when it starts is important in saving money, and many people recommended leaving your cards at home and taking only the cash that you need for essentials. Not only do you not want to come home with your essentials, but you see the physical cash and get an impression of how much it really is, too.



Do you have any personal tips and tricks for beating seller subliminal messaging? Please help us to help others and share your methods in a comment below...



The guest post is provided by Jessy of DIY Gadgets and CouponSherpa, the social voting site for coupons and deals as well as the ultimate source of Kohls coupons.