I’m so glad you’re here! I hope you’ll “like” Alicia’s Deals on facebook where I do my very best to help you “live life better for less” every single day.

No one wants to pay too much for anything, but how can you tell if you’re getting a good deal? Thanks to Alicia’s Deals reader Jen who sent over this story this morning about how to tell whether to buy or not at Costco and Sam’s Club. I called managers at both stores to confirm the information and get the “inside scoop” about their pricing structures. Please share this article with your friends and family so they’ll have the scoop too!

Costco:

Look at the last two digits to determine if the price is a “deal” or not.

If the price ends in .99 that means it’s the full retail price.

If the price ends in .97, .88, or .00 that means it’s marked down.

If the price ends in .79, .49, or .89 the item is a special manufacturers’ price and is only temporarily marked down.

If the price tag has an asterisk on it that means the item has been discontinued and the price is the best you’ll find.

Sam’s Club:

If an item ends in a 1 (like $9.01 or $2.51), that means it is a clearance price and very possibly seasonal. They are trying to move the item along.

Display model discount: The manager confirmed that you can almost always ask for a 20% discount on display models (when they’re the last one in stock).

Check out the letters on the shelf tags…they mean something!

A means active item

N means never out (this item should never be out of stock)

C means cancelled. This is where you’ll usually find the best deals.

The more information you have, the better you’ll do when you’re shopping!

Thanks again Jen and rather-be-shopping!