How to Maximize Savings Using Discount Gift Cards and Other Shopping Strategies

1. Order discount gift cards, e.g., from At Home, Lifestyle Rewards or DiscountGiftCards.info.
2. Always try to make your purchases at the lowest-priced retailer, taking discount gift cards, price matches, rebates and other offers into account. For example, if an item is selling for $81 in one store, while another retailer is selling it for $100 but you have their 20% off discount gift cards, you should buy it from the second retailer.
3. Always pay with the discount gift cards instead of credit card or cash. If you order online, you should be able to repurchase it in the store and pay with discount GC to get the extra 20% off.

Weekly Strategies

1. Every Wednesday, check the Staples flyer for any deals. Staples promotes a 150% Price Guarantee in which they are supposed to match the lowest advertised price PLUS give you 50% of the difference. You can potentially save the most at Staples by stacking the 150% PM, discount GC, mail-in rebates, and coupons such as the $20 off minimum $100 purchase. Unfortunately, many victimized consumers refer to Staples as OOStaples because it goes to extraordinary lengths not to comply with their 150% PM policy, including claiming that items are Out of Stock.
   
2. Read the weekly flyers. Some houses or newspapers get them each Thursday.
3. Look for necessary items on sale that you can try to get a 150% PM with OOStaples' higher price. Then look for other PM opportunities, i.e., 110% PM with Canadian Tire, Future Shop, Best Buy, Home Depot. Other stores that have a 110% PM policy include Kitchen Stuff Plus and Rona.
4. Read Canadian Tire's flyer. CT has a PM policy in which they will give you 10% of the lower advertised price in CT Money.
5. Every Friday, check the Future Shop flyer. Look for items that you can take advantage of OOStaples' 150% PM or Future Shop's 110% PM policy.
6. Every Friday, check the Best Buy flyer. Look for items that you can take advantage of OOStaples' 150% PM or Best Buy's 110% PM policy.
7. Look at the flyers of other retailers whose discount gift cards you have and have a 100% PM policy, e.g., Zellers, The Bay, Sears, Toys R Us. If there are no opportunities for a PM of over 100%, you can buy items you need at these stores at the lowest advertised prices.
   
8. Read the flyers from No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore and other Loblaws chains, Food Basics, Price Chopper, Dominion-owned chains, Sobeys, Longo's, Wal-Mart, Shoppers Drug Mart, etc. to look for sale items that you can price match at the retailers for which you have discount GC. Do not buy anything elsewhere unless the item is not available at any of your discount retailers.

Specific Store Strategies

Zellers

1. Apply for your HBC Rewards Card.
2. You can price match groceries and other advertised items, get an extra 20% discount by paying with the gift cards, plus earn HBC Rewards points. More and more Zellers locations have refrigerated groceries, so you can save over 20% off the lowest advertised prices on many necessities such as milk, eggs, bread, etc. Do not buy groceries elsewhere unless you cannot find it at Zellers.

Sears

Stores That Price Match