by Akhilesh Mittal

Created on: March 27, 2009   Last Updated: April 01, 2009

Smart Shoppers look for smart ways to get great deals. Coupons is definitely a way to reduce the Dollar amount you spend but it is not the only way.There are a lot of other ways to shop smart, buy the things you want, not compromise on quality and brands and still get a great deal on the prices. I have used some of these methods, often in conjugation with each other. These have resulted in substantial money savings for me.

(1) Look for great bargain on prices across brands

If you are not always selective about one particular brand and have a couple of brands in mind, then definitely compare the prices across the brands. Companies often introduce schemes on their products to move their inventory. Look out for the weekly fliers from the grocery stores. These often contain special prices and special deals of the week. Most of the stores also provide these fliers online on their website.

(2) Compare prices across stores

Prices for the same product are different across stores. The reasons why stores have different prices is because of their procurement strategies, the discounts that they receive while purchasing these goods, the volume in which they purchase it, transportation cost, cost structure of operating the store, and their profit margins. It never hurts to do a price comparison, specially when these stores are not very far.

(3) Wholesale shopping

Costco and Sams club are two big brand names in wholesale grocery shopping. They operate from a warehouse and hence have a lower cost structure. They pass on some of these cost benefits to their customers as well in terms of lower prices. Only downside is that you may have to buy some of the things in bulk.

(4) Store Loyalty Card

All the grocery stores and big superstores have their own loyalty cards. They want to retain their customer hence, they often a separate price with loyalty card. Guess what? Most of the times, even there is no fees for such loyalty cards. Try shopping at Safeway the next time with their loyalty card and see how much can you save on a single shopping.

(5) Local Farmer's market

A lot of places have local farmer shops. These shops are owned and operated by the local people, who grow crops. As there are no middlemen included, the produce here is often fresh and less costly.

(6) No Impulse purchase

Always go for grocery shopping with a shopping list. The idea should be to buy only those things that are on the list. We often end up making a lot of impulsive purchases that impact our bill adversely. These impulsive purchases can be in the form of all those chocolates, chewing gums, etc that we pick up even on the checkout line.

(7) Discount on fixed amounts

Tesco recently opened up new grocery chain in the name of Fresh n Easy. One of the benefits provided by them is if you purchase goods worth $20 you get 5$ off. 25% savings! Look out if you have similar kind of stores in your area.

I have benefited from these in the past and still use most of these techniques in the current tough economic times. Can't wish for anything else except that my experience can save all of us some more money on our grocery shopping.

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