Though I’m a thrift shopping pro, I love a good cheap chic deal at major department stores as well. But I hate how contrived many of the displays and “sales” are intended to make you spend more. Seriously, there’s a psychology behind the music they play, the non-existence of clocks and more. It’s so easy to get caught up and overspent {hence why I posted this on Instagram today}!

If you want to shop smart and score the real deals, check out a few tips to navigate any department store.

Head to the Back
As soon as you walk into a department store, the full price items are right in front of you. For the real deals, venture to the back where the clearance racks are located. A store’s strategy is to get you to spend as soon as you walk in, but if you’re on a budget and refuse to pay full price, don’t even look at the racks when you first enter.

[bctt tweet=”On a budget? Avoid the front of the store, where the most expensive items are”]

Ignore Sale Signs
Well, it’s okay to pay attention to them but don’t let the signs sway you into buying. A sale might not be as awesome as you think and some stores lie about original prices {shocking, right?}. For example, a dress may have an original price of $100 and is then marked down to $50. You think that’s a great 50 percent markdown but in reality, the dress wasn’t really $100 to begin with. The stores are just marking them up to give the illusion of a greater deal. Check out this article on how some stores “mark up to mark down.”

Take Advantage of Store Apps
While I’m usually at Target at least once a week, it took me forever to download the Cartwheel app. Um, I’m so glad I finally got on board. You can add coupons to your cart and search for them by category or even see what’s expiring soon. Also, you can scan the barcode of any product and see if there’s a discount associated with it or a similar product. If there’s a store you frequent, ask the associates if they have an app.

[bctt tweet=”5 Savvy Tips to Get the Real Deals at Department Stores”]

Think Twice About BOGO
We all love the buy one get one half off deals that some stores offer, but it can end up costing you. If you only planned on buying one pair of shoes but then you figure why not buy a second {because it’s discounted}, but are you really saving or just giving the store your hard earned coins you didn’t plan to spend? Don’t get me wrong, BOGO can be great but just make sure you loooove what you’re buying, versus just buying it because it’s on sale.

Take Advantage of Free Services
I previously wrote about department stores that offer free personal shopping, but did you also know some of them have free tailoring as well? Yup, bigger department stores like Nordstrom and Saks offer complimentary tailoring but Uniqlo also had a service for free tailoring on pants {does anyone know if they still do this?}. So if you can get a free service, take advantage of it.

These are just a few ways you can save and shop smarter when you enter a department store.

Photos: 1, 2