How to Save Money Shopping at Discount Stores
How to Save Money Shopping at Discount Stores
Is it worth your time to visit discount stores? Are there really bargains to be found, there? We, personally, have been HUGE fans of discount stores and feel like you CAN find bargains, but there are some simple rules you want to keep in mind when shopping. To show you examples, we’re headed to Ollie’s.
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In Tennessee when I visited, the book section was fantastic.
I love Ollies but you have to know your prices. Sometimes I know I can get items cheaper elsewhere.
my big lots closed
I found a good deal (half price) on a tower fan that listed for $100 on Amazon. I see some of their products listed higher than Walmart, so you just have to check.
Our supermarkets don’t have no wear near as many mark downs as they used to it’s sad
You are absolutely correct on the rugs reminding you of Sam’s. I got a woven wool rug for our finished basement there last weekend. Something I have been shopping for, for 2 years. Finally found one for 45 dollars at Ollie’s. It had a Sam’s label on it and would have cost 280 otherwise. Now that is a purchase I was definitely OK with and it will last us a long time. I forgot to say, always check the Ollie’s flier before you go and take your Ollie’s Army card.
Ellie’s has discount weekends or special days. I get my carpet cleaners there. Even though its refurbished it is still a great deal over new. Even a new ones doesn’t last long. I have Oneida knives I found and still use. Rug Doctor upholstery cleaner. I even buy my carpet shampoos there. I do the Amazon comparisons and read the reviews. Can’t beat the dish towels.
I’m guessing that different Ollie’s in different states have different rewards programs. Mine only has the 20% off every few visits. I’ve never seen mine to offer anything where you have to spend a certain amount to get anything.
I have never spent more than $50 at every quarter/3 months at Ollie’s on anything.
All of the Big Lots around here stopped doing anything that was worth buying about 3 or 4 years ago. I was finding better prices at Walmart.
i like ollies
I love your lip stick color! It had to be said!
Name brand windshield wipers for$3.50!
I only go to specific areas of the store. Since we have elementary age boys, we are always looking for supplementary materials and those are all in one specific area (well marked) in the book section. We have found good deals in the health/beauty area, so we head to that are. Before Christmas last year, we found a closeout deal on electric toothbrushes for 1.50, so guess what 2 little boys got in their stocking??? When we moved in the summer, we were planning to purchase a bed for my husband to have downstairs. He’s a PhD student and woudl study 24/7 if he didn’t need sleep. It helps him to have his own bed down there. We decided on a full-sized bed to fit that space, but had no sheets that size. We found really good deals on sheets at Ollies. We went in recently and I was browsing and found a set for $4.99!!! It included a fitted sheet and 2 pillowcases, which is perfect because my husband HATES that top sheet and it usually disappears within a few days of me making up the bed (We make the bed together when we put on new sheets, even though I’m not going to sleep there). Yes, there are deals to be had, and they send out sporadic deals in the mailer throughout the year. Last year around the holidays, I think we had a 15% coupon to be used in one transaction. So I did some of our Christmas shopping then. Know what you are looking at in the store, and make sure you are comparing like items. We have one on the other side of town, but its not too far from Sam’s Club, Walmart, and a few other grocery places. I don’t know if you have Gabe’s over there, but that’s a great place to explore as well. It’s like a giant big lots meets ross store. They have a huge selection of clothing, shoes, luggage (hubby needed a new suitcase to visit family over the summer, and he got a good deal). They do have soem furniture items, btu nothing big liek couches, mostly chairs and side tables. When we lived in Ohio, we would go to Ollies (in Cuyahoga Falls) when we went to Sam’s club each month because they were like 2 blocks form each other. Definitely worth checking out ollies, especially if it’s on the way to somewhere else you were already visiting.
First discovered Ollies 8 yrs ago while out of town. You have to be very savvy but some deals are really good. My friend teaches kindergarten and the kids aways run out of red crayons by Christmas. I found box of 64 crayons for 99 cents. Bought box of red, box of blue , box of green. They were incorrectly packaged and cheaper to sell than repackage. Their pencil puzzle books are 60% off. Food items are hit or miss but got moose munch for 70% less than i normally see it on sale for because the packaging was not the fancy box. It’s a Christmas tradition. Sometimes I will spend very little because I don’t see anything i like but other times i will. Its like a scavenger hunt. Frugal entertainment
Our local Big Lots is closing.
One i never tried. I prefer mom and pop shops. Ollie ollie oxen free
I loved the review on waffle iron Great heads up , I just put the app for big lots on my phone 📞 ❤️❤️👍👍
Y’all should take us on field trips more often! I’d love to see you go to Big Lots.
We have an Ollie’s about 5 min from our house. Lots of stuff is a great price, but you have to be careful. We bought some drinking glasses there that were about half the price of Walmart. I have found that the bed sheets are often not a good deal there (not the same wear and tare that the Walmart sheets are). Decorations, books, Christmas gifts are usually a good deal. The rugs are a good deal too.
Throw blankets
We buy all of our sheets and all of our towels there at a discount at Ollie’s. I bought 1 refurbished electric skillet once and it was not effective so no more refurbished electric items for me. Once you sign up you get many perks as well as 20% off and 50% off at times.
Love Ollie’s!!!!
Our Ollie’s has a dedicated clearance section in the back for either 50% or 75% off. Maybe yours is too new to have it? I have gotten big boxes of Rice Krispies for .75! Their current RX bar price is also unbeatable at 1$ per meal replacement bar. Glad you got to check them out! I agree that their rewards program is lackluster. The rewards also expire to fast for me, as I don’t travel their way often.
Dollar Tree has better price on big bottle of Suave
I agree with the comments that you definitely want to know your prices. Just because it says it’s a discount store, (but it actually says it’s a closeout store, so you can never take for granted that everything is at a discount).
So it’s still good to know your prices😊
You also might have gone on a day, like I went. I was going to go last Sunday but it was super jam-packed.
So I went back the next day and there wasn’t anything that I really wanted anyway. Most of the people that were in their shopping that time we’re going for all the toy deals .
They do offer additional coupons if you become a member of the club. It’s kind of like what Big Lots does with their buzz club.
An Ollie’s opened here over 10.yrs ago. There’s another one about 20 minutes away. I have been able to find some really nice rugs and housewares when I purchased my home to comfy it up.
I also found some great prices on indoor outdoor rugs for when we go camping. These rugs are normally no less than $50 on sale anywhere else. Ollie’s consistently had them for 15 to $20😊
I find that different Ollie’s carry different things, which is to be expected being a closeout store.
But there are some pretty consistent things that I have found a high quality of, such as bath towels when my daughter bought her house I was able to get some really nice ones and put a set together for at least 50% of what I would have paid in the big box stores.
I have purchased our oscillating heaters from there and the prices are very good compared to what I was finding any other stores or what I would have to order online.
Just yesterday, I found a heated neck massager that has the motions and movements for $25. It’s advertised on Amazon for double that for just one. I was able to get one each for my husband and myself for that price.
They also have closeouts on camping gear, but you have to wonder why that specific brand of camping gear, which is a very well-known brand, is at a closeout store. Maybe it’s because they are making a different model.
Sometimes it is a hit or miss, but if I have my coupon and I really don’t see anything else that I want to buy, I can always depend on them to have my bars of Dove soap for the best price😊
Not all Ollies & Big Lots carry the same inventory
or have uniform store prices.
All he has great book deals, but I don’t buy all their stuff because most of their stuff is gonna run out of date
That seems similar to the discount store in our area. I generally only go there if I’m looking for something specific. I was able to find a name brand crockpot for $40. I like going there for gifts – their toy and game sections sometimes have good deals. We found Pandemic for $10! But generally I don’t feel it’s worth going in just to browse.
Only reason I’ve gone to Ollie’s is to buy Bob’s Red Mill products — cheapest I’ve found, including online.
They do send out coupons a couple of times a year even if you have not reached those levels. The one that you get in November usually has a really good percentage and that is on top of their Christmas "sales" and regular good discount prices.
I live in middle Tennessee. My local store is closing for good. I had stopped shopping there because the deals–except for skin care masks–weren’t good.
That was a great deal the candy considering how expensive candy can be at Halloween time. Are you planning on giving it to trick or treaters?
I love Ollie’s! One of my most favorite places to go! They also send out coupons for percentages off your entire order.
You do have to be mindful like anywhere especially discount stores…but Ollie’s is the ONLY discount store I shop at.
Something you may not know about Ollie’s is that the price is the price *while it is in stock* like that Suave – its not something that they will carry all the time. It’s a buy out so if the price is truly that amazing & you like you probably want to go stock up because "when it’s gone it’s gone" and that’s what the flyers are for- not to highlight an extra discount but to highlight a (usually) new product they just got in. And yes you never know how much they have available so if something grabs your eye you do need to move FAST. They had fancy Barbies at killer prices & we went the day after the flyer arrived and they were completely gone.
After a few visits you get a feel for what moves quickly at your store so you know what you need go makena decision on THEN. Like there’s always a variety of towels so there’s no pressure but I know where to go if I need one.
Scrapbooks supplies however are NOT always there & when they get them in the prices are amazing so I definitely swoop in those.
Hope that helps a little! Appreciate all yalls tips! –Amanda
Also look for Best Buy dates, I found the BB dates are Not very good, meaning the dates are going to be very soon. Good prices questionable. I find a few items at most. The stores mostly are messy. I used to go for great prices on books, but, that’s changed.
Hope you look pretty in this photo. You have your hair trimmed shorter and it looks nice. I think as we age if hair is to long it makes the face look more aged.
His hair die look stupid as F
this stuff wont be there again after it sell I like Ollie for books and candy
Discount Food stores that buy food near its expiration dateas are better than so-called discount stores. I’m talking about food discount stores, not dollar stores. Dollar stores are rarely cheaper as you get what you pay for and some things you can buy in bulk cheaper than the dollar store prices.
I save lots of money by not buying perfumes, colognes, make-up, other stuff we really do not need as far as "Looking and smelling pretty". I found this was better for my health too. Coleman used to be the number one for camping, however, if you are doing hard portaging camping, you want to go to REI and get gear meant for long hikes while carrying your gear. Coleman’s quality went downhill when Walmart came out with their too large of a hole in the screen tents that were way cheaper than Coleman’s tents. People don’t know the difference, so bought the crap and this destroyed Coleman’s quality. This is only 1 reason though.
We don’t have Ollie’s in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.
I signed up to get your ebook, i got the email and when i clicked the link it didn’t work, bad link? Fyi…
It’s okey we have them in our area but what I do is wait till they have 15 r 20%off your total order
Let me guess they don’t take food stamps
We definitely shop Ollie’s, but strategically. I always price check items I’m not sure about against the walmart app, Sam’s app, etc.
Definitely a great place to get books, and we do some of our random Christmas gift shopping there too!
I work at Target & Ollie’s buys our warehouses plus Walmarts I do all my Xmas shopping there for the poor they have incredible prices on underwear for them it’s different every Friday when the truck comes so you buy it when you see it or it’s gone
It is hit for miss for sure! But I’ve gotten some amazing deals. I love the spices, mark down food, we did get a Colman tent this summer and it was $100 cheaper than amazing/walmart.
We have a place called not quite right here in Australia it’s all product over run or close to used by they know me by name u can get some great buys there but the stock depends on what comes in that week
I love Ollie’s. I mostly buy foodstuffs there, especially protein bars, beef jerky, canned fruits, olive oil and specialty items like brand name baking items and spices. Great deals on tea and coffee, too. Also buy toothpaste, Dawn liquid and shampoo. There are regular sales throughout the year if you join Ollie’s Army, which is free to do.
Our big lots are closing in Colorado
Ollies locally had 1 good deal the day they opened. Otherwise prices are not lower than a Walmart or reg. store-not worth the time-not lower prices at our store. You can buy 1 pan instead of a set, but otherwise just did not see worth the time to drop by for items that are not lower