We love shopping at Kohl's. Of course, the fun is in the savings and not really the shopping itself. I don't understand people who actually enjoy shopping for the sake of shopping. But when I can stack savings on top of savings, then I'm having a bit of fun. Last weekend we stopped into Kohl's because we had some Kohl's Cash ($7.84) from an earlier return, and we needed to spend it before it expired. Combined with the 20% discount we had, we figured it was a good time to find something we needed. I ended up finding a quilt/bedspread - originally priced at $219.99 but marked down to $43.99. Since we had been looking for something just like that, we decided to grab it and go, which is the best kind of shopping trip - in and out without wasting a lot of time.
1st rule of shopping: Start with the clearance racks.
I can't actually imagine that anyone would spend $220 on this bedspread because the 2nd rule of shopping is to never pay full price. Of course, that's similar to the first rule but can also include sale prices. I personally think sale prices are usually too high, which is why I wait for things to go on clearance, and even then I usually wait for 70%, 80%, or 90% off before I'm willing to buy.
So, we got a nice quilt/bedspread for a total cost of $30.94, which was a pretty good deal - until I realized that we had a coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase for Mother's Day. I was thinking women's clothing, jewelry, purses and accessories, etc. and didn't realize it also included items from the Home department - which would include the quilt. No, we didn't spend $50, but we did spend $43.99 (before discounts and Kohl's Cash), which meant that all we had to do was spend an additional $6.01 to be able to use the coupon and save $10. If we had bought something else that cost exactly $6.01, using the same Kohl's Cash and the same 20% discount, we would have spent $27.53, saving $3.41 - and getting an additional item. More merchandise for less money. Who can argue with that?
It gets even better, though. We didn't make it back to Kohl's until this past Sunday. I asked if they could re-ring my purchase if I found something else so that I could use the coupon - because I would have if I'd realized it applied. They said sure, so I found a blouse I liked - not exactly $6.01 but close. It was on clearance for $8 (80% off). After 'returning' the quilt and then re-ringing the transaction with both the quilt and the blouse - with the 30% discount we now have - the total cost was $25.57, a savings of $5.37. (and remember, I got a blouse, in addition to the quilt I originally bought)
Of course, when we have a 30% discount we do like to see what we can find, so we did a bit more shopping the clearance racks. I found some more tops, some dresses, pants, etc. - enough to use the coupon again - and Jeffrey found some golf shirts and t-shirts. We spent enough that we got $10 Kohl's Cash, and when I added the receipt from the quilt and blouse I bought first, we had enough for another $10 Kohl's Cash.
This, of course, means that we have to go shopping again next week when the Kohl's Cash is valid. And if we wait until Thursday, there's a coupon for $10 off a $25 purchase. That means if we find something(s) worth $30, we can use the coupon to save $10 and then pay the difference with our $20 Kohl's Cash, and actually pay absolutely nothing.
Note: Kohl's Cash is only valid during specific dates. If you can't find something you actually need or want, just buy something, anything. Hold onto the receipt, and next time you go to Kohl's, return whatever it was you grabbed. They'll give you Kohl's Cash (good for 30 days) to spend then when you're ready.
Be sure to start with the clearance racks.
