Secret ‘Costco code’ not your only key to savings
Apr 21, 2014, 1:36 PM | Updated: 2:06 pm
"Here's where it gets confusing, Costco may have the best price on that item," says KING 5's Matt Granite. "So if it's not on sale, it could still be the lowest price."
If you want to save a few bucks, at a store where you’re already saving a few bucks, some savvy shoppers are turning to the secret of the “Costco code” to keep cash in their pocket.
KING 5’s consumer reporter Matt Granite says you can follow the numbers. If the price ends in 97 cents, that’s probably its regular price. If in the upper right hand side of the label there is an asterisk, then it’s not regular stock and it could be sold out quickly.
Granite says that if you see a 74, 89, 49 cent-ending, those aren’t reduced – it’s generally not on sale at all. Prices ending .00 or .88, are often reduced to their lowest price.
These pricing codes are designed to be more of an internal system, according to Granite. And most of the big box stores use them, including Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy.
And even if you learn to the read the system, it might not help you find the bargain.
“Here’s where it gets confusing, Costco may have the best price on that item,” says Granite. “So if it’s not on sale, it could still be the lowest price.”
Granite says it doesn’t matter what you think you’re saving if you don’t actually know what the original price was. He says using coupon websites like Offers.com that show you the lowest price comparatively or uses apps that compare online and in-store prices.
