During "appy hour" at Target in North Fresno, team leader Nick Conway is spreading the word about a new app to help shoppers save.
Cartwheel allows Target shoppers to search for extra discounts on things they're buying, add them to a virtual cart, and scan one barcode at checkout.
Monica Jauriqui already has her smartphone out and ready, so she likes that she doesn't have to clip coupons: "I don't have time for that."
Savvy shoppers like Monica can stack on even more savings -- by texting the word "coupons" to Target for mobile coupons and using her Target Red Card -- which gives another 5% off every purchase.
Nick showed us the concept of stacking on a display of men's sweaters: "So full price, $23. Marked down in the ad to $18. An additional 25% with Cartwheel and your Red Card. It's a savings of $13 or $14 on one item."
These are just a few insider strategies Consumer Reports recently revealed in its article "Save even more at discount stores."
Jody Rohlena, with Shopsmart explained: "Whenever you're trying to save money it doesn't have to be work. To be really easy, you find a couple of things that work for you and you know that you're saving money and you can feel really good about that."
She says the key is, pick a few stores you frequent, to get the most bang for your shopping buck and effort. Because loyalty points can really add up.
For example -- with JCP Rewards you earn $10 any time you spend $100 in a calendar month at JC Penney stores or jcp.com. Sign up for a store credit card to enjoy the most perks, including exclusive sales.
JCP Manager Steve Petlewski: "They're sometimes the first ones to hear about certain events, and then several times a year we'll have events for JCPenney cardholders."
And sales and coupons are back at JCP in a big way: "We've really stepped it up, originally at the beginning of this year we were looking at about 26 events a year. We've accelerated that a great deal."
Neither TJ Maxx or its sister store Marshall's offers coupons but deep discounts, especially on brand names, makes shopping here worth it.
I went on s bargain hunt, and I found a Michael Kors leather tote bag on clearance for $99. Normally this is $268, a savings of $168 and I could have saved another 10% if I had opened a TJX card.
Then post your find on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #maxxinista for a chance to win a $50.00 giftcard. And Consumer Reports says it's worth noting: "They often do their markdowns on Wednesday so the prices are low the markdowns are even lower Wednesday is the day to go when you're getting those fresh markdowns."
At Kohl's it's all about knowing when to shop. About 6 to 8 times a year, during their Kohl's cash promotions, for every $50 you spend you receive $10 in Kohl's cash. And every Wednesday, shoppers over 60 get an extra 15 percent off in stores.
Stick to these tips and you'll never pay full price again.
