COSTCO

I mentioned this once before but I thought it was worth digging it back up and mentioning it again.

Who doesn't love Costco? It sucks you in and before you know it you have a rotiserrie chicken and tons of other stuff in your cart because you ate a sample or just couldn't resist it! Before you know it you are walking out of the store with at least $100 buck worth of stuff you didn't even know you needed!

Here are some codes you want to make sure you know when you go to Costco.

When you see an item with a markdown price ending in $.97, you know that item has been marked down. Costco will not put the original price on the ticket so if you want to know the original price you can ask the manager.

Do you see the asterick it the above right corner? That means they are not going to reorder that item. This Phillips Theater System has been marked down to $179.97 and will not be restocked on their shelves. If this is something you want, now is the time to grab it!

Watch for odd pricing like those that end in 79 or 49 because that means they are special purchase items.

* If the prices do go lower on the close-outs, or items you purchased at full price, you can always bring the items back and repurchase them at the lower price. Remember, they do have a price adjustment policy on a item for 30 days.

If you see the item you bought at full price go on sale and it is beyond the 30 days the only other method it to purchase another one at the lower price. Then take your original receipt for the same item you purchased at the higher price and return the one you just bought at the sale price with that first receipt. I know Costco won't like me telling you this, but it is the only way I know to get around that 30 day adjustment policy.

* The single most important tip in this article is to hold onto every receipt from your Costco purchases. Here is the reason. Costco has a satisfaction guarantee on all the products they sell. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the item in that time you can return it within 2 years, yup, 2 years.

It is also important to note that different Costco stores can have different prices. This happened to me when I recently bought a storage ottoman. Our Jax store had them on clearance for $129.97 while the exact same item was in the Miramar store in Miami for $99.97. The reason I was told was because they had more on their shelf to get rid of so the price was lower. I continued to call our Costco to see if they lowered the price on the ottoman but they ended up selling out. I was still thrilled at the price I paid. When I originally saw it it was $199.99.

This will be the time of year to watch for patio sets and summertime items that will probably be clearanced priced right after July 4th.