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Sales used to be the crème de la crème for shoppers. You had access to items you were eyeing for months while treating your wallet to a little less heartbreak. But these days, a sale isn't enough. To be a smart shopper in the modern age, you need to be a discount code extraordinaire and have the inside scoop on all the hush-hush deals — we're talking an early heads-up on those mega, once-a-year blowouts (save to cart the night before!), and a knowledge of stores that secretly offer a gift with purchase, or that'll give you a discount on clothing with minor damages.
Unfortunately, the only way to extract these kind of insider-y secrets are through, well, insiders themselves. To crack the code on saving the most, we found five former retail employees who were willing to divulge a secret or two. In the intense race that is budget shopping, no tip is too small. Click on to learn how to get the most bang for your buck at places like J.Crew, Urban Outfitters, and more.
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Urban Outfitters
"I used to work at Urban Outfitters in college, and they'll pretty much give you 10% off for any imperfection: a snag, a deodorant mark, even a loose string. It's at the manager's discretion and the official handbook tells employees to always say yes."
Photo: Courtesy of Urban Outfitters.Clik here to view.
Uniqlo
"The staff has a culture of writing mini thank you cards to one another. The company actually sets quotas for how many you should write per week to show gratitude to your teammates, but if you ask anyone who works there, the [employees] will probably also give you a blank one. They're very cute!"
Photo: Courtesy of Uniqlo.Clik here to view.
Brandy Melville
"Go the the store on a Wednesday! In New York City, this is usually when the stores get their inventory, and if any items are found with stains like foundation and lipstick (that can actually be washed off really easily), bring it up to the cashier and you can get 15% off the item."
Photo: Courtesy of Brandy Melville.Clik here to view.
J.Crew
"J.Crew does its markdowns on Thursdays. Always double-check both in-store and online for sale prices, because they are almost never the same and shopping online can save you a ton of money. You should also try to become friends with a J.Crew stylist; they will always let you know when sales are, and most will bend over backwards to find an item for a client. Even if they say an item is sold out online, ask nicely if they can do a store check — there are normally a few items around, but not in the inventory. Plus, they will probably give you free shipping if you order over the phone."
Photo: Courtest of J.Crew.Clik here to view.
Madewell
"Almost 95% of the time, items are marked down online but not in stores, and the registers wouldn't pick up the discounted prices. We would have to price adjust if a customer noticed it was a certain price online and not in-store! Always check out Madewell online first, because it has a policy where it always price adjusts to match online."
Photo: Courtesy of Madewell.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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