c/daily-deal-detectives

15

ruby290•1d ago

Rant: How I wasted a year buying 'bulk' toilet paper from the wrong place

I used to grab those big packs at the grocery store thinking I was saving money, but last month I did the math and realized I was paying 20 cents more per roll than online at Sam's Club. My sister showed me her receipt and it just clicked that I never checked the unit price before. Has anyone else caught themselves overpaying on what feels like a good deal?

12

lunaw72•1d ago

The "deal" on bulk paper towels wasn't a deal at all

Yesterday I realized I've been getting tricked by bulk pricing for like 2 years. I bought a 12-pack of paper towels at Costco for $18 thinking I was saving big. Then I did the math on the per-roll price compared to the 6-pack at Target. The Target ones were actually cheaper per roll by about 30 cents even without a coupon. Now I check the unit price on everything before I buy. Anyone else catch themselves assuming bulk always equals better value?

21

irishenderson•3d ago

Almost got screwed by a fake Prime Day deal flash sale

I was browsing Amazon around 2am last Tuesday and saw a 55" TV marked down to $180. Jumped on it without checking the seller name because I was too excited. Turns out it was a third party shop that opened 3 days ago with zero reviews. I caught it 10 minutes later when I went to check my order and saw the red flags. Canceled immediately but I bet a lot of people didn't notice in time. Has anyone else nearly gotten burned by these scam flash sales popping up during big shopping events?

7

jake_chen•4d ago

Raincheck trick saved me $12 on a tool set I almost bought full price

I saw a 40% off sale on a socket set at Home Depot last week but they were out of stock so I grabbed a raincheck instead of walking away lol. Turns out the raincheck locks in the sale price for up to 90 days and they got more in yesterday so I picked it up for way less. Do you guys ever try rainchecks for clearance items or just wait for restocks?

5

nora184•7d ago

Overheard a dude at the coffee shop say he’s been using a 10% off coupon for the same store for 2 years

I was grabbing coffee at the local shop downtown last Monday and this guy next to me tells his friend he’s still using a 10% off code he found on a forum back in 2022. Said the store never expires their promo codes, they just hide them in the footer. That got me digging through old emails and I found a 15% off code from 3 years ago for a hardware site. Has anyone else had luck with super old coupon codes that still work?

8

richardk26•8d ago

I finally stopped buying expensive HDMI cables after learning this

I used to drop $40 on gold-plated HDMI cables at Best Buy thinking they made a difference. Then a buddy who builds home theaters showed me a blind test where a $7 cable looked exactly the same as a $100 one on a 4K TV. Has anyone else fallen for this or am I the only sucker who wasted money for years?

1

nina_butler•8d ago

Stacked two coupon codes at Target.com and it actually worked

Been trying to combine a 15% off with a $10 gift card promo for months. Never worked. But last week I used the Target Circle offer first. Then applied the gift card code at checkout. Saved $28 on a single order. Has anyone else cracked the stacking code at certain stores?

23

diana314•9d ago

Just realized how much less I pay for streaming now vs 5 years ago

Was checking my old emails and found a receipt for cable from 2019 - $180 a month! Now I pay around $45 for three services and a digital antenna. That antenna was $25 on Amazon and gets me local channels crystal clear. Anyone else notice how much their setup has changed over time?

31

evangarcia•9d ago

Last Tuesday was supposed to be my big coupon score day

I finally stacked a 20% off code with a free shipping offer on a site I've been watching for months. Got a new pair of hiking boots for $48 instead of $120. Then the delivery came and the box had a boot with a ripped strap and a scratch all down the side. Their customer service said I could return but they wouldn't honor the same deal because it expired. So now I'm out the boots and the discount, and the replacement pair costs full price. Has anyone else had a coupon stack blow up like this and gotten the company to make it right?

9

xenan64•10d ago

I finally scanned a Kohl's coupon from a 2015 magazine and it actually worked

Was cleaning out my grandma's basement in Des Moines last weekend and found an old Parade magazine from 2015 with a 30% off Kohl's coupon still attached. Jokingly took it to the register thinking they'd laugh me out. The cashier scanned it and it went through. Saved $12 on a towel set. Has anyone else gotten lucky with some ancient coupon code?

21

stellas56•10d ago

Spent a whole week chasing a $5 coupon code and it blew up my budget

I used to think stacking every single coupon was the smart move, you know, like some kind of deal ninja. Last Tuesday I spent 3 hours hunting down a promo code for a $50 kitchen gadget. I finally found one for $5 off, but I got so distracted I missed a flash sale on the same item for $45 with free shipping. Ended up paying $47 after tax anyway, and I wasted my whole afternoon. What really got me was when my friend said 'you saved $5 but lost 3 hours, thats like making $1.67 an hour.' That hit hard. Now I just set a max of 15 minutes per deal and walk away if it takes longer. Has anyone else had a cheap coupon cost them more in the long run?

17

wendyc53•17d ago

My neighbor swore by those cashback apps but I lost $12 on a faulty rebate

She said to use Shopkick for a deal on coffee pods and the app rejected my receipt because the store code didn't match. Has anyone else had their cashback denied over some tiny technicality like that?

13

skylerm55•17d ago

Warning: Got tricked by a 'free shipping' code that actually cost me more

I grabbed a 15% off coupon for a camping chair last week, only to realize the 'free shipping' code I also tried to stack was actually fake. The site just bumped the base price by $8 to cover it. Has anyone else caught a store doing that sneaky price padding thing?

18

fiona253•17d ago

I chased a 50% off coupon for 2 hours, only to find out it expired yesterday

I was so excited to save $30 on that air fryer I've been eyeing, but when I finally dug up the code from an old email, the site said it expired at midnight. Did I waste my time, or does anyone else have a story about a deal that slipped through their fingers?

13

patricia_singh81•18d ago

Hit the motherlode at a thrift store last Wednesday, then got skunked the rest of the week

I found a nearly new KitchenAid stand mixer for 40 bucks at a Goodwill in Fargo. Bright red too, the one that normally goes for 400 new. I was riding that high for two days straight. Then I went back on Friday and Saturday, nothing but broken lamps and stained sweaters. Thursday I tried three different thrift stores and came home with zero deals. It's like the universe giveth and then just slams the door in your face. Anyone else have weeks where one big score makes up for all the dry runs?

10

sethb45•18d ago

I used to buy tech deals from random sites until I got burned for $80

Last month I grabbed a 'too good to be true' 512GB SSD from a site I never heard of for $35. Turns out it was a fake 32GB drive that corrupted after 3 days of use. Now I only shop from the daily deal posts here or official store outlets - has anyone else gotten screwed by sketchy flash sale sites?

24

jakegarcia•19d ago

Shoutout to the cashier who caught a double-charge on my receipt last night at the Home Depot on 3rd Street

I was standing there loading bags into my truck when I noticed she flagged a $47 charge that rang up twice for a single power drill, so now I always watch the register screen like a hawk before swiping my card - has anyone else caught a sneaky duplicate charge slipping through?

26

noran21•19d ago

Warning: That 50% off vacuum deal on TikTok was a total scam I fell for last Tuesday

Saw a Dyson knockoff for $34.99 and the shipping alone took two weeks longer than promised, plus the motor died after three uses so has anyone else had luck with refunds on those shady links?

23

cole_walker26•21d ago

Finally bought one of those cheap gadget bundles on a flash sale site

I spent $25 on a random tool kit from one of those daily deal apps last month, fully expecting to get junk that falls apart after one use. To my surprise, the screwdriver bits actually held up when I fixed my dryer vent, and the little flashlight still works after dropping it twice. Has anyone else grabbed a deal that looked too cheap but ended up being surprisingly solid?

0

juliagonzalez•22d ago

My buddy's comment about coupon stacking made me rethink everything

I was bragging to my friend Dave about saving $12 on laundry detergent last week. He just looked at me and said "you know you can combine store coupons with manufacturer ones, right?" Felt dumb. I've been bargain hunting for 5 years and never tried that. Has anyone else missed this simple trick for way too long?

18

miawalker•26d ago

Walked into a Nordstrom Rack in Phoenix and saw a $600 coat marked down to $89

I was just killing time before a dentist appointment last Tuesday and wandered into the Nordstrom Rack near the Biltmore area. There was this big wool coat from a brand I recognized sitting on a clearance rack with like four different colored tags on it. I grabbed it and the final price rang up at $89 when I checked the tag code with my phone. The original retail was $600 which feels insane but I've noticed their clearance stuff gets hidden in weird corners. The trick is knowing when they do their markdowns on Tuesdays because that's when they pull inventory from full-line stores. I snagged it and also found a pair of boots that were $50 off just because the box was beat up. Does anyone else have a specific day they hit up discount stores like this? I'm trying to figure out if there's a better pattern for finding the deep cuts.

17

xena886•26d ago

Shoutout to my cheap pasta maker that actually works

I bought this $25 pasta maker off Amazon last month because I was tired of spending $4 a box on decent spaghetti. First try with it was a disaster, dough was way too sticky and it clogged everything up. But after watching a quick video about letting the dough rest for 30 minutes, it worked perfect. Made enough pasta for 4 meals for what would have cost me like $16 at the store. Anyone else had luck with cheap kitchen gadgets that actually pay off?

0

the_seth•27d ago

Stacked two coupon codes on Amazon by accident and saved $27

I was checking out some storage bins last night and randomly tried adding two promo codes in the box. Figured it would just give an error. Nope, both stacked and knocked $27 off my total. One was a 15% off subscribe and save and the other was a $10 off coupon from the product page. Anyone else ever get lucky stacking codes like that or is this just a glitch on certain items?

2

lily_schmidt53•1mo ago

Found a coupon code for 30% off my usual protein powder brand that saved me $45 on my last order

I was about to check out at BodyBuilding.com last Thursday and randomly typed 'SALE2024' into the promo box, and it actually worked, has anyone else stumbled onto a random code that still works months later?

8

hannah240•1mo ago

Shoutout to the local hardware store that saved me $60 on dog clippers

My A5 clippers died mid-groom on a matted poodle last Tuesday. I panicked and almost bought a new set from the pet supply chain for $120. Called around and found a mom and pop hardware store three blocks away that sells the exact same model for $60. They even had replacement blades in stock. Has anyone else found random non-pet stores carrying grooming gear for less?