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I do ask for rainchecks when I can if specials are out of stock. No one else I know does. Do you use that option? I think it's a waste not to when you've gone to the store to get something and it's finished.
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My wife was able to do something similar recently. She bought a laptop, and found out the next day that it went on sale. Staples, after a little persuading from her, refunded the original purchase, and re-rang the same laptop up at the sale prices. An easy $100 for 20 minutes of work.
And yeah, rainchecks are a great idea. Most stores have the little notepads to accomodate this, but don't tend to offer them unless you ask. Thanks for the reminder.
Kiefer, wow! That was a real piece of luck. I would never have tried that with the sale being the following day. I've had that happen to me, not with such high priced items, and it's irritating. Next time I'll be asking.
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That's a wonderful story, kiefer. I'll get your wife to shop for my next computer if you can spare her for an afternoon. ;) I was thinking...do rain checks last forever or do they expire within a certain period? I haven't used them but only because I wasn't 100% about how the system works.
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My wife was able to do something similar recently. She bought a laptop, and found out the next day that it went on sale. Staples, after a little persuading from her, refunded the original purchase, and re-rang the same laptop up at the sale prices. An easy $100 for 20 minutes of work.
And yeah, rainchecks are a great idea. Most stores have the little notepads to accomodate this, but don't tend to offer them unless you ask. Thanks for the reminder.
That's a great story Kiefer. Most retailers are hurting these days and the last thing that they need to do is to PO a customer with $ that is ready to spend it. Consumers have to be aggressive, as your wife was in this case, and demand a better deal.
It will not always be like this folks! This deal the Mrs Kiefer got could not have happened a year ago, or next year at this time.
Get out there and stir it up....
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Good for her, Kiefer. I'm impressed that she got that out of them. Nice to see you around again. :)
Get out there and stir it up....
Good advice, micharch! This is definitely the time to be pushing for that bit more. I know companies are struggling but my conscience on this would be clear. I want to save myself money first. Charity begins at home.
I was thinking...do rain checks last forever or do they expire within a certain period? I haven't used them but only because I wasn't 100% about how the system works.
purplerain, that's a good question. I honestly don't know whether rain checks have any expiration period. If no one else can answer that off the top of their head, I'll see what I can find out.
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Get out there and stir it up....
I'm with you on that, micharch! :) A penny saved is a penny earned. They've been making excess profits for years from the average consumer. Now it's our turn to get a little back.
purplerain, that's a good question. I honestly don't know whether rain checks have any expiration period. If no one else can answer that off the top of their head, I'll see what I can find out.
Thanks Savannah, no need though. I couldn't get it out my brain and found the answer. :) It's yes and no LOL. Ehow says most don't expire at all and the stores generally honor them for anything between four weeks to a year from the date of issue. This is a good article about rainchecks with some extra tips.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5058693_save-money-using-rainchecks.html
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Thanks for the article link, purplerain. This is interesting right here.
If there are many varieties of a certain product (such as flavors of ice cream), you can ask for a rain check if just the flavor you want is out. Most people think that the entire stock has to be out to get a rain check but that is not the case.
I would have thought it all had to be gone too. I'll remember that. Ice cream's a good example. We only like a couple of flavors and don't get lucky often about getting there in time for the sale prices.
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That's great information! I assumed it would be the same way, frazzledmom. And being able to combine that with coupons could be a real moneysaver. Thanks for finding out, purplerain.
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Purplerain, thank you for the article. I didn't know the variety thing either, nor this. This is a great tip. I only ever expect one.
When you request a rain check, ask how many of the out-of-stock item you can request on one rain check. Even if you do not need that many, it is better to ask for more than less just in case you find that you want more. You can buy as many items up to the amount you asked for but you do not have to buy all of them.
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I usually think about the raincheck once I'm pulling into the drive back home LOL. It's force of habit to walk straight past the customer service desk on the way out. I'll keep in mind now that some places offer them at the register.
My wife was able to do something similar recently. She bought a laptop, and found out the next day that it went on sale. Staples, after a little persuading from her, refunded the original purchase, and re-rang the same laptop up at the sale prices. An easy $100 for 20 minutes of work.
And yeah, rainchecks are a great idea. Most stores have the little notepads to accomodate this, but don't tend to offer them unless you ask. Thanks for the reminder.