Here’s one of my favorite shopping tips.
I don’t know if everyone’s aware of this, but one of my favorite saving tips involves using coupons at a higher priced store. Case in point: Bed, Bath and Beyond.
I’ll admit that I’m kind of a home designing junkie. Before I got into blogging, I actually spent a lot of my free time fussing with my home and garden, dabbling in interior design as well as external improvements on our property. You see, when we bought our house, it was fairly new, but had a lot of underdeveloped aspects (this was way back in 2000).
We got a great deal on our house back then, as the real estate market was in turmoil after the dot com bust and 9-11. But as we settled into our home, we realized that we had to do additional work to turn our house into what we ultimately wanted it to be. So I eased my way into a new hobby, which was to get into home improvement projects that would customize our living environment. I became addicted to shopping catalogs and home and garden stores, and yeah, it was one of those things that inflated our bills for a period of time (on a side note: I’m sure glad I eventually replaced a money taking hobby with a money making hobby… 
).
But it wasn’t entirely foolish — or so I’d like to think. While I favored a nice store like Bed, Bath and Beyond for all its pretty home effects, there was one thing I did that saved me a decent amount of coin. I collected their coupons that came in the mail on a regular basis. And not only that, I collected ALL the coupons from ALL my friends and family as well. You see, each BBB coupon was good for either $5 off or 20% off on a single item. Each coupon could be applied to any one item at anytime, for a discount.
Bed, Bath and Beyond Coupons Never Expire!
What a lot of people may not realize is that these coupons NEVER EXPIRE. But let me qualify a bit here — apparently, there has been talk that the store’s policy earlier this year has changed the rules a little, such that old coupons are no longer universally accepted at all Bed, Bath and Beyond establishments. That is, certain stores in certain cities may no longer accept “stale” coupons. So depending on where you live, you may have to check with your local store to find out if they still honor your “expired” coupons.
Now as far as expired coupons are concerned: does that mean that the expiration dates are an “inaccuracy” to encourage people to use these coupons quickly? After all, retail sales events are created to encourage you to come out and shop; the sense of urgency makes you want to buy. Just check this out:
Whatever the case, the stores in my area do allow old coupons, so it’s been a good long while since I’ve purchased anything from Bed, Bath and Beyond for full price. Now while this has been the case for me, I still see shopper after shopper at this store, who pays the regular price for their pricey wares. If you’ve got a store that has a liberal coupon policy, don’t let the opportunity go to waste — use those coupons!
So that was one of my favorite shopping tips. If you’ve got one as well, do share!
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I love them for this very reason! I registered there for my wedding and they sent me a 20% off your entire purchase coupon! They also sent me one when I moved into my new home.
You can also use several of those coupons on the same visit. I just plop them down and the clerk chooses the best ones. I’ve walked out saving as much as 50% off my purchase.
@Aryn,
Their coupon policy is also what turned me on to them and now they are my main source for home items. I used to shop at Home Depot and J.C. Penney as well (which are both quite affordable), but BB & B has its draw. I love their linens. But it sure helps too, that the store smells nice.
It seems like I get BB&B coupons every day in the mail. I had no idea they were accepted after the expiration date though. I usually keep them and then toss them when they go stale. You’re right though…paying full value for anything at BB&B is just asking for it. Their prices are expensive and now with their competitor Linen’n'Things bankrupt, they can flex their muscles even more.
I’ll confess, I’m way too straight laced. I would never think to use an expired coupon, but reading this post has me thinking I need to loosen up a bit. It also has be thinking of Will Ferrell:
Frank Ricard (Will Ferrell): I told my wife I wouldn’t drink tonight. Besides, I got a big day tomorrow. You guys have a great time.
College Student: A big day? Doing what?
Frank: Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we’re going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.
The BBB coupons are useful, but I find Wal-Mart has similar items for lower prices than you can get at BBB even with the coupons. Target can usually beat even the 20% off, too. Still, I often end up buying more esoteric kitchen items there — my most recent example is a pump sprayer for oil that we use to turn rice oil into a Pam-like substance.
-Erica
@Eric, BB & B does have higher priced items, but I guess that’s why they offer their constant stream of timeless coupons. Their prices are what keeps a lot of people out of their stores, so the coupons work a bit to equalize things (relative to lower cost competitors). Is this their worst kept secret, I wonder…
@Michael, lol.
@Erica, when shopping for linen and bedding, BBB is where I go. I’ll admit to one luxury I allow myself — threadcount and Egyptian cotton. Not sure if Wal-Mart and Target have similar inventory in this regard? As I mentioned, I’ve been lucky to find some great fabric from J.C. Penney too, for great prices! Target: I love for everything else!
Great article. Another well known company allowing you to use their expired coupons is Mike’s Car Wash. I know they are at least a mid-west franchise, don’t know where else they are located.
I found that out just by asking them because I figure it doesn’t hurt to ask!
CarA~
Good one SVB! I get the same coupons from BBB, and although they do say “expire by” on the bottom, I’ve never been rejected.
Don’t be fooled though people! The 20% off is deeply engrained in the price of their products! This is BBB’s business model which gets people come back from more and more and more STUFF!
Granted, when you need BBB stuff, you really need it (vacuum cleaner broke, pots, bedding etc) but don’t buy more than you need. That’s what the store does.
I’ve specifically talked to management about their strategies in luring consumers before, and this is one of them. Stand strong!
They never expire? Wow… I have tons of these things that have been lying around in a box since the late 90’s. (Don’t ask why I have a box of coupons…)
No expiry huh? That’s awesome!
I’m big on home decor as well, I spend a good chunk of money re-doing our home. But hey, it looks pretty! I win.
good suggestion. But are they really worth much? I own a house and will use your tips next time i need to buy the essentials for home.
The bed, bath and beyond coupons really are fantastic. They don’t expire and you can even use them after the fact. I keep a stack of them.
You can also use multiple BB&B coupons per purchase. It used to be max 5 coupons per purchase but each store seems to have it’s own policy. Also, make sure to optimize the coupons while you wait in line. The clerks will randomly choose a few so you might not save as much as you possibly can.
Uh-oh….just received my first BBB coupon that says, “The sooner you use it the more it’s worth! 20% off any single item NOW through 11/30/09 OR 10% off any single item 12/1/09 through 1/4/10.” Maybe it’s just a way to stimulate early holiday shopping, and not a precursor to enforced coupon expiration…?
I used to work at BBB and can attest to their coupon policy. They have to put expiration dates on their coupons due to federal law. It is also good to note that they have a price-match policy on identical items and will also honor competitor coupons as well. You can also use the coupons on any item in the store even though on the coupons it details some restrictions.
I also agree that they do mark up quite a bit of stuff. When I worked their, I could see how much of a profit they made off of any particular item, and let’s just say they are not lacking!
@Bargain Babe: The 5 coupon limit thing is a general policy. We were told to tell people that, but if they asked, we were to allow as many coupons as they had.
Due to their focus on customer service, you can also ask for discounts and they will usaully give them. If you don’t like the discount, ask to talk to a manager and you’ll probably get more. I worked in customer service and would routinely give people %10 off their total sale just because they asked or were buying a lot of stuff.
Hope this helps.
I was receiving coupons. I would like to receive them again.
@Nan, please check out our tip box in the post above, where you can find out how to sign up for coupons and be in Bed, Bath and Beyond’s mailing list.
Want to sign up for the 20 percent coupon.
Thank You,
Marlene Lichtenfels
As an employee for BB&B right now I can tell you that at my store you may use a maximum of 5 coupons per person per day and if you give the employee all your coupons they will maximize your discount for you as opposed to randomly selecting them so you save less. At my store, a manager will not give you a bigger discount just because you asked. It is what it is marked. As far as the new coupons 20% now, 10% later, they are exactly what they say. You save 20% up to that date and 10% later. They still will not expire but your maximum savings after that date will be 10 percent. You can sign up in store for coupons or you can do it on the web site.