I’m a glitch hunter and my best bargain was 90% off Adidas trainers – how you can do it too
LIKE many shoppers, Katie Alexander loves a bargain – and she’s even spotted price glitches that have bagged her goodies up to 90% off. Her best bargain was a pair of trainers in Sports Direct when she spotted a glitch that meant the decimal point on the price label was in the wrong place. The […]
LIKE many shoppers, Katie Alexander loves a bargain – and she’s even spotted price glitches that have bagged her goodies up to 90% off.
Her best bargain was a pair of trainers in Sports Direct when she spotted a glitch that meant the decimal point on the price label was in the wrong place.
The 27-year-old trainee teacher snagged the pair of Adidas trainers, which should have been £67.99 for just £6.79.
And it’s not the only bargain the eagle-eyed shopper has snapped up.
In Boots, she spotted WoodWick candles that usually retail for £19.99 for just £1.99.
As an added bonus, the candles were on a three for two offer, meaning she picked up three for just £5.97.
And on top of that, she was able to get a further reduction by using her student discount card.
The further 10% reduction brought the total price down to £5.37 for three candles that should have come to £59.97.
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Katie says: “Whenever I spot a price glitch, I take a picture of the label to take to the till in case they have any questions.
“I’m always honest and say I think it’s an error but I’ve never had anyone refuse to honour the price.”
The first time she spotted a glitch was around five years ago on a shopping trip to nearby Norwich.
Since then, she’s had a string of shopping successes both on the high street and online.
Other deals she’s nabbed in Boots include offers on the Soap & Glory beauty range.
Online, she has spotted glitches several times on Amazon.
Her best bargain was a phone case that should have been £17.99, which she got for just 99p.
She says: “I love finding a good deal. It gives you a great feeling when you get a you find something unexpectedly.
“But I never buy more than I need just because of the glitch as I don’t want to be too cheeky.”
How to bag a price glitch bargain
Katie’s top money saving tip is to keep your eyes peeled.
If a price seems unusual or wrong, it could be a sign of a bargain.
In stores, she always checks labels and when browsing online, she filters items by price so bargains are easier to spot.
If she finds a bargain in store she always takes a picture of the product label displaying the wrong price to show at the till in case it doesn’t come up.
She chooses to tell the cashier that she thinks there has been a pricing error, and has never been refused the incorrect price.
She says: “I have heard of stores not honouring the purchases once they realise a glitch has occurred, so maybe I’ve just been lucky.
“But it might also be because I’m quite respectful about it.
“I only buy what I need and I always make the shop aware of the problem.”
Online, she doesn’t share her finds on social media in case there’s a sudden surge in ordering which prompts the retailer not to honour the error price.
Katie has inspired her boyfriend Josh to start hunting for glitches too – though he’s not yet had any success.
She says: “He’s definitely more of a savvy shopper these days – before we met, he didn’t even know about the student discount card.”
What are your rights if there’s a price glitch?
Katie isn’t the only glitch hunter out there. One savvy shopper saves around £1,000 a year by hunting out pricing errors.
Online shoppers have spotted price glitches listing kettles and toaster for free at Sainsbury’s and a £375 three-seater sofa for £10 at Asda.
Shops don’t always have to honour an incorrect price.
If you haven’t bought the item yet, the store doesn’t have to sell it to you at the error price.
The same applies if you seen an item advertised at a lower than the one of the tag.
You can, however, ask if the shop will honour the price – you might have more success if you ask politely and don’t buy too many.
If you buy online, the company can cancel the order once it realises a pricing error if it was a genuine mistake that it thinks you should have noticed.
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