saving money at argos

right, ways of saving money at argos....

1. catalogues are released in january and august, but are printed well in advance of this. by the time you get hold of a book, it could be several months out of date (even if it is the 'current' book)- as could the price you see listed. prices are constantly being reviewed and lowered across the whole range of products, so check online at argos for the current selling price.


2. in addition to the main catalogue, argos also produce sales flyers (in the form of leaflets, brochures, mini catalogues etc), and these are normally renewed every month or so - you will find them in special units in every store. these are first and foremost SEASONAL based sales - ie toys at christmas, jewellery at valentines, home starter kits when us young 'uns are going back to uni. if you are buying an item which would classify as "seasonal", try and plan your purchases around the times of year when offers are likely to take place.

HOWEVER...dont forget that these sales flyers also contain general products. so if you are, for example, after a new kettle, look in the sales flyer first to see what is on offer that particular month. you may be able to live with that one rather than the more expensive one you initially had your eye on in the main catalogue.


3. as i have said, because catalogues are printed so far in advance, things will change, including the adding of new lines or packages. obviously its not possible for us to contact every customer with the new info, so extra pages are added to the catalogues in store to convey this new/updated info. so point 3 is to always check the in-store catalogue before going to the tills to make sure you are getting the best deal.


4. before you get to the tills, have a good look at the displays and sales opportunity baskets that surround the tills. these are there for the same reason they put chocolate by the tills in shops - to tempt you. but it is also where some of the better reductions on cheapish (ie less than £30) items are promoted.


5. be beady-eyed whilst looking at displays on shop floor - especially if it is an item you are going to buy. given the nature of how argos organise their displays, it is possible for incorrect tickets to be left out. in my exeprince, argos are very good at honouring the mistake if you bring it to their attention(in store anyway, no 49p tvs though sadly).


6. if you are buying an item that has been used as part of a display, you can ask for a discount. this is granted because of damage to the item, but given at managers discression. so the nicer you ask, the better your luck!


7. when you get to the till, make the most of your cashier. if you get one with half a brain, they should be able to tell you whats been selling well (indicative of a good offer), make you aware of deals (ie bogofs) and so on. if you are not happy with your dopey or less than helpful cashier, dont be scared to walk away from the tills and try customer services or another cashier elsewhere in the store.

NEVER USE THE QUICKPAY KIOSKS. ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT THEY NEVER WORK HALF THE TIME, THEY ARE NOT VERY EFFECTIVE AT HIGHLIGHTING THE CURRENT OFFERS, OR LINKED ITEMS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU. SPEAK TO A REAL PERSON EVERY TIME.


8. at the till you will probably be asked if you are interested in an argos store card. do not apply for this for the sake ofd getting credit, as it has an appaling % rate. However, if you are sensible with your money, it does offer several perks:

3 months buy now pay later (BNPL) on all orders over £95
6 months buy now pay later on spends over £195
12 months buy now pay later on larger spend on specific items noted in the catalogue
and 12-24 months interest free credit on certain expensive items (these will be marked in the catalogue)

they also send out regular money off coupons in the post (ie £x off when you spend £y on your argos card, or save £z when you spend this much on *insert product here - ie storage (restricted to a certain range of catalogue numbers)*. offer coupons have in the past also included free delivery.


9. dont forget you can redeem (but not earn) nectar points at argos (although i dont think this is the best way to get the most value from them). you can also use a whole range of vouchers, including bonus bonds, high st vouchers, choice vouchers, provident vouchers and so on.



10. keep an eye out in the papers (local and national) for the occasional coupons that appear. in particular, if there is a new store opening in your area, you can pretty much guarantee a "£5/ 10% off when you spend £x at our new store" coupon.


11. argos also run a £5 off £50 spend/ £10 off 100 spend promotion, usually to coincide with the school holidays. its a getting people through the door gimmick...and it works. it is only one voucher per transaction, so if you are buying a lot of items, break your shopping down into several orders. the cashiers are not supposed to do it for you, and many will refuse to.

to bump yourself over the limit for a voucher, try filling the tick to give box on the selection form (20p goes to "the british heart foundation"), but a £1 gift card, or maybe lightbulbs/batteries - small, cheap, and always useful.

remember that the voucher will have an expiry date - dont let it run out.

and if you later return an item, which takes your total spend below the £50/£100 cap, you will be asked to return the voucher, or have its value deducted from the amount refunded to you. this is because it is a promotional gift voucher, and part of the conditions is that you had to spend £x amount to qualify for it.


12. befriend argos employess, in the hope that they will give you the 10% off for friends and family of argos coupons which appear every 3-4 months. if you ask very nicely, some people will use their staff discount to buy things for you, although be aware that the staff discount is intended for the employees' immediate family only, and it is a sackable offence for the employee to abuse the system.

if you do not have any friends that work at argos, these vouchers sometimes find their way onto ebay (but dont pay more than you would save, defeats the object), or some members of the site who moonlight as argos employees offer to send them to other site members (perhaps for the cost of an Stamped Addressed Evelope)


13. when reserving items, especially items which are both on promotion and out of stock, it is very important that you are aware of the fact that the price you pay is the price in store on the day you PAY FOR AND COLLECT the item, irrespective of what it might have been when you reserved the item. this might mean that by the time your item comes into stock, the promo may have ended and the price returned to normal. make sure you check those dates!

if you have proof tat your reservation was made while the offer was still on the manager may honour the lower price for you. this is at their discretion so ask nicely.


14. www.argos.co.uk will, on occasion, make a gesture of good will towards those customers whom we have inconvenienced. ask to speak to a manager, explain the situation, and most of all, be polite. if you are rude, they will go out of their way not to help you.


15. points earned for completing surveys for IPSOS can be converted into argos vouchers. a few minutes once or twice a week spent clicking through some surveys could earn you a fair whack of vouchers come next christmas (points can also be converted into boots and w h smiths vouchers)


16. If you are ordering items for home delivery, plan it well. there is a standard delivery charge of £5.95 to be paid per order (irrespective of how many items you order, or how many deliveries the stock comes on). so dont buy a bed on monday, only to go an order a sofa on thursday, as you will be charged £11.90 in delivery fees, when you could easily have got away with paying £5.95 if you'd planned ahead.


17. when you are next in store, pick up the insurance leaflets dotted around the tills (or see catalogue pages at the back of the book). not a lot of people know that the cover often includes accidental damage cover (jewellery and replacement product cover for items under £150 in particular). depending on the type of use the item will get, and the Ts and Cs of your household insurance, this could turn out to be a shrewd investment for you.

the cost of the cover is worked out by price bands. this means that if you but a £50 item reduced to £25, you pay the price for insuring a £25 item. however, if the item does die on you, in the event of a refund/exchange, you are only covered to the value you paid, not the rrp of the item.

DO check the small print before you pay out large amounts. whilst claiming against manufacturing defects or accidental damage is relatively trouble free, claiming on the grounds of theft will require a crime number and so on.


19. use the saynoto0870 website to find geographical numbers numbers for your local store. if you have a problem with your argos card/argos direct, go to customer services in store and act a bit thick. you can often get the cashier to phone up on your behalf, with argos footing the cost of the call.


20. and finally - shop around. whilst it has its perks, argos often fails to compete with other high st/online retailers in terms of price. use a shop bot like kelkoo to make an informed purchase.




hope this has helped people, i will no doubt update as i think of more