Saving at the department store

Here are a few department-store shopping skills to polish up on to save at your fav stores.

Befriend sales associates Consider taking the sales associate up on their offer to help you. Building a rapport with a sales associate leads to the inside-track on upcoming sales and yields better customer service.

Be informed Retailers make it easy to stay informed about upcoming sales thanks to the Internet. If you leave a coupon at home just pull up the offer on your smartphone and show it to the cashier.

Shop on Thursdays Department stores often mark down clothing on Thursdays in anticipation of weekend shoppers. Save your Saturday for lunch with the girls and pilates.

Hold onto receipts You may need to return something and chances are that if you don't have proof of purchase you won't be able to return the item or be stuck with store credit. Another reason why it's a good idea to hang onto receipts for up to 30 days is if the item you bought receive a price reduction. Keeping tabs on an item you've already purchased can net you unexpected savings.

Shop seasonal sales Shopping for winter clothing as retailers gear up for the spring and summer fashions will land you great deals on warm clothing for next year.

Reward yourself If you belong to a rewards program with your credit care, look into your account to see if you can redeem points for gift cards. If you are disciplined enough to pay off your credit card each month, you might consider charging everyday expenses on your card to increase reward points and pay for "fun" stuff with earned points.