Speak up or pay up

How to get a deal when there’s no sale

Even if you don’t see a sale sign, it doesn’t mean you can’t get a deal. Here are four ways to save money next time you shop:

1 Sign up

If you’re willing to supply a retailer with personal information, such as your name, address or birth date, you could get deals in return.

“Consumers can visit the retailer’s website to sign up for coupons, or even download an app to receive alerts on discounts,” Maura L. Scott, an associate professor of marketing at Florida State University.

Online deals can be a great way to save money, provided consumers understand that they are providing something of value when they share their data with a company, Scott said.

2 Negotiate

Contrary to what you may think, the price you see on the sticker isn’t always the price you have to pay, according to Emily Hunter, an associate professor of management at Baylor University.

“I find that people in general don’t consider negotiating an option when they’re at a store,” Hunter says. “They think about it as an option at a garage sale, but not like a big-box retailer.”

Retailers may want to work with you to win your business on bigger ticket items in particular. To get the best outcome, be sure to clearly state what you want — such as 30 percent off — instead of asking something more general.

Just ask 3

If you saw a coupon for an item but forgot to bring it with you to the store, try asking for one at the register.

“They literally have them right next to the terminal,” Hunter says. “It’s just a matter of whether they’re willing to let you use it. This is where being really kind and polite really helps.”

If you’re shopping online, try messaging or calling the retailer's customer service department to see if there are any coupon codes available that you could apply to your order. Don’t forget to ask about other deductions, too. Stores sometimes offer senior, military, student or other specialty discounts.

Earn cash back 4

Sign up with cash-back websites and apps such as Ebates and BeFrugal to earn money back on your qualifying purchases. You won’t pay less for an item at the time of purchase, but you can potentially get money back after the fact.

If you have memberships at multiple cash-back sites, check out Cashback Monitor. It’s a site that aggregates cash-back rates from multiple websites. You can quickly see which site is offering the best discount at the store where you’re shopping and choose the cash-back site you use accordingly.

This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet.