Buy More, Spend Less with These In-Store Apps

By Bev Bachel for Tech Connect

Karen Carlson, a dental assistant in Kansas City, shops not only for her family, but also for her dentist’s office, often buying everything from toothbrushes and dental floss to cleaning supplies. Regardless of who she’s doing the shopping for, she prides herself on spending money wisely.

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While saving cash on purchases once meant pouring over weekly circulars and clipping coupons, Carlson now relies on her smartphone. “I love how easy today’s smartphone apps make it for consumers like me to save money on what we want and need,” she says.

Here are three popular in-store apps that Carlson and other “wise spenders” like her applaud:

CVS

Free; available on Google Play and the App Store

Savings are only a screen tap away with this app, which makes it easy to shop the store’s weekly ad for deals and create a shopping list. The app also makes it easy to sign up for offer-filled emails that you can then forward to a mobile ExtraCare “card.” Scan the card at checkout and save as much as 30%. The app comes with an additional feature Carlson appreciates: the ability to track all her savings.

Target Cartwheel

Free; available on Google Play and the App Store

This app makes it easy to search through hundreds of offers in all categories and then add them to your personalized Cartwheel barcode. You can get two for one, save 10% on men’s T-shirts, or enjoy 25% off all lighting. Just scan the barcode at checkout, and you’ll automatically save. No time to browse the app before you shop? “No problem,” says Carlson. “Just use the app’s barcode scan feature to see if there’s a Cartwheel offer on the items you’re buying.”

Walmart

Free; available on Google Play and the App Store

“This app is easy to use, and it delivers cash back,” says Carlson. Just shop at Walmart, then type in your receipt number or take a picture of your receipt’s barcode. Walmart then compares the prices of eligible items on your receipt against advertised prices offered by top competitors in your area. If a lower advertised price is found, you get back the difference on a Walmart eGift card sent to you. “It’s like making money while you sleep,” she says. 


Freelance writer Bev Bachel lives in Minneapolis and uses her phone to talk, text and email friends and family around the world. She’s the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go For It!

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Buy More, Spend Less with These In-Store Apps
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