Always read your receipt

How many times have you made a purchase and stashed the receipt in your purse or wallet, never to surface again, unless you need to do a return?

As a smart shopper, you should always, always read your receipt and here is why.

Catch and correct errors

At the risk of sounding obvious, you should always check your receipt to make sure that you’re not over paying. Sometimes cashiers may scan items twice. Sometimes, a product is advertised on sale, but the price scans up differently.

If you are using coupons, multi-buy promotions or price matching, double check that things have been inputted correctly. It’s much easier to correct (and to get all of your savings) right there- in the moment.

Promotional value

Read all the way down to the bottom of your receipt. Stores and restaurants will sometimes list  coupons and discounts for subsequent purchases, services or visits.

Gratuities

After you’ve finished your meal or received a service that you plan to tip on, double check if the tip has already been included. The service provider will often tell you, but not always. Always tip for good service, but you don’t have to do it twice!

Your opinion matters

Did you realize how much power you have as consumer? Retailers and service providers really want your feedback on their product or service delivery. Very often, listed at the bottom of your receipt is a link for an opportunity to provide your input.

Usually, in order to entice you, you are sometimes entered into a contest, receive discounts on a future purchase or receive some other kind of freebie.

Keep them handy

With our increasingly paperless society, it may not make sense to hang on to your receipts, but you may want to for a little while. You might be able to claim expenses on your tax return; if you have a product with a warranty, you’ll need the receipt to make a claim. It can also be a good budgeting tool to hang on to your receipts to really track your spending