My family has shopped at Kohl’s for a few years now, mostly for clothing items. The Kohl’s clearance racks are usually well-stocked with quality items and their sales pricing is aggressive. Combine this with generous 15% to 30% off Kohls coupons and periodic “Kohl’s Cash” promotions that provide valuable certificates usable on future store purchases, and we find we can dress our family of six at very reasonable cost.
But a recent experience has me taking a closer look at Kohl’s for big-ticket purchases beyond just clothing.
While on a Kohl’s clothes shopping trip (with a 30% off coupon I had received in the mail), I spotted a Dyson DC25 vacuum cleaner on sale for $519.99. We had been thinking of buying a Dyson vacuum for some time and, with the 30% coupon in hand, I started thinking this might be good time to buy. As I always do with larger purchases, I scanned the package barcode with my iPhone Red Laser app to see how the Kohl’s price compared with other nearby stores.
Kohl's Competitor Price Match Policy
It was a nice surprise to find that Sear’s had the same Dyson on sale for $399.99! Being right across the street, I walked over to Sears and looked through their weekly flyer. Sure enough, the Dyson DC-25 was clearly shown (picture and all) on sale at $399.99. Knowing that Kohl’s has a policy of matching competitor’s prices (see above), I took the Sears ad with me and returned to Kohl’s.
The following table summarizes the deal I got:
| Description | Pricing | Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Kohl's Original Price | $549.99 | |
| Kohl's Sale Price | $519.99 | ($30.00) |
| Price Match: Sear's Advertised Price | $399.99 | ($120.00) |
| Apply Kohl's 30% Off Coupon | - 30% | ($120.00) |
| Value of Kohl's Cash Usable on Future Purchases | $10.00 Kohl's Cash for every $50.00 spent | ($60.00) |
| Net Cost | $219.99 |
The single drawback of the transaction was that I had to use my Kohl’s charge card in order to get 30% off. I would have preferred to use my Fidelity 529 Rewards Card (IMHO, the best credit card rewards program around) which could have provided an additional 2% cash back benefit. (Note: To benefit from any rewards credit card, it is essential to pay the balance in full each month.)
Still, all-in-all, a successful Saturday morning shopping trip. I scored a high-end Dyson vacuum for about 42% of it’s Kohl’s sale price. Moreover, I was able to buy locally at a price far better than any online offers I could find. (In my experience, it’s preferable to buy locally – when pricing permits – mostly because returns are much easier.)
Bottom Line:
- The triple-play combination of competitor price-matching, generous 30% off coupons, and periodic Kohl’s Cash incentives makes Kohl’s a great option to consider when looking to buy higher-cost household items. There’s no other retailer in my area with a comparable lineup. Currently I’m shopping for an expensive electric shaver that Kohl’s happens to carry. My plan now is to wait for another 30% coupon + Kohl’s Cash weekend deal before buying.
- This experience again shows that the iPhone is well worth its cost. The ability to instantly scan barcodes to find nearby competitor pricing gives a big advantage to consumers in leveraging stores’ price-matching policies. Especially when used in conjunction with other promotions, competitor price matching can save you big money.
- When you come across a 20% or 30% off coupon, consider it valuable property, especially if you happen to be in the market for an expensive item that it might apply to.
Tagged with: dyson vacuum • dysondc25 • kohls • kohls coupons
Filed under: iPhone • Personal Finance
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Leave a Reply