I’ve discovered in recent months that owning a home, especially an older home, can get really expensive quickly. Because of this, I’m always on the lookout for tips to save even more money at Lowe’s and The Home Depot. So I recently wandered into my local Lowe’s and started talking to employees in an effort to score some insider savings tips. I was impressed with what they told me and now I want to pass these tips along to you. I hope they help you save some cash.

1. Learn to Negotiate the Price on Damaged Items

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of negotiating a better price at big-box stores, and that’s especially true at Lowe’s.

On a whim, I actually negotiated a price recently on a new washer and dryer.

They were both floor models that were for sale because it was the end of the season.

The dryer had a quarter-sized dent in the door.

I went up to an employee working the appliance section and started a conversation with him.

I told him I badly needed a new washer and dryer and pointed to the set I was interested in.

I then informed him of the dent and asked if he would take a 15% discount if I bought BOTH of them today.

Long story short, he went and got his manager’s approval and came back and offered me a 10% discount.

I jumped all over it and saved $110 just for asking.

3 Keys for Negotiating Success:

1. Look For Imperfections – Dents, scratches, paint missing, even damaged packaging or a box is a reason to ask for a deal at Lowe’s.

2. Bundle Items – They are much more likely to do this if you’re buying more than 1 thing. Consider bundling things like a washer and dryer or a refrigerator and a microwave. You’ll want at least one of the items to have an imperfection. If both items have something wrong with them then you can really ask for a deal.

3. Look For Returned Special Orders – When shopping for appliances, doors, windows, and flooring, ask about Special Orders that went unsold. I had an employee tell me that these items are an immediate write-off and shoppers can offer pennies on the dollar for them and Lowe’s will usually accept. If you’re fixing up a house, and not particular about specific styles, these make for a GREAT way to save a TON of money.

2. Find an Employee and Make an Offer

Piggybacking on the above tip, Lowe’s is notorious for making deals with customers on clearance items that they want out of the store.

Recently I was checking out some clearance items on an endcap in the paint department and an employee actually came up to me and said, “Anything catch your eye? Let me know as I have the authority to give you an even better deal if you buy several products.”

He said they just “want it ALL gone”. I was kind of blown away with his honesty.

So I picked out some painting accessories that I knew I would need and said, “How about 50% off all of this stuff?”

He said “sure” and wrote me a price adjustment form that I took to the checkout aisle.

I ended up with 7 items with a full-price of $90 and I got them all for only $18.

Bottomline, always find an employee and start making low ball offers on clearance items, you’ll be amazed with the results.

See Also: Read This Before You Rent Tools and Equipment at Lowe’s

3. Ask For a Quantity Discount at the Pro Desk

The same employee that gave me a discount on my washer and dryer also gave me the tip of going to the Lowe’s Pro Desk and asking for a quantity discount if I’m buying a lot of stuff.

For example, you might be fixing up a home and will be buying paint, flooring, appliances, kitchen cabinets, and maybe even windows, IN MANY CASES Lowe’s will give you a discount if you buy all this stuff from the Pro Desk.

So I wandered over to the Pro Desk and got the 411. You can actually a setup a Pro Account for free and I was told the discounts are in the 10-50% off range on thousands of eligible products.

The employee at the Pro Desk told me to always get a special price quote when buying at least $1,500 or more as they can often bring the price down for you.

4. Return Dead Plants Up to a Year Later

Do NOT be embarrassed to bring dead plants back to Lowe’s up to 365 days after you buy them.

After all, this would not be in the Lowe’s return policy if they didn’t want you to do it as they get reimbursed from the grower.

Keep in mind that the plants need to be perennials and NOT annuals that are supposed to die off every year.

Be sure to keep your receipt as it’s a must to make a plant return within a year of purchase.

I was talking to an employee about this policy and she had the great tip of putting your receipt in a Ziploc bag and taping it to the bottom of your indoor plant container.

For outdoor shrubs, trees, and perennial plants, get in the habit of putting all your receipts in a file folder and keeping them safe somewhere.

5. Don’t Forget About a Lowe’s Price Adjustment

Did you find a better price at Home Depot or Ace Hardware?

No worries, Lowe’s will match the price so you don’t have to drive across town to save a few bucks.

Best way to make it happen? Have the Home Depot app on your phone and do a quick price comparison when making significant purchases at Lowe’s.

The product must be in-stock at both stores and 100% identical. Just head to the Lowe’s customer service desk and they’ll verify the price match and get you your savings.

The best part? It ALSO works when buying from Lowes.com as they’ll price match online pricing from online stores like Amazon.

The easiest way to make it happen is to visit this page and start a Live Chat and they’ll help you get your online price match.

6. Score Lumber Deals By Looking in the Right Spot

Next, I was walking through the lumber department and asked an employee what was the best way to save some money on wood.

He immediately said, “follow me”.

So I did just that and he led me to the back of the store where they had a rack of wood that was ALL 50% off (see pic above).

He said it was wood that was either a miscut, an overstock, or had a small flaw in it.

It’s perfect wood for a small DIY project, or to patch fencing, or one of a hundred other uses around your house.

7. Make “The Back Aisle” Your Best Friend

The next time you’re at your local Lowe’s, head directly to the back of the store, typically in the middle of the back wall and you’ll find some good clearance deals.

They call it “The Back Aisle” and it’s where every department puts their clearance stuff marked down to 75% off the original price.

You won’t find big ticket clearance items in this section, but instead you’ll find a bunch of smaller things like paint brushes, garden tools, cleaning products, ceramic pots, and lawn products and they’re ALL a great deal.

8. Don’t Forget About Their Military Discount

If you’re currently in the military, or a veteran, be sure you’re taking advantage of their 10% military discount.

You can either sign-up in-store at the customer service desk, or online by visiting this page.

Even spouses can get the discount which is limited to $500 in savings per year, so you’ll get 10% off your first $5,000 spent.

Once you’re signed up, you just have to give them your telephone number when you checkout and you’ll get your discount.

It’s a pretty easy process to get verified and much easier than The Home Depot’s military discount as HD makes you go through their smartphone app and pull up a barcode every time you want to use it.

9. Learn How to Read Lowe’s Price Tags

Lastly, learn how to read the price tags at Lowe’s so you know what kind of a deal you’re actually getting.

Thanks to a couple helpful employees, here’s what I know so far about the hidden language in Lowe’s price tags:

“N” below the Barcode on Clearance Tags – I had an employee tell me to look for Yellow clearance price tags with a small “N” below the barcode. He told me this means the item is discontinued and it’s up to the manager to lower the price further. So in other words, the price is probably not the lowest it’s going to get, so if there’s a lot of stock, wait until the price goes down to buy it.

No “N” below the Barcode on Clearance Tags  – This means the item is priced to sell and is the lowest the price will get. So buy it before it’s gone.

Price Ending with .02 – This one is rare but it means that the item has run through its final markdown schedule and the vendor has paid Lowe’s for it and it will typically be destroyed. You can try and buy it, as it’s really cheep, but most cashiers won’t let you.

Ask the Reader: What great money saving tips at Lowe’s did I miss? I’m sure I missed a couple good ones. Let me know in the comments.

By Kyle James