A lower ticket price at the movies isn’t the only financial perk of getting older.

With baby boomers not showing any signs of slowing down, those turning 62 will be glad to know the milestone comes with significant discounts. To induct the latest wave of boomers into the seniors club in 2011, here are some benefits worth noting:

Shopping. Many national retailers quietly offer little-known discounts of 10 percent to 15 percent to older customers. For example, Kohl’s, the department-store chain, reduces prices for customers 62 and older on certain days of the week. Other retailers that offer senior discounts include Banana Republic, KB Toys, and Ross Dress for Less.

“It’s not as unusual as you think, but you have to ask,” said Marshal Cohen, an analyst with the market researcher NPD Group.

Stores generally don’t publicize the discounts or list them prominently on websites, in part because they’re available only to a select group.

With national chains, keep in mind that policies can vary by location.

Some offer discounts for those as young as 50.

Travel. Airlines, hotels, and other travel companies don’t always make their senior discounts easy to find on their websites, so it’s worth calling customer service to check what deals are available.

To read the full story: Philadelphia Inquirer

Stores feature great bargains as a way to entice shoppers to clean out their stores to make room for spring and summer merchandise, said Daniel Butler of the National Retail Federation.

“Also, as people put the ornaments away, they tend to get into spring cleaning mode early and want to freshen the house,” Butler said.

In January, white sales — discounts on sheets, towels and other household items — are quite prevalent.

Many a young couple got engaged over the holidays. That, said Butler, means “a lot of new brides are registering for gifts. The home store begins to appeal to them. Even though the wedding isn’t for months, it’s a great time to buy wedding gifts.”

TJ Maxx plans to promote their active-wear, beauty and home departments as part of a New Year/New You/New Home campaign, according to Laura McDowell, company spokeswoman. The store also will have fall and winter merchandise on clearance.

Gift cards are a big part of mall traffic for the month of January, said Aaron Martin, senior consultant with ShopperTrak, a consumer traffic monitoring company.

“Gift cards have effectively extended the holiday season and we’re seeing January as the gift card redemption month,” Martin said, calling this a trend he’s seen emerge in the last three years.

“Even though a lot of the sales have already been paid for, stores are obviously trying to entice customers to spend more,” he said. “Retailers understand they have an opportunity to focus on the shopper so we’ll continue to see post-holiday sales of 40 to 50 percent off.”

The discount department store giant Wal-Mart set its sales for the gift-card wielding Mom and her family.

“After the holidays, a lot of moms are shopping with their family. The kids are looking for toys and games [i.e., electronics] and Mom is looking for things for the home and things for her,” said Melissa O’Brien, spokeswoman for Wal-Mart Inc.

Shoppers can expect to see toys and home items discounted as much as 50 percent off, O’Brien said. Select seasonal items such as candles and electronics will be discounted as well.

A December survey conducted by marketing research company American Research Group found only 9 percent of shoppers had a hard time finding their size in stock this holiday season.

How does that impact the after-holiday shopper? “This means there is going to be a pretty good supply of apparel left over for January,” said Britt Beemer, spokesman for the American Research Group. “I expect there will be some pretty big discounts in apparel. However, we won’t see nearly as much in electronics.”

Beemer also advised the savvy customer to keep an eye out for coupons and private retailer sales via rewards programs.

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1965808,shoppers-find-discounts-spring-123109.article

As shoppers evaluate the impact of tight budgets this holiday season, Walmart is proving that they are committed to helping families afford the holidays in these tough economic times.

A turkey dinner for eight as low as $20

According to a survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation, last year’s average cost of a turkey was roughly $1.19 per pound. Beginning today, select Grade A turkeys are available for 40 cents per pound at Walmart.* These gobblers are part of Walmart’s $20 Thanksgiving menu guaranteeing family favorites will be on the dinner table this holiday season. Walmart’s $20 Thanksgiving feast includes:

•  One 12-pound Grade A turkey
•  Three 11 to 15.5-ounce cans Green Giant vegetables
•  Two 14-ounce cans Ocean Spray cranberry sauce
•  Three 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing
•  One 5-pound bag of red potatoes
• One 12-count package of Sara Lee dinner rolls
• One 22-ounce pumpkin roll cake

Electronic Savings Events

Every week Wal-Mart will put certain electronics on sale, starting at 8 am on Saturdays.  This past Saturday they started this week of savings and now Wal-Mart is offering the following products as these low prices until Friday evening. Customers can find more information about recent Walmart price reductions and holiday savings for electronics and toys at www.walmart.com/ChristmasShop.

•  $298 HP Notebook Computer – 3GB memory, 250 GB hard drive, Windows 7 Premium
• Sharp 1080p HDTVs – 42” for $498, 46” for $698 (120 Hz), 52” for $898 (120 Hz)
•  Panasonic 46” 1080p plasma HDTV for $788
•  Xbox 360 Arcade Console $199 with $100 Walmart Gift Card (for use on future purchases; minimum store quantities are at least 10 per store)
• $148 Sony Blu-ray player (model #BDP-S360)
• $29 Magnavox Upconvert DVD player (model #DP170MGXF, 1080p)

http://walmartstores.com/FactsNews/NewsRoom/9497.aspx

The time has come to stock up on school supplies, but who knew dumping out the piggy bank could actually cover your basics?

The penny is making a comeback, as cash-strapped shoppers scour stores for the best deals. OfficeMax and Staples have led the way with penny promotions changing weekly, and both CVS and Wal-Mart are running special deals in hopes of gaining back-to-school shoppers’ attention.

So before you hit the road to buy your pencils, notebooks, batteries, and highlighters this weekend, don’t forget your pennies.

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2009/08/backtoschool_shoppers_get_thei.html#more

JetBlue’s “All You Can Jet” promotion had to be suspended yesterday, due to a higher than expected volume of sales. The offer for a $599 pass allowing travelers unlimited flights between September 8th and October 8th, was unveiled on August 12th and expected to be available for purchase through Friday night, but supplies ran short.

Deals on airfare have been popular this year, but no other deal sparked as much interest as JetBlue’s pass, which was still making headlines a week after the deal was released, and no other carrier tried to match their offer.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2009-08-19-jetblue-suspends-all-you-can-jet-sale_N.htm

If you missed anything during today’s show, don’t worry- we have it for you below. 

New Credit Card Rules Take Effect Tomorrow

We’ve been hearing a lot about new credit card rules, and tomorrow (August 20th) the changes will finally go into effect- credit card companies will be required to give you 45 days notice of any changes in your terms as opposed to the current 15 days, and they will also be required to give you 21 days to pay your bill, compared to the current 14 days.  These changes will be followed by even more drastic provisions in February.

Low-Cost Medication

Walmart is offering over 1,000 over-the-counter medications and hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4 per month supply or $10 per 90-day supply! There are no catches or strings attached…just affordable medication. 

Save Money without Clipping Coupons

If you find clipping coupons and remembering to present them at the check out to be overwhelming, here’s the solution for you: Superfresh is offering “Red Tag Online Savings”- all you have to do is go to Superfresh’s website, select the coupons you want, and the savings will be deducted from your bill when you scan your Superfresh Club Card at the checkout. 

Website We Love

If you’re on the job hunt, check out Indeed.com- it’s a job search website that’s easy to navigate and you can refine your search to be as broad or specific as you want.

We’ve seen some deep discounts, as retailers try to accommodate cash strapped customers and keep their companies in business at a time when shoppers are spending less, but some stores have tried to weather the recession without cutting their prices.

High-end retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has yet to cut prices, but after another huge sales decline, they announced yesterday that they will begin selectively lowering average prices. Saks also said they will begin offering more low-price items and introduce a private label menswear brand that is less expensive.

Coach has already responded to their customer’s buying power, and is offering less-expensive versions of the same purse or apparel, so that consumers don’t have to switch to cheaper brands.

Despite luxury brands cutting their costs to appeal to customers, it’s clear that shoppers still love discount merchandisers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, which saw a 31% increase in profit in the second quarter.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2009-08-18-prices-discount-retailers_N.htm?csp=34

Some summer camps are feeling the affects of the slumping economy while others are thriving. There’s funding available for tuition assistance and some families may even be eligible for a tax break…for more information- http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2009/q0608.htm . To find a camp, check out the American Camp Association- they have a huge database for all different ages and interests- http://www.acacamps.org/ 

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/175/2009/june/14/rethinking-camp-plans-2.html  

There’s a lot you should know when your clipping coupons to get the most bang for your buck, and sometimes it can be confusing… Consumers have questions, and the Coupon Diva has answers. If you have questions, email her at Joyce@Misscoupondiva.com.