Random Tips and Cons by JMcQ

When at a restaurant, if they screw up your order (I like my chicken sandwiches plain), just go and remove the meat from the bun and put four or five ketchup (or any other condiment in packs) onto the bun. This gives the sandwich (once rewrapped) the appearance of being legit. You get a free piece of meat from the meal and typically a completely fresh sandwich to boot.

When at a supermarket/store with a caf� (like Kmart or Walmart) that has perishable foods for sale (hot dogs, pizza), see what time they close up for the night and see if they have any special deals. For example the Kmart I work at closes its caf� either at 6 or 8PM, and begins to mark everything down to fifty cents a half-hour before they close and a quarter fifteen minutes before they close. Even if they don�t have a posted reduction in price, chances are that if you talk to the person running the show they will cut a deal � a lot of people don�t want to throw away food that could conceivably be eaten.

Keeping with the department store / haggling aspect of things, no price is ever truly set in stone. However much individuals would like to think that we have moved beyond the barter economy, individuals can and will still be swayed by reasonable offers. Sure, places like Kmart or Sears might need a damn good reason in order to mark off anything (for example, if there is a stain or a big ding in the item), but they can be swayed. What was really shocking to me was the fact that places like pawn shops and print house can have their prices lowered. Personally, in the printing of an earlier issue of InterStitial, we were able to save $40 off the price of printing the magazine (and we STILL thank the gracious print shop that helped us with that � Astrografix in Lancaster, Ohio). Shayne from The Bloody Irish Boys was able to knock off over $400 from eir CD creation costs AND gain a host of perks simply by haggling with the individual in charge of the store. Smaller, individually-owned businesses are more apt to haggle than larger ones, but anyone is susceptible.

Check out the library for special deals on books or media (videos, CDs). Libraries always get donations of books from individuals who are trying to clean up, families that just lost a loved one, and a number of these books are necessarily going to be prints (owing to the fact that most individuals read the same mainstream books that the library already purchased). The library has no use for multiple copies and sells them off for a pittance - .50 or $1 for a hardcover, 5/$2 paperbacks, $1 CDs. Go wild, and if it seems like a deal � it might actually be something; I just purchased 5 brand new, mint CDs from our local library for $5 and will most likely make $20 in profit off of them.

This one seems obvious but working at Kmart has shown me that a number of individuals don�t realize this, but almost every store has a return period for the merchandise. If there is someone that is at a store that you will only use once � buy it and BRING IT BACK. The store isn�t going to bat an eyelash if you follow the rules they lay out during your transaction � namely, that you keep the box/packaging it came in and that also (shock of shocks) you still have the receipt. So, if there is a rocking dress you are only going to wear to prom or a furniture varnish you need to use once � return that shit, baby and get your cashola back.

There are a number of free websites online (freeipod.com , for example) that will give (without having to pay shipping), something � an ipod, a computer, whatever. After one fills out four or five offers, they can get that something in a mail. Just sign up for these deals and make sure to sign out of them before the grace period expires. You get a pricey gadget (which you can then sell on ebay for hard cash) and don�t feel a hit on your funds due to these offers. One caveat with this tip, though: make SURE you read all the fine print and contest ANY and ALL charges that don�t jive on your account. Chances are that even if you do screw up and forget to get out of the programs, they will reverse the charges if you say that someone hacked into your account or that your kid brother/sister signed up for things.