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Dollars & Sense columnist John Ewoldt searches the Twin Cities and beyond for bargains and strategies to spare you time, money and hassles.
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Deals on rugs, "Xanadu" at Chanhassen, and $3 Vikings tickets
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Going-outta-biz sales Updated: September 7, 2012 - 2:26 PM
It's a boo-hoo shame that larger audiences haven't found "Xanadu" at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, the goofy spoof of the awful 1980 film with Olivia Newton John. It's closing September 29 but going out with a BOGO. Receive two-for-one dinner AND show tickets if you call the box office at 952-934-1525 and ask for the 2-for-1 special on "Xanadu."
Ticket prices range from $61 to $81 each depending on the day and time.
Grand Oriental Rugs (Centennial Lakes, 7433 France Av. S., Edina, 952-844-0696) will close Saturday. Currently nearly all rugs are 75 percent off although a few are discounted 50 percent.
Rug shoppers may remember that when Bloomingdale's closed, it brought in rugs at an 80 percent discount and I was still able to negotiate an extra 10 percent discount on top of that. It's the same thing at Grand's sale. Chances are that you can negotiate a better deal than 75 percent off.
You might even want to take a picture of the rug and its price tag to shop around at other stores. (I'm looking for an 8 by 10 Kazak pattern made in Pakistan). Don't feel pressured to buy because the store is closing. Chances are that you could negotiate a deal almost as good at another store that's not going out of business. By the way, the store is officially closing Saturday but one manager said that the store would be packing things up Sunday and would still take offers.
Before buying, check the quality of the wool. Rub your hand back and forth briskly across the surface. If the rug sheds lots of fuzzy fibers, it's a low-quality wool. Better wool feels softer and sometimes almost greasy because of the lanolin in it. To test color fastness, rub a damp cloth on the rug.
Don't make a big deal about knot count unless you're comparing virtually identical rugs: Generally, the higher the knot count, the better.
Some Oriental rugs, usually those of lower quality, may have used illegally employed child labor: Consumer Reports recommends looking for GoodWeave, Kaleen or the Wools of New Zealand labels. Unfortunately, these labels are rare. The most reliable way to avoid supporting child labor is to buy a machine-made rug, according to Consumer Reports.
Want a really cheap seat for Sunday's noon Viking's game against Jacksonville? It's a nosebleed seat, slightly obstructed view seat near the top but it's only $3 or so at Ticketnetwork, a secondary ticket market. The handling fee is $15 but it's still pretty fair deal since face value is $20 to $45. Better seats are also available at a discount too at the website.
Can unused or unopened groceries be returned?
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Supermarkets Updated: September 4, 2012 - 4:10 PM
Deal spotter Scott of Minneapolis recently tried to return a few unopened bottles of cranberry juice to Aldi. The store refused to accept them, saying it was against the law. “Is this true?” he asked.
No, there is no state law that prohibits a customer from returning perishable items to grocery stores, said Mike Schommer, director of communications at the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture, but the department encourages stores not to restock those items in case the product was mishandled.
Most stores allow returns of items with a receipt, although some perishables such as meat or produce may not be returnable at some stores. Call for specifics at the store where you plan to make the return. Aldi does not allow unopened items to be returned, said divisional vice-president Gordon Nesbit, although opened items deemed unsatisfactory may be.
Items that a consumer deems unsatisfactory are also returnable. Aldi, for example, offers a double guarantee that they will replace an item and refund its price if a customer is dissatisfied (Non-food special buys exempted). Customers with receipts always have the greatest success but even without a receipt many stores will give store credit, especially if the item is a store brand or has a store's labeling on it.
Common sense tells us that any item returned for poor quality should be nearly whole or uneaten. If a person brings in two slices of moldy bread in the loaf wrapper and expects a return, that seems over the line.
If you're unsure if your return is reasonable, call the store and ask. Be aware that stores will almost always toss returned items for safety reasons.
Sometimes, it's better to call the manufacturer than the supermarket. I recently purchased some microwave popcorn that was excessively greasy. Trying to ask for a refund at the supermarket seemed inappropriate when I had eaten one of the three bags. So I called the manufacturer who gladly sent me a coupon for replacement after asking for a bunch of numbers off the box. (No, I wasn't asked to send in the uneaten portion.)
Have you had any trouble returning unused or unsatisfactory food at local stores?
Labor Day deals: Angie's List, Cooks of Crocus Hill, local thrift stores
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Holiday shopping Updated: August 31, 2012 - 4:49 PM
Nearly every thrifter (thrift store shopper) knows of the 50 percent off sales on most holidays. Check your favorite store, but the big ones such as Unique, Savers and Arc's Value Village offer 50 percent off most items except new merchandise on Labor Day.
One of the best deals at the State Fair is the low price on Angie's List memberships. Get one year for $15, regularly $39. Multi-year memberships are $28 for two years, three years for $41 and four years for $54. I have yet to see a better deal during the year. The deal is offered through Labor Day at booth #51 in the Grandstand.
Cooks of Crocus Hill is having a storewide 20 percent off everything sale on Saturday and Sunday in St. Paul and Edina and Saturday through Monday in Stillwater. Exceptions: sale items, classes, electrics and cropshares.
Get 30 percent off online at Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy through Monday. Use discount code FALLCALLS.
A good price on the iconic KitchenAid Pro 600 stand mixer
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Appliances Updated: August 30, 2012 - 9:00 AM
It's a fixture in the modern American kitchen and the holy grail of wedding presents--the KitchenAid mixer. There's the classic 250 or 275 watt model for about $200, the Artisan for $300 or the larger 6-quart, 575 watt Professional 600 for $450.
But starting Tuesday, Sept. 4, Tuesday Morning stores will be selling the Pro 600 for $300. I've heard of it going as low as $250 on Amazon but only in white. Tuesday Morning is featuring it in nickel pearl metallic, onyx black, white and empire red. With the popularity of the iconic mixer, it now comes in more than 20 colors. Since colors are trendy, it's possible to find good deals on colors that fall out of favor or may be seasonal. The four color choices at Tuesday Morning are classic.
Some say that the KitchenAid is the best mixer on the market. Check the online ratings for yourself. Consumer Reports tested several models including the Classic, the Artisan and the Pro. It rated the 250 watt Classic the highest, then the Artisan, and the Classic Plus. The Pro model, which received low marks for noise, was in the middle of the ratings. Models by Cuisinart were rated lower than the KitchenAid Classic and Artisan but higher than the Pro.
The cheapest price I found online for the Pro was $340 at Amazon, which makes this a fairly competitive deal. It will be in Tuesday Morning stores Tuesday or you can purchase it now at Tuesday Morning online.
Women's boutique 90% off sale Friday and Saturday
Posted by: John Ewoldt under Clothing Updated: August 22, 2012 - 10:56 AM
The Twin Cities doesn't appear to have enough women (or men) who will pay full-price for cutting edge, high-end designer fashions. Exhibits A and B, the decline and fall of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus on Nicollet Ave. Saks Off Fifth is now an outlet and Neiman Marcus will close its doors next year.
But pockets of small, smart boutiques still populate the Twin Cities, Edina and Wayzata. One notable shop,GH2 in northeast Minneapolis, takes consignment and clearance from its sister store Grethen House. Even more notable, for frugalistas is GH2's 90 percent off everything sale on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25.
Prices after the discount will range from $5 to $500 on designers such as Prada, Comme des Garcons, Peter Cohen, Charles Chang-Lima, Miu Miu and Stephane Killian. Most of the clothes will be spring/summer with some fall/winter too, said manager Maggie Brindley. "Plenty of shoes, fall coats, blazers and dresses," she said.
Hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The store at 318 E. Hennepin Av. is closed Thursday. Get in line before 11 on Friday for the best selection.
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recent posts
- Deals on rugs, "Xanadu" at Chanhassen, and $3 Vikings tickets
- Can unused or unopened groceries be returned?
- Labor Day deals: Angie's List, Cooks of Crocus Hill, local thrift stores
- A good price on the iconic KitchenAid Pro 600 stand mixer
- Women's boutique 90% off sale Friday and Saturday
- New TVs for sale at Salvation Army are hit and miss on price
- Cheap parking for Vikings games near Dome disappears
- Cost Plus World Market returning to the Twin Cities
- Free local veggies given away Tuesday at 10 a.m.
- Free kids' haircuts at JC Penney all month
- Free physical exams for local high school athletes
- EuroNest home furnishings closing sale starts Thursday
- Half-price slice of cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory today
- Thymes is not having a warehouse sale this year
- With little fanfare, Best Buy offers a low price on new Apple computers
- Did you get a voucher in May for a free flight on Spirit Air? Time to act.
- Shortage of air conditioner coolant is costing us
- Finally, good deals on Coke/Pepsi. The 4th of July must be near.
- Airfare sale through Monday from MSP. Roundtrips from $98-$325
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