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"  Think all you need to do is head to your nearest retailer to snap up the best bargains for the holiday weekend? Think again! To score a real deal, you have to do a little research \u2014 and follow these tips from Daniel Butler, the Vice President of Retail Operations for the National Retail Federation. 1. &amp;quot;This week leading in to the holiday watch your mailbox,&amp;quot; Butler says. Looking for mailers and circulars is the easiest way to get an idea of what&amp;#039;s out there and find out in advance if any retailers are advertising early bird specials. A lot of stores send out coupons for general discounts or specific items too. 2. Forgot your coupon at home? Don&amp;#039;t worry! Many stores will give you a new one if you go to customer service or ask at the register. 3. Hit the clearance rack. Often, if a store&amp;#039;s offering a flat discount, it also takes it off sale goods. Butler recommends you double check the retailer&amp;#039;s return policy before you buy \u2014 many times clearance items are sold &amp;quot;as is&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;all sales final&amp;quot;. 4. Don&amp;#039;t rely on price-match guarantees. They often have a hitch: You must be able to get the item at the advertised price at the time you&amp;#039;re in the store. So if, for instance, you ask for a price-match, the clerk may call the store running the deeper discount to ensure that the item is still in stock and being offered at the lower advertised price. If you bring the ad with you, you may have success with a national brand item being offered by a large chain regardless. 5. Made a big-ticket purchase recently? Keep an eye on the sale ads from the store where you bought it. Many retailers offer price adjustments if you bring in the receipt, Butler says. Just be sure to swing by the store at a slow time of day, as you&amp;#039;ll probably have to go to customer service or wait for a manager. 6. When in doubt, just ask. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s always smart to ask salespeople, &amp;#039;Are there any great buys in the store today that I need to know about?&amp;#039;&amp;quot; Butler says. He or she may know about great discounts or deals that haven&amp;#039;t been widely advertised. 7. Can&amp;#039;t make it to the store? Most retailers coordinate their online and in-store sales. You can probably get a lot of the same discounts on the Web, and maybe even spot some online-only specials. For more great sale tips, be sure to check out our top bargains of May. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a24749/memorial-day-sale-tips/>