Tag Archives: cash-back

Blanket Race: Who Is the Best Online Retailer Walmart or Amazon?

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As the unexpected warmth of November fades into the routine December chill, I decided we needed to get two new Vellux blankets for a twin bed and a queen. As usual for online shopping, I signed in to Great Canadian Rebates before clicking through to see what was on offer at amazon.ca. They had Vellux blankets in various sizes and in a surprising number of prices. I then checked the prices at Walmart.ca for comparison. I ended up ordering one blanket from each vendor and now the race is on: who has the best price and who will have the fastest delivery—Walmart or Amazon?

Check Prices Before Ordering Vellux Blankets Online or In Store

The first place I saw Vellux blankets in store was at the Sears near me which is closing as the chain is in receivership. The liquidation was starting with just 20% off the original list price for the blankets. I knew that was a bad deal as Sears routinely put all its household linens on sale for around 50% off. So I decided to wait until they were at least 75% off.

Then, I decided to check online. As I suspected, the price at Walmart.ca was more than 50% off the Sears price, included free shipping, and wouldn’t require weeks of waiting and wondering whether the blankets had already sold.

Out of curiosity, I then compared Walmart’s prices with those on Amazon. The pricing on amazon.ca was fascinating: they had different prices for the Twin blankets depending on the colour! Yet all of them were being sold by and shipped by amazon.ca.

Weird!

Who Had the Best Price for Vellux Blankets?

Strangely, each store had the best price on a blanket, depending on the size.
I could get a twin Vellux for 34.99 (ivory) or 38.99 (Wedgewood blue) from amazon.ca. The same blanket was 49.96 on Walmart.ca.

I could get a king Vellux in several colours for 59.96 from Walmart.ca. (A King blanket is larger than a Queen so it gives you extra at the sides and top to cuddle into.) The same blanket was 89.95 and up on amazon.ca.

Who Has the Best Delivery for Vellux Blankets?

By ordering the blue blanket (which suited the room) from amazon.ca, I could get it shipped for free. So I did.

I also got free shipping for the King blanket from Walmart.ca.

Now the race is on: which blanket will arrive first? Or will they both arrive on the same day?

I’ll update this post when they arrive.

UPDATE: Too funny! They arrived within 3 hours of each other. The Walmart one arrived first, then the Amazon one. Both were in great shape and I’m pleased.

A Small Extra Saving from Amazon.ca on Vellux

I also ordered the blanket from amazon.ca after arriving there via the link on my Great Canadian Rebates home page. That means I will get a small percentage of the purchase cost back from GCR. Unfortunately, right now Walmart is not an available store through GCR so I won’t be getting any additional rebate from them.

If you want to join GCR, if you sign up using my referral link, you will get the same benefits as if you signed up directly, but I will also get a small percentage reward for any purchases you make. (I’ll never know who you are, though, or what you bought. It’s just mystery money that appears in my account.) To join via my link, just click on this link to go to their website: Join Great Canadian Rebates and reward yourself and Financial Crooks. Or read more about it in this article How to Join Great Canadian Rebates.

And now I wait with shivering toes for the arrival of my cozy new blankets.

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Do you only check amazon.ca when buying online or do you shop around? Please share your strategies with a comment.

Maximizing My Online Shopping Discounts and Savings on the Black Friday Sales

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Although we try to keep our present giving to a reasonable volume, between Christmas and birthdays, we still have lots of things to buy at this time of year. Many things, like clothes, I only like to buy in a real store where I can see the true colour and feel the weight and hand of the fabric. Others, though, like books, Blu-rays, Corelle bowls, Vellux blankets, and even Nikon cameras, I will buy online if the price is right. Recently, I noticed some good discounts online to save me money due to Black Friday sales that start a week before the American Thanksgiving, and luckily I remembered to maximize my cash back by buying through my Great Canadian Rebates account.

(If you’d like to join Great Canadian Rebates, please consider using my referral link. https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/Register/171462/
It won’t cost you anything but it might earn me a tip!)

What are the Differences Between Using Great Canadian Rebates and Just Shopping at Amazon.ca?

To understand how Great Canadian Rebates works, you have to understand a bit about marketing and internet advertising. Basically, many stores offer a small “commission” to people that bring them business. So if you click on an Amazon ad on my website and then buy something at Amazon, I may get a small cash reward for encouraging you to shop at Amazon. (So far that has never actually happened!)

Similarly, if you start at the Great Canadian Rebates website, and have joined GCR, and then you open the Amazon.ca website from the GCR link on their home page, then GCR will get a small cash reward if you actually buy something at Amazon. To encourage you to do this, Great Canadian Rebates will SHARE the small cash reward with you. They even tell you before you shop what % of your purchase you will get back.

Generally, Amazon.ca does not offer any % back if you are buying books. But if you are buying, say, a Nikon camera, it may offer back a % of your purchase price. The % can change from week to week as there are “specials.”

A few weeks ago, I got 1.3% back on my purchase of several Blu-rays. That doesn’t sound like much but the movies were already on sale. It only took me a few extra seconds to sign in to my Great Canadian Rebates account, then click on their link to amazon.ca then do my shopping as usual. For that I got back as much cash as many cash-back credit cards offer. And over time, it adds up, often getting me $10+ a month.

How Does Great Canadian Rebates Pay Me?

In my case, I’ve signed up for payment in the form of amazon.ca email gift certificates. Once a month, GCR sends me an email with a code to use when I buy something at Amazon. I can wait and use up every month’s gift certificate on one purchase if I want. (In coupon terms, they are “stackable.”)

How Can You Join Great Canadian Rebates

You can just go to their website and sign up.

Or you can be really nice to me, and go to their website from my link, which will pay me money if you ever use GCR to make a purchase. My link is https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/Register/171462/.

They have a scheme where if you use my referral code to sign up with GCR, then you get your % back on online purchases made after clicking through to online stores like amazon.ca from the GCR website. And I *also* get an even smaller % back just because you did. It doesn’t change your earnings, it just increases mine.

Like I say, you don’t have to use my referral to join but I thank you in advance if you choose to do so. (I will never know that you joined or what you bought. I just might get a few more cents per month if you sign up and then use GCR as the entryway to making a purchase online.)

In the meantime, I’ll keep trying to remember to use the GCR website to start my online shopping. If I can save $20 on my shopping, I can take the family out for dim sum!

Related Reading

Join In
Do you try to maximize your online savings by using a rewards credit card and making your purchases through an online portal like Great Canadian Rebates? Please share your strategies with a comment.

If you’d like to join Great Canadian Rebates, please consider using my referral link. https://www.greatcanadianrebates.ca/Register/171462/
It won’t cost you anything but it might earn me a tip!