When it comes to all things home renovations and garden ware, there's one shop that springs to mind before any others - B&Q.
The UK's hardware store staple is the first place many go when they need to buy something to fix or enhance their home, and they are currently holding a 20 per cent off sale across many of their products including outdoor plants, inflatable spas, kitchens and bathroom items until May 2.
To help our readers avoid spending over the odds for their home-ware items, we spoke to a former employee of the retail giant to find out how shoppers can make their money stretch further when renovating their homes, and shopping in or out of the sale.
According to Michael Daniels, who used to work at B&Q, one of the best ways to get discounted items is to be savvy about when sales are coming, because you'll be able to predict items that might become heavily discounted as new ranges are released.
Read more: Ex-employees spill secrets to bagging best TK Maxx discounts
He said: "The best way to spot a potential sale item is to see when they are about to launch their new range, so if they are about to launch new kitchens or bathrooms, they would then reduce the old stuff drastically. Sales seem seems to be seasonal, so they crop up every three months as the seasons change, so keep your eye out."
He also told us that some of the most popular discounted items are products that become available after showrooms have been re-vamped.
He added: "When they re-do the showrooms for a new design, what they'll do is they will take the old products out and they will sell them on really cheaply."
The ex-employee advised that when it comes to choosing between going in store to browse or buying online, customers should shop in store to ensure that their item is in stock.
He said: "Shopping in store is better because you can see the items for yourself, and sometimes when you browse online, they don't actually have the item in stock anymore.
"Someone could have bought an item and it might still show as one available when there isn't. So definitely shop in store so you know its there physically.
"The best time to go shopping would be on the last day of the sale because they will reduce items even further when something hasn't sold. I myself would go to the table of sale items and just pick up whatever I could"
"When they are saying 'everything must go', go on the last day and sometimes you'll be able to get products for as little as £1"
MoneySupermarket also advise that there are always ways to cut your costs even if there are no B&Q discount codes or sales around at the moment that work for you. Their tips to save a bit more extra cash at B&Q are:
- Save on delivery costs by taking advantage of the free Click & Collect service. You can order an item online, and then pick it up at your local store.
- Don't be afraid to try haggling. we know that as brits, the idea of haggling may seem daunting, but Money Supermarket polled 1400 money saver to see which shops they had the most success haggling in, and 60% of people who tried to haggle a discount in B&Q succeeded.
- Raid the clearance section before anything else.
- If you join their free loyalty club, newbies will get £5 off a £30 spend.
- Over 60's can get 10% off on Wednesdays, so if you are in this age group then take advantage of the discount, and if you're not - see if your grandma will accompany you on a trip to the shop.
Discover the nearest B&Q store to you by clicking here.
