Abandoning Your Cart Could Save You A Few Dollars This Holiday Season

With the holiday shopping season looming and inflation rising, tips on saving a few dollars are always welcome. NBC News senior consumer investigative correspondent Vicky Nguyen recommends “abandoning” your cart as a possible method to save money.

If the items you are eyeing are not in danger of selling out, she advises adding them to your cart and simply logging off the website. Consumers who can wait it out might receive a discount for being patient. 

“You might get an email from that store saying, ‘Hey, I think you forgot these items in your cart?'” Nguyen said. To try and close out the sale, the retailer might offer an additional discount to come back to the site and finalize the purchase. 

She cautions against playing the waiting game with high-demand items that could potentially sell out. 

In addition to abandoning their cart, she advises consumers to look into cashback sites and apps, such as Rakuten and RetailMeNot. Web browser extensions like Camelizer and InvisibleHand can help shoppers find the lowest prices for items online.