Martin Lewis fan shares 'secret code' to get money off at major retailers

Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, has returned from a brief hiatus and immediately rallied his thrifty followers to share their top tips for snagging discounts at various retailers.

After taking a short two-week break from Twitter, Martin Lewis came back with an engaging question for his followers, leading to a flood of fantastic money-saving advice from former retail workers.

This could mean significant savings for shoppers next time they hit the high street by applying some of these insider suggestions.

• READ MORE: New Look's 'ideal for spring' biker jacket reduced to under £33 in fashion sale

• Get all the latest money news and budgeting tips from Chronicle Live with our free newsletter

Martin queried his audience: "Tell us: Do u, or have u, worked in a shop? If so what are ur insider tips or secrets to help customers or to find better deals. Both generally or specific to ur chain/store, and if poss say when and where you work(ed) as long as it won't get you into trouble."

Quickly, fans began divulging some prime insider knowledge on saving cash, including one about a 'secret code' that can be used at popular clothing stores, reports Yorkshire Live.

@valshox revealed: "A high street retailer marks the sale price in pencil on the tickets with 0 either side so 019990 is £19.99 staff can quickly add sale tags prior to sale. Customer will see this as stock is already out. So IYKYK ....Next".

@tarajeff chimed in: "We used to do this is New Look too. I always look on the back of labels for any clues! Force of habit".

Moreover, @Sarahleadonlan offered a similar tip but for pharmacies and over-the-counter medicines.

She remarked: "Worked in a Tesco pharmacy, always pointed out generic versions of branded medicine to customers at a fraction of the cost and explained they have the same active ingredients."

In such cases, it's crucial to check for the code on the packaging. Typically, pharmaceutical items like paracetamol, ibuprofen, or hayfever remedies will feature a code on the box.

This code might read something akin to PL 31308/0007.

You may discover that this identical code appears on both a budget-friendly 49p pack of paracetamol and a pricier branded version costing £3.50. This indicates that the tablets inside are exactly the same, containing the same active ingredient; the higher price is essentially for the brand name on the box.

Being aware of this could lead to substantial savings on costly branded medications.

Lastly, @lnfinite_loop divulged a tip for identifying discontinued products at a major electronics retailer. They stated: "big electrical and computer retailer - items marked in price a certain way are discontinued lines, others are current models... eg. £199.98 discontinued £199.99 current (not sure if example is correct be its similar)".