Alternate answer:

No, I'm a very expensive shopper!

Now coming from perhaps a different generation, a bargain shopper meant someone who kept track of sales at different stores, which store normally had sales on what items at different times of the week, who had double coupons when, when the sale ads came out and they planned their shopping trips accordingly. Back when sale prices went marked on individual items each week, and the shopper and the checker had to memorize them, and make sure they got rang up correctly. Did you young people know that?

Items usually were price stamped with ink. They would go on sale, but they weren't remarked, because the sale would end in a few days. The checker would have a copy of the ad at the check out, hopefully. The shelf would have a sign. The customer had to watch to make sure the checker knew the item was on sale so that it got rung up at the sale price. If she/he happened to just come on shift, first day of the sale, and wasn't the type to read the paper before to study it, she had no idea what was on sale. It could be an overcharging nightmare when a woman got home with her groceries.

Back say, in the 70's, if I recall, Rusty's had a weekly sale ad, "Prices good Wed - Sun" I think? So many many women would restrict their large weekly shopping to that part of the week if they needed to. We didn't have to handle cut out coupons from that ad, they didn't do that as I recall. No double coupons back then.

You waited until something was 2 for something. Sure, you looked at volume and such, but it was more about going to a few stores for specials, sales, and coupons. Food was food back then. Meat, potatoes, vegetables. You ate it, you stayed thin. We were all thin. All of us.

Being a bargain shopper means more than just comparing sticker price.

Using Hyvee as an example, a bargain shopper will compare packaging, volume and/or box size to price. The bargain shopper will inspect their meat or vetable purchase selections carefully, attempting to maximize their purchase value by minimizing waste. Only pay for what you are going to use.

I don't know if "bargain shopping" is synonymous with "buying things on sale"--from some of the posts so far, it sounds like there may be a difference. I definitely do NOT use the coupons that come with Sunday supplements or in the mail, as a rule, as most are for prepackaged stuff that I would not ordinarily buy and the manufacturers are just trying to promote. There are somethings that I absolutely look for on sale--like toilet paper and paper towels--and stock up on things like that. But, just cooking for myself, I have had to retrain myself and not buy large sizes of things like Crisco, just because they are cheaper.

I don't know if I would go QUITE as far as prospector and choose going to the dentist over shopping, but I share that poster's distaste for the job, though grocery shopping isn't nearly as onerous for me as most other kinds.

Nope, I need it, I buy it.

Shopping, I would rather go to the dentist.

Are you truly getting bargains on an appliance,tools,shoes or whatever with a big name made "cheaper" = lost quality. Why buy low end brand name throw away products that need replacing far more often = no savings.

Is the deal really a deal? So many store declare the greatest sale on earth. The NEW sale tag displays an extraordinarily high suggested retail price then the sale price when many times the everyday selling price may have been more of a bargain aka manipulation. Yes this happens.

Who pays the suggested retail price in todays world?

Are big box stores truly a better bargain price than Browns Shoe Fit,Weavers,Cottins,Checkers,Kiefs ...... don't bet on it.

Are we manipulated by advertising? Be smart shop around.

"Bargain" is one of the words that our corporate government has used to "re-educate" us into thinking that it is something that we ought to buy for our sake instead of the reality that is it more likely something they are trying to get off their hands.

Corporations have taken over the initiative to inform us how to think as an aggressive sales tactic and it has involved and evolved from basic rudimentary concepts and language and replaced the way we describe and see products that are in the store. Another example of this is that we have often replaced words in our language with the brand name that produces the product. Kleenex is one of the main ones. One of the latest additions is LCD HDTV. Which in essence is actually a word, but not like the kind taught us.