Before you go hunting for a ShopperPlus code, check the price tag if there’s a red sale tag on it, no code will work on that item, and it doesn’t matter how small the markdown is. I’ve seen a kitchen item marked down from $14.49 to $14.39. Ten cents off, and it still counts as on sale.
So the code question mostly answers itself. Big sale tag, take the sale. Tiny sale tag, you’re kind of stuck with it. Prices here are in Canadian dollars, and your ShopperPlus account works on 123ink and PrimeCables too, same account, same points.
What codes are there? The 2 on the homepage right now give you free stuff, not money off:
- FREE29, a free gift when you spend $29 on kitchenware from the page the banner links to
- MOS2, free gel pens with 2 or more Moustache ink or toner cartridges
Then the fine print, because there’s always fine print. FREE29 doesn’t count PLUS prices, OEM stuff, “best value” items, sale items or clearance. MOS2 only works on their own compatible cartridges, and a value pack counts as one, so a 4 pack is 1 cartridge as far as the pens go. One coupon per order, too.
Is the free gift worth chasing? Only if you were spending $29 on kitchen stuff anyway. Buying a container you don’t need just to get a freebie isn’t saving you anything.
Most Sale Tags Beat The Codes Anyway
The markdowns on the homepage are all different sizes. The kitchen item was 1% off. A big box of PrimeCables CAT6 cable went from $269.99 to $239.95, which is 11%. The kitchen storage containers are 20% off, and a bottle of correction fluid is 30% off.
Once a tag hits 20% or more, you’re not losing anything by giving up the code. Under 10%, you kind of are, but there’s no way around it.
Clearance works the same way. No codes, just bigger cuts, up to about 70% on some stuff. It’s leftover stock though, and it doesn’t get restocked.
Then there’s PLUS, their paid membership, which has its own price that’s lower than the sale price. That correction fluid is $4.99 regular, $3.49 on sale and $3.29 for members. ShopperPlus says members save up to 40% a year and get free shipping, gifts and members only deals. The membership price isn’t on the homepage, so whether it pays for itself depends on how much you order.
Free Shipping Starts At $49 With SHOPPER10
Shipping is free on orders over $49 in Canada, except for remote addresses. Under that, it’s $7.95, which is more than most of those sale tags save you. A $3.49 bottle of correction fluid with $7.95 shipping is a bad deal at any discount, so build your cart past $49 first.
Make an account instead of checking out as a guest. You get 20 S-Points for every dollar you spend on products, not on tax or shipping, and they turn into store credit or gift cards later. Guest orders get zero points.
Orders ship out in a day or two and show up in 1 to 5 business days.
If I had to rank them for a normal cart, it’d go PLUS price if you’re a member, then clearance, then any sale tag over 10%, then the codes for full price stuff. And if the tag says 1%, just buy it and move on.