I’m always after a good deal and Kmart often delivers the discounts. Even better if you have a former Kmart employee dealing out the insider secrets of how best to nab the best Kmart bargains and lowest prices at the popular retailer.

Rita Kaminiski, a video producer, formerly living in Sydney and now based in New York, has shared a video of her top tips for grabbing the best deals at Kmart. And she should know as she worked at the store from ages 15 to 19. During her stint, she soaked up all the important intel on how to score huge discounts at Kmart.

Her top tips reveal all about the secrets behind products’ barcodes and she also blabs about the best times to shop and how to find items for $1 or less.

1. The Barcode Is The Key

Rita shares in her video that shoppers should always double-check the barcode of a product before purchasing.

“The last digit on the barcode changes after every new season,” she said.

“So if there are two toasters that look exactly the same and the last digit of one barcode is eight and the other is nine, the one with the eight should be cheaper.”

“It has to be the same model, they just tweak the product and the price I found doesn’t come up straight away on the system.”

2. Wait For Prices To Drop

Rita shared that stock pricing is constantly changing.

“A lot of the stock will always change in price,” she said.

“If it’s something that isn’t in the catalogue but it has been in the store for a long time, especially clothes, they can sometimes go on sale for as little as $1.”

“There was a time when every single book was discounted to 20 cents. I bought about 20 books.”

“So if you’re into flipping items make sure you keep checking clothes, books and makeup as well.”

3. The Best Time Of The Year To Grab Kmart Bargains

“The best Kmart bargains are right after Christmas and after Easter,” Rita shared

“On Boxing Day there’s a whole section that drops down to between five cents and $5 but it is usually wiped out on Boxing Day by customers so it’s good to come in early.

“In between campaign periods like “Back To School” they would mark things down because it’s not as busy but a lot of the times, quite randomly, they will slash the prices of a bulk number of books, clothes or appliances.

“It’s usually when a newer model/garment has been updated, fixed or isn’t selling.

“The price will drop down drastically but the item doesn’t really change by much.”

4. The Best Time Of Day To Get A Deal

Rita recommends that customers head to Kmart between 8am and 5pm. She explains that this is when the full-time and more experienced staff members are working, so they are more able to answer your questions.

“That block of time is golden Kmart time,” she said.

5. If You Can’t Find Something…Just Ask

Rita shared that not all existing stock is out on the shelves. She said that when she worked in the electronics section she said there were many games available, but were not displayed on shelves.

“There are thousands of games in storage, so if you’re looking for something in particular, just ask,” she said.

“If you are asking for electronics, you will be probably be very lucky and everything will be in a certain spot at the back of the store,” she said.

“Kmart workers can find electronics much faster.”

Do you have any tips to snag the best Kmart bargains? Tell us in the comments below.