Martin Lewis enthusiasts have divulged a secret code for discounts at major retailers.

After a brief hiatus, Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has made a triumphant return, rallying his thrifty followers to share their top money-saving advice for shopping. Martin Lewis recently took a short break from Twitter but has come back with an engaging query for his followers, leading to a wealth of fantastic cost-cutting tips from former retail workers.

This could mean significant savings for shoppers armed with these insider suggestions next time they hit the high street. 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."

Followers were quick to respond with some prime insider knowledge on saving money, including a revelation 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".

Meanwhile, @Sarahleadonlan offered a tip that's particularly useful in pharmacies and for 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 wise to check for the code on the packaging. Typically, pharmaceutical items like paracetamol, ibuprofen, or hayfever remedies will feature a code on their box. This 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, with the same active component; 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 if an item is being phased out 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)".

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