It’s easy to fall in love with the classic furniture and beautiful accessories at Pottery Barn. One look in the window has you re-imagining your whole house from the light fixtures to the rugs.
If you’ve been lured in by the beauty, you’ve no doubt also been shocked by the price tags. While the pieces are built to last, very few of us can drop a few thousand dollars on a table or chair without batting an eye. Still, the company remains one of the most popular furniture retailers in the country because they know how to nail a look that people want.
So whether you’re saving up for your next piece or hoping to score a deal, we have 40 ways to reduce your sticker shock and make your living space more posh without breaking the bank.
Click through to see how you can save some major bucks next time you’re in a Pottery Barn store, on the website, or flipping through one of their dreamy catalogs.
You don’t have to be getting married to create a Pottery Barn registry. In fact, you can create a registry for any special occasion! Then, if your friends and family don’t manage to make your dreams come true by the date you chose, you can get a 10% discount on anything that remains on the registry! According to the Pottery Barn website: “You can receive a discount on any items remaining on your registry as well as any items you wish to add.” And Pottery Barn Kids offers a whopping 20% discount on registry completion. So, Happy Birthday, or Easter, or Wednesday!
Just what we all need, more mail – am I right? Well, in some cases it pays to let people market to you. If you just can’t tolerate the daily chore of sifting marketing mail from your important mail, you can create a free e-mail account with Gmail or Yahoo just for store mailing lists. If you hand over your e-mail address to Pottery Barn, you’ll be rewarded with a 15% off coupon (for a regular-priced item) right off the bat and up to six unique coupon codes per year for 15% off one item, 20% off one item, or even 15% off your entire purchase!
3. Sign up for store e-mails
Have a local Pottery Barn store? They might have their own mailing list. Next time you’re up at the register handing over your hard-earned cash, see if there’s a list (it might even be on a clipboard) where you can sign up to receive special store discounts or event notifications. You never know when an enterprising local manager is going to need to move some inventory and gives his or her own customers first dibs before sending it back to the corporate warehouse!
4. Get the store credit card
Just like you might not need more e-mail, you might also feel like you don’t really need one more credit card. And we’ve all heard that those store cards can hurt your credit if you keep the balance too high, so you should, of course, be careful. But if you feel like you can handle the power of plastic, you’ll be rewarded with 10% back in Rewards whenever you shop at Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, or PBteen; a $25 Reward Certificate for every $250 you spend; opportunities to earn double Rewards throughout the year; access to cardholder-only offers and events; and sale announcements and product previews that can give you the advantage over other Pottery Barn bargain shoppers. They’ll even send you $25 gift cards four times a year and on your birthday – that’s $125 of savings!
Ok, before you skip this one, hear us out. Even if you already have a gig, everyone could use a little extra cash around the holidays. Pottery Barn has one of the best employee discounts around with 40% off regularly priced items and 20% off sale items. Employees also get early access to sale samples so you can grab the good stuff right away. No extra hours in your day? How about encouraging your teen to get a summer or holiday gig at the store? It can help pay for college AND decorate their dorm room!
6. Use their free interior design services
If you’re anything like me, you want that designer look but are slightly intimidated by the thought of working with (or paying) an interior designer. If you’re ready to sink some serious cash into furniture or decor, Pottery Barn will let you sit down with an in-store expert for no charge at all and run some ideas by them or get suggestions that make your purchase feel like less of a risk. Of course, these are also salespeople, so you’ll always want to be firm about your price range and stick to it, but it can be nice to get a second opinion and some free style advice. Their designers will also help you with party planning ideas and putting together a registry. And, who knows, if you’re great to work with and form a good relationship, you might get the low-down about items going on sale soon or snag that piece in the back that hasn’t made it to the sale section yet. You can sign up for an appointment on their website
here. And snap some pictures of your space before you go.
7. Look for the right tags
While you’ll usually find discounted items in the sale section of the store, keep your eyes peeled for price tags that end in .99 or .97. These are items that have been discounted and may offer you some significant savings. Just make sure to ask about the store’s return policy on sale items before you take the leap.
8. Remember the rest of the”family” of stores
The Pottery Barn credit card and some of the coupons, gift cards, and other deals are also available at their “sister” stores, including Williams-Sonoma, West Elm, Mark and Graham, and Rejuvenation. And, of course, there’s Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen as well. The savings can really add up if you keep your shopping in the family.
9. Enroll in the loyalty program
Not ready to commit to the credit card, but still want the perks of a loyalty member? Join The Key, Pottery Barn’s loyalty program that lets you earn rewards across their entire family of brands (see #8 for details). Joining is free, doesn’t require any credit application, and lets you earn 3% back on qualifying purchases. You’ll receive a reward code in your e-mail (and displayed in your account online) when your rewards are available to spend. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to choose between earning loyalty or credit card rewards, so if you sign up for both, make sure you’re maximizing your cash back.
Sometimes I wonder how many trees had to die so I could flip through glossy pictures of impossibly posh rooms. While the paper catalog isn’t the most environmentally-friendly option, you will find promotions, special prices, and even free shipping offers between the covers. You can request paper catalogs on the Pottery Barn website, or, better yet, browse
digital copies.
11. Follow the store on social media
Pottery Barn has a Facebook page as well as Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram accounts. By following these on your own social media (or bookmarking them if you don’t have your own account and don’t want one), you can often find early announcements of fresh new deals and upcoming promos. You’ll likely need an account to participate in some of the giveaways that might require you to tag friends and share posts, but there’s plenty of free inspiration to be found by simply scrolling through and discovering new hashtags that lead you to even more great ideas from other customers.
12. Shop the “flea market”
Occasionally, malls with a Pottery Barn or the stores themselves will set up special “flea market” sales with major savings. These tend to be clearance and floor models with some flaws, but they are majorly discounted and you can often find extra savings coupons for another 10-20% off your purchase on top of the sale price. So if you see those two magic words, stop by and see what you can grab for half the original cost or less.
13. Look out for floor samples
Floor samples have been pawed at, sat on, and otherwise handled by customers and staff, but considering how well Pottery Barn goods are made, you can often get a spectacular deal on items that have been used on the sales floor. Since the items have been used as displays, they can’t be repackaged and sold as new, and sometimes there’s even a little leeway to negotiate the discount if you’re extra nice to the manager. An item might require a buff or some tightening, but it’s a small price to pay if you can get something for half price or less!
14. Stock up at the holidays
The holidays hold major sales for just about everything and if often feels overwhelming. But if you have something in mind in the fall, it might be a good idea to see if sales and coupons that come out around the holidays can knock 15% or more off the original price. If you put aside some money in advance, it won’t feel like the purchase is interfering with your holiday budget. And it’s not just Christmas that holds the best deals, the January White Sale, President’s Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day all bring extra discounts.
15. Shop for discounted gift cards
Gift cards might seem like an easy gift to give, but many of them go unused. Now you can find entire marketplaces devoted to buying people’s unwanted gift cards at a discount. Websites like Raise, CardPool, and GiftCardGranny all offer discounts on unused gift cards (and usually money-back guarantees, although you should always double check). You’ll also be told if the gift card can only be redeemed online, printed, when it expires, etc.
16. Score seconds at DownEast
If you have a store called DownEast near you, check and see if they have a home section. Internet commenters swear they find Pottery Barn seconds at these stores all the time at major discounts. Unfortunately, you can’t stop online, but you can take a look at their aesthetic
here, which suggests that consumers are right when they say there are some Pottery Barn (or at least Pottery Barn-esque) items in store. And if you sign up for their mailing list (which you can do in a pop-up window on their website), you can get extra discounts on purchases.
17. Shop in-store clearance
Things end up on clearance for all sorts of reasons. While it’s always good to inspect an item on clearance before you buy it (because typically they aren’t returnable), you can score some major deals on discontinued items, returns, old floor samples, or out-of-season merchandise. While Pottery Barn has an online clearance section, it’s always good to head to the store as well to see what treasures are hidden in the back.
18. Wait for Wednesday morning
According to
The Krazy Coupon Lady, Pottery Barn clearance markdowns happen on Wednesday morning. So if you have time to swing by when the store opens, you can get your hands on the latest markdowns before they are picked over.
19. Make your furniture purchases all at once
If you know you’re going to need your items delivered, it’s best to buy them all at once and try to reach the magical $3,000 mark. Yes, that’s a lot of money, but if you’re furnishing a new home or apartment, that may be the kind of investment you’re willing to make. Why $3,000? Well, that’s the point at which shipping costs are calculated at 5% of your order instead of 10%. That means you’ll pay $150 for shipping on a $3000 order but $290.90 on a $2,990 order, so spending an extra $10 will end up saving you about $140. You can also keep an eye out for items that qualify for unlimited flat-rate delivery to avoid any extra surcharges. As they say, you’ve got to spend money to save money.
If you’ve served in the U.S. armed forces, always be sure to ask if stores offer a military discount. Not all stores advertise this, but many of them do offer such discounts. Both active and retired military personnel AND their families can get a 15% discount at Pottery Barn on their
entire in-store purchase just by showing a valid military ID or family ID card to the cashier. And this discount can even be stacked on top of sale or clearance prices!
21. Buy seasonal items at the right time
Seasonal items are the easiest items to find on clearance. Of course, you have to wait until right after they become maximally useful to get the deal, but if you’re good at storing items and remembering they’re there for next year, you’ll have a nice surprise waiting for you next season or the following year’s holiday. And you can often find summer or winter items while the weather is still fitting since stores often put out the next season’s items before the weather changes. So shop for those summer items in August and enjoy them for a month or two before packing them away.
22. Take a road trip to the outlet store
There are 15 Pottery Barn outlet stores around the country and you can find the locations
here. The outlets feature items that were floor samples or returns but online commenters who have worked at the stores say many of the items are still in excellent or like-new condition. Just be sure to check the item carefully for damage and inquire about any return policies.
23. Take the kids to Story Time
Pottery Barn offers a weekly
Story Time for pre-school-aged kids. Those who attend also get a mystery reward after attending five events and attendees report receiving coupons for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more.
24. Use a culinary student discount
Anyone enrolled in a culinary program at an accredited culinary school is eligible for a 20% discount at Williams-Sonoma. Since that’s part of the same family of stores as Pottery Barn, the discount also applies there. So whether you need new knives or a new couch, you’re primed to save some big bucks. Students do have to apply with proof of status to receive a discount card and the discount is not applicable to sale or clearance items.
25. Take advantage of the partnership with Sherwin-Williams
Pottery Barn has a relationship with paint store Sherwin-Williams that allows customers who purchase $75 or more of paint through the Pottery Barn website to get a coupon for $15 off. Just
click here to take advantage of the offer if you’re doing some serious home renovations.
26. Follow your local store’s Instagram page
Some local Pottery Barn stores have their own Instagram pages or other social media. It’s always a good idea to see if your local store has its own sales and announcements and (unless you’re a frequent in-store shopper) following your local store page is an easy way to keep up with the latest news, events, and giveaways.
27. After summer and after Christmas sales are the best times to shop
You might feel all shopped out after Christmas or back-to-school shopping, but if you can set aside a little money for those after-season sales, you can take advantage of some serious discounts.
28. Get a coupon when you move or update your address
Pottery Barn offers a
New Mover Program for those who have just changed their address. Just update the address at which you receive your catalogs and you’re eligible for another 20% coupon via the catalog service.
29. Take advantage of Pottery Barn card special offers
If you have a Pottery Barn credit card, be sure to open those special offer e-mails, especially in February and November when, for five days, Pottery Barn offers a huge 20% back on credit card purchases!
30. Use a trade discount (or make a friend that has one!)
Interior designers, architects, other trade professionals can
apply to the Williams-Sonoma trade program and qualify for exclusive discounts and rewards, which are also good at Pottery Barn and the rest of the family of stores. While it can’t be used with other promotions, anyone shopping at
Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, west elm, Williams Sonoma, Rejuvenation, or Mark and Graham gets a 20% merchandise discount with no minimum purchase and 25% off at the Williams Sonoma Home, with some restrictions.
31. Keep an eye out for coupon codes
Websites like Retail Me Not, Coupon Cabin, and Offers.com collect available coupon codes that can be used for extra discounts online. It’s largely trial and error since some of them have expired, but you can also download an app called Honey that will pop up on websites and try any available codes it can find to offer you the best discount at Pottery Barn and hundreds of other stores.
32. Pick up items in the store
No one likes to pay for shipping. If you prefer shopping online but don’t want to pay extra, you can purchase the items online and pick them up in your local store for free. If the item is in stock, you might even be able to pick it up the same day. Savings AND instant gratification!
Pottery Barn usually releases its newest discounts on Mondays. So use the weekend to shop online and if your item is not on sale, take a look on Monday to see if there are any new discounts before you buy.
The front of the store is designed to get you in there, but those are also the high-priced and most glam items. You’ll find the real savings in the back of the store where sale items and clearance racks are stuffed full of discounted goods.
It’s not just the back of the store that holds the deals. Sale items can often be found around the walls as well. After all, the big, expensive couch might get you into the store, but being able to see a 20% off sign from the front really seals the deal.
36. Take care of your stuff
If you’ve invested in an expensive furniture item from Pottery Barn, chances are you’re saving money in the long run since their items are made to last. But it’s always good to use things like slipcovers that are washable. This will extend the life of the investment piece underneath and even allow you to change up your color palette without investing in all new furniture.
One Hip2Save commenter reports that “I used to work at a Pottery Barn many years ago. Check out their public restrooms. They often keep bulky discounted floor models like coffee tables in the back hallway near the entrance to the loo.” That’s one we would have never thought of!
Lots of spam filters catch coupon messages or store them in a separate folder. Take a look every now and then or use your search function to see if there are any coupons or special announcements you missed when you’re ready to shop.
39. Make a wish list and check it twice…or more
Making a wish list on the Pottery Barn website can be a fun way to feel like you’re shopping without the investment. One of the great things about keeping all of your favorites in one place is that you can check in on your list every week to see if anything you like has gone on sale. This saves you scrolling time and money!
Maybe Pottery Barn is just out of your budget. That’s ok. The Internet is full of hacks that give DIYers that Pottery Barn look at a fraction of the cost. Just Google “Pottery Barn hacks” or
click here to get some ideas.
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