What is a glitch at a store?

Over the past couple of months, a new breed of coupon community has emerged online. “Glitch” groups are devoted to exploiting errors in coupon scanning for the purposes of using a high-value coupon for one product on another. This kind of coupon “decoding” was prevalent before coupons transitioned from the UPC-A barcode to the newer GS1 DataBar. While the databar was designed to reduce this kind of fraud, it has multiple levels of validation.

Whether due to some retailers not fully validating all of these levels, or to manufacturers who haven’t properly restricted the use of its coupons to specific products within the bar code, some of these coupons are able to slip through the system. Ethical couponers likely wouldn’t dream of trying to use a handful of coupons for allergy medication to buy a pair of shoes, but these are exactly the kinds of exploits these couponing “glitch” groups are devoted to.

Largely operating on Facebook and Instagram, glitch groups use trial and error to figure out which coupons might work as general dollars-off discounts versus being tied to a specific product. Then, they advise members how to use and attempt to slip these coupons through undetected by the store or cashier. Quite simply, “Glitches” has become a new term for coupon fraud. One large Facebook coupon glitch group had over 9,000 members before disbanding and reforming as several secret Facebook groups that are invitation-only and no longer appear in search results. I’ve received numerous screenshots of these glitch groups from readers over the past couple weeks, and here’s an example:

What is a glitch at a store?

(A larger screenshot of comments is at the end of this article. I’ve blurred names and photographs, but understand that all of the members of these groups are posting under their real names and profile photos.)

Interestingly, couponers frustrated with the fraud being glorified in the glitch groups are taking the “sunlight is the best disinfectant” approach, exposing the activities of glitch group members on Instagram and Facebook. One Facebook page, Couponing Police, publicly posts questionable couponing examples seen on glitch groups. This page has been interesting to watch, to say the least — this morning, they shared an Instagram video of a woman being arrested for scanning pharmaceutical coupons to buy a cartload of general merchandise.

What is a glitch at a store?

UPDATE: 

As manufacturers and retailers caught on to the glitch groups, they worked with online social networks to shut many of these illicit groups down. What happened next? Glitchers chose a new word for their activity, one that closely resembled the original term but with a more positive-sounding connotation: “Glitter. “

“Glitter” is the new word for “glitch,” and “glittering” is the new term for “glitching.” It’s the same old game with a new term to disguise what it actually is – coupon fraud.

David Jago, an IT analyst at the University of Portsmouth, shares his top tips for finding price glitches and says he has saved thousands of pounds over the years

What is a glitch at a store?

David Jago shares his price glitches with friends and family

By

Levi WinchesterMoney Editor

  • 07:00, 29 Aug 2021
  • Updated08:24, 29 Aug 2021

  • |
  • comments

A bargain hunter has explained how he has saved thousands of pounds over the years by finding price errors.

These glitches happen when a store accidentally advertises a product at the wrong price.

On the whole, shops don’t have to honour price errors - but when they do, it means shoppers can often be quids in by nabbing that item at a much lower price.

This has been the case many times for David Jago, an IT analyst at the University of Portsmouth, who says “you miss 100% of the shots you never take”.

The 33-year-old, who lives with wife Sophie, says some of his biggest successes include a brand new Xbox for just £45 from Tesco instead of £200.

One of his most successful glitches saw him nab an Xbox for £45 (

Image:

David Jago)

And David paid just £1.44 for three lots of No 7 foundation

Other price errors David has had honoured include Bose QC 35ii headphones for £72 instead of £229, as well as £1488.95 worth of ASICS sweatshirts for just £36.

He also recently nabbed 40 tubs of vitamin D tablets - that should have cost £400 - completely for free.

David recommends using websites like hotukdeals.com and latestdeals.co.uk to keep an eye on price glitches.

His first ever price error was in 2014, when David spotted an Marks and Spencer reclining chair for 50p instead of £500 - but sadly this wasn’t honoured.

He told The Mirror: “It was cancelled but that was it, I was hooked. I started looking into ways to be notified if there was any other price errors like it.

“Since then I will buy almost any price glitch I see ranging from car parts for a car I don’t own, to makeup for £1.49.”

Have you had any successes with price glitches? Let us know in the comments.

Other successful include all these toothbrushes and heads for £1.06 (

Image:

David Jago)

David has also got cheap games by finding price glitches (

Image:

David Jago)

David admits he has had “a lot more glitches cancelled than honoured” and most recently had a price error for £1,000 worth of Nespresso machines cancelled.

Other deals he missed out on include a Lay-Z Spa for £30 instead of £200, and a PlayStation 4 for just £3.85.

David - who has set up Instagram and TikTok pages for his glitches - also saw the infamous Amazon air fryer, down from £50 to £3.99, cancelled last week

But he remains optimistic and added: “That's all part of the process.”

David is always sure to share out price glitch hauls with friends and family and says he often donates to charities too.

Sadly these 13p hair curlers weren't honoured

Neither was this webcam, which David once saw accidentally reduced to £0

“If I get deals for dog food or cat food I will donate that to The Ark which is a RSPCA Animal Centre,“ he explained.

“When my wife’s friend Becci – who has declared herself my number one fan - comes round the first thing she will do is go through my store room for anything that she might be able to use for her family.

“I’m always happy to give them for free as I know they’re going to a good home.

“My colleagues will sometimes ask me to keep an eye out for certain products if I see a good deal or price error on them and I’m more than happy to accept the challenge of trying to finder it cheaper than it should be.”

Boots are giving away free No7 mascaras worth £10 and you don’t need to spend anything to get one

How to find price glitches

Want to find a bargain? David shares his top tips for hunting out price glitches.

  • Be quick! Not only so the item doesn't sell out, but once the deal picks up pace it is very likely the website will crash.
  • Pay for express delivery - this will prioritise your order and if the item is not honoured you will get a full refund anyway.
  • Use Quidco for cashback to make deals even cheaper. I've currently earnt £862 though Quidco. Or for air miles, try out Shops Away. I’m going to use my miles to buy a first class flight to San Francisco.
  • See if you can use a voucher on a price error and always sign up for newsletters as they can offer additional discounts and free delivery codes. To save time you can also use a web based extension like Honey to search for codes automatically.
  • Know your prices! If someone says it a price error or glitch it doesn’t always make it true so if you’re unsure have a quick Google.
  • Use websites and apps like HotUkDeals and LatestDeals to set up notifications as well as Facebook groups for finding deals.

These Bose headphones should've cost David £229

David paid just £3.87 per pack of these Captain Morgan tins instead of £22.44

His most successful price glitches - and the ones that didn't go through

We'll start on a positive note and go through the best price glitches that David saw honoured by retailers:

  • Xbox One S x2 with Call of Duty WW1, three months Xbox Live and Rocket League from Tesco - £47 instead of £200
  • No 7 foundation from Boots - £1.44 for three instead of £51
  • ASICS sweatshirts - £36 instead of £1,488.95
  • OSRAM Smart Plus LED Light Bulb x6 packs of four (144 light bulbs in total) from Amazon - 18p per bulb instead of £9.50 each
  • Nintendo Switch games (various) from B&M - £5 each instead of £20 to £30
  • Micro USB Cables x87 from Amazon - Free instead of £6.99 each
  • Captain Morgain - White Rum Mojito cocktail cans x6 12 packs from Amazon - £3.87 per pack instead of £22.44 each
  • Toothbrush heads and toothpaste from Superdrug - £1.06 instead of £33
  • No Nonsense Silicone from Screwfix - Free instead of £3 each
  • WhyNut? Pistashio Balls x4 boxes from Amazon - 90p for all four instead of £90

The super cheap Xbox David got from Tesco

And now, the ones that didn't make it...

  • Lay-Z Boy Spa - £30 instead of £200
  • PlayStation 4 from ShopTo - £3.85 instead of £219.99
  • The Richmond Highback Recliner from M&S - 50p instead of £500
  • HP Sprocket Photo Printer from Amazon - £9.99 instead of £99.99
  • Hair curler from Amazon - 13p instead of £41.99
  • Vileda Steam Mop from Amazon - £9.99 instead of £89.99
  • Under Armour Trainers - £15 instead of between £90 and £110
  • Regatta coats from eBay - £2.45 instead of £40
  • Webcam from Amazon - Free instead of £31.99
  • Face masks from Amazon - Free instead of £8

The 40 tubs of vitamin D tablets that should have cost £400 but David got them for free (

Image:

David Jago)

Where you stand with price glitches

It can be hugely disappointing when you've found an amazing deal through a price glitch and the retailer decides to cancel it.

Many people think shops must honour all price glitches. Sadly that isn’t the case – but there are exceptions.

Martyn James, consumer rights expert at Resolver, explained how on the whole, if the mistake is spotted before you buy the item then the shop doesn’t have to honour it.

"You might want to have ago at haggling, but you’ll have more luck with the head office than the poor person stuck on the till all day," he said.

"So photo the mispriced item and see if you can get some cash back later.

"However, if you’ve bought the item at an incorrect price innocently, then you should not have to pay back the difference if the shop realises the mistake."

When it comes to online, Martyn says it often depends on whether you have bought and paid for the item, and if it has been delivered.

He explained: "Not all online transactions are contracts. So check the T&Cs on the website.

"Where a contact exists the business usually has to honour it if you’ve bought or received the goods though there may be exceptions in the T&Cs.

"That sounds super complicated – but in most cases the retailer’s website will confirm that the order has been accepted. If that’s the case, they should honour the price you paid."

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What does glitch mean when couponing?

“Glitch” groups are devoted to exploiting errors in coupon scanning for the purposes of using a high-value coupon for one product on another. This kind of coupon “decoding” was prevalent before coupons transitioned from the UPC-A barcode to the newer GS1 DataBar.

What are price glitches?

Simply put, a price glitch is a pricing error within an online store due to system issues or incorrect manual inputting of item price by the merchant. When an item is priced far below its actual market value or sale price, it can be said that a price glitch has occurred.

What are glitches online?

Glitches or glitching is a term that is mainly used in the field of video games. Simply put, a glitch refers to an error in a video game.

Are glitch deals illegal?

Regardless, glitching, in any form, is coupon fraud.