Always keep this in the back of your mind when shopping for any kind of kitchen appliances, dishes, china, pots and pans, or bakeware.........
1. If you know what brand and style you want, get on the manufacturers website to see if they have any coupons, deals, or specials listed.
2. If the manufacturers website doesn't have anything, CALL their customer help line. Tell them you are interested in *so and so* pot, pan, or whatever and you want to know if they have any coupons or specials on that. Sometimes you DO have to ask!
3. Search online for specials, deals, clearance items, and sales with the specific product you have in mind. If you have a product or style code, use that in your search too!
4. If you know where you are going to buy your products, talk to the store manager and ask them if they are having any "in store" specials. Just like asking for an extra discount at the register, sometimes stores will allow their managers to have their own specials. But usually this is ONLY if the customer asks about it.
5. If there are no coupons, deals, specials, or discounts available of any kind, ask the manufacturer and the store manager if what you are interested in will be going on sale any time soon. Some companies don't tell their stores what is on sale until the day before the sale.......so you never know. You can always see if they have a callback list.......give your name and number and product you want to the manager or the customer service agent and they will (hopefully) give you a call back when it does go on sale, or the company has allowed the manager to have a managers discount.
6. Clearance centers. Not thrift stores, but clearance centers. Some large stores and companies have their own clearance centers, where old stock, returned merchandise, and display merchandise is sent to sell at a discount. For example: Nordstroms "Rack Room" or Neiman Marcuses "Last Call", even Sears has their own private clearance centers.
7. Look in the for sale sections in the newspapers and online in your local classifieds. Someone might have gotten what you are looking for as a gift, and doesn't like it.
8. Thrift shops. Sometimes people donate brand new, or slightly used items to thrift shops.
9. Place a "want ad" in your local classifieds.
10. Check Amazon, Ebay, and other online discounters and bidding sites.
11. Consignment stores. Usually these are known as "knick knack" or "Antique" stores.
FYI - I've received up to 75% off of retail on some expensive items because I had a manufacturers coupon, a store discount, and an extra savings discount for the company that owns the store. If you know how to shop, you will rarely pay retail again for anything.
If all else fails, you can write Santa Claus!!!!!