Trade In & Save

(WXYZ) - Consumers loved the idea of Cash for Clunkers. It moved a lot of cars off dealer lots and helped the environment at the same time! So it’s no surprise other businesses have jumped on board, offering you deals for trading in your old stuff.

Mike Bernacchi/U-D Mercy Professor: You know, mimicry, follow the leader, is the fondest form of acknowledgment and it has happened.

A marketing no-brainer, if you will, that can help everyone during these cash-strapped times. Trade in to trade up!

The Deals

Holiday Lights

Call it a holiday gift from The Home Depot. Through Sunday, November 15th, bring in your old Christmas lights, working or not, to any Home Depot. They’ll recycle them and you’ll get a $3 off coupon for new energy efficient led lights.

Keith Stevens/The Home Depot: It costs about 80 percent less to operate these lights and they last up to ten times as long as regular lights. (Purtan) So it’s an investment that pays off in the long run? (Stevens) Yes.

Refrigerators

DTE will give you cold hard cash for your old refrigerator. Bonnie already has a refrigerator upstairs, so she’s turning this energy guzzling dinosaur over to DTE for $50.

DTE will also give you $20 for an old dehumidifier or room air conditioner.

Gently Used Coats

Got an old coat? For every gently used coat you bring to a Burlington Coat Factory store, you’ll get a coupon for 10 percent off an entire purchase. All the coats will be donated to people in our area who need help staying warm this winter.

John Tomaszewski/Burlington Coat Factory: It’s our way of giving back and basically it’s two-fold. We benefit as a company and the local charities that are involved with the program will also benefit.

Last year, Burlington Coat Factory stores collected more than 177,000 coats across the country. This year they hope for even more.

Old Junkers

And then there’s this deal on a big ticket purchase. Motor City Harley-Davidson in Farmington Hills is offering Cash for Junkers through the end of the month. Turn in anything with an engine, working or not, and you’ll get a minimum $1,500 trade in toward a new 2009 Harley.

Scott Wilson/Motor City Harley-Davidson: So if it has an engine, running, not running, push, pull or drag it in. (Purtan) It doesn’t have to be a motorcycle? (Wilson) It doesn’t have to be a motorcycle. I don’t care if it’s a lawnmower.

Be Smart

But with these deals and any others you may find, keep this in mind:

Mike Bernacchi/U-D Marketing Professor: If you think you’ve got a deal, you’re probably gonna dive in there. But watch out because they’re shark infested waters.

What U-D Mercy marketing professor Mike Bernacchi means by that is this:

Mike Bernacchi/U-D Marketing Professor: Just because it’s a deal out there, is that a product category you were going to purchase? Is that really a necessity for you?

Or is it just I can’t afford not to buy it. Be sure you’re paying a good price for the product, even with your trade in or coupon. Do your homework, so you Don’t Waste your Money.

If you come across any other trade in deals, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at jpurtan@wxyz.com