If You See A Harbor Freight Tool With A Purple Tag, Here's What It Means

Depending on where you shop, navigating a retail store's pricing system can be tricky. Even Harbor Freight, a store known for offering free perks to its customers, can use some esoteric pricing. The purple tags it uses on some items, for example, indicate open-box merchandise; these products were returned to the store by a customer and then been put back on display to be sold again. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that item is damaged, just that it no longer has the original packaging.

If you see one of these purple tags in Harbor Freight, chances are the words "Open Box" are visible at the top. The purple-tagged item is likely discounted, and you should see the original price listed on the tag. That way, you'll know just how much money you're saving. There should also be a full item description, along with the date of when the item was put out for resale. If the open-box product doesn't sell quickly enough, the staff may eventually mark it down even further than it was before.

But even if the item looks to be unused and in great shape, that doesn't mean you'll automatically get any type of warranty. It also doesn't mean that you can use coupons to get the purple-tagged item for a bigger discount. If you have any questions about as specific item you find in store, it's always a good idea to speak to an employee in-person. Alternatively, you can contact customer service through the company's website.

Harbor Freight's open box and as-is policy, while not specifically mentioning the colors of the tags used on items, establishes how a store handles opened and returned merchandise. These items are only available in stores, and the return window for customers may not match items in the original packaging. So if you're concerned about buying a purple-tagged item, you may want to ask how much time you have to bring it back in case something goes wrong.

Purple isn't the only color Harbor Freight uses for its pricing program. Orange-tagged items are on clearance, which represent the lowest price you'll find insofar as what the store is willing to sell them for. This means you won't be able to use a coupon for an orange-tagged item to get an additional discount. In contrast, yellow tags are regular sale items, which means they're likely discounted for the duration of that store's weekly ad. A white tag indicates that the item is regular price, with no discounts applied.

There are other ways to save money when shopping at Harbor Freight, such as joining the company's Inside Track Club (ITC). For $29.99 per year, ITC members get access to exclusive deals with special pricing, both in-store and online — and this includes any any item with a blue price tag. Membership also provides early access to sales before they're open to the public, and members automatically receive savings at the register. This means that customers attempting to purchase blue-tagged items will need to give their membership information at checkout to get the discounted price.