Many stores employ “loss leaders” during the back-to-school shopping rush.

Essentially, loss leaders are products sold at a loss to attract customers into the store.

Retailers hope shoppers will be tempted by a “penny deal” or another steep discount and then stick around, ultimately purchasing full-price items.

Shoppers can use loss leaders to their advantage.

Those looking to save on school supplies should watch the circulars and commercials for these barely break-even deals and stock up on loss leaders, according to the savvy shoppers at The Krazy Coupon Lady.

This may require shopping for supplies over the course of a few days, as stores may feature different loss leaders during the week.

By doing so, at the end of the week, shoppers may end up with much of their school supplies at quite the discount.