Get discounts for buying movies, party favors and more in bulk

For home decorations at a pumpkin-carving party, my friend Sadie purchased about 10 large pumpkins from an outdoor vendor. Based on the size of the order, she politely requested and received a discount. The seller — grateful for the huge purchase — even kicked in a few tiny pumpkins as a bonus.

Welcome to the world of do-it-yourself bulk shopping. You don't have to join a fee-based warehouse club or a food co-op to earn discounts for volume purchases. Online boutiques, grocery stores and even entertainment companies offer discounts for customers who make bulk purchases.

Volume discounts are popular in the world of online shopping, where many Internet-based companies will provide a price break or free shipping for bulk shoppers.

For example, www.Cartoonnetwork.com and WBShop.com, the online store for Warner Bros. Studio, offer price cuts for event planners — personal or professional — who are staging a themed gathering, including a child's birthday party. For those two stores, savings vary and you have to purchase at least 15 of the same item to qualify for the bulk discount.

In the world of entertainment, some theaters offer discounts for large orders of movie tickets. Restrictions apply, but it's possible for several families or a small group to purchase and share a block of 50 movie tickets — good for future shows — at prices below standard box office rates.

For parties and home entertainment, specialty stores often sell cases of wine at a bulk discount. Even traditional grocery stores will offer a discount if you purchase food by the case. The stores save on time and labor costs because the cases don't have to be opened and stocked in the regular aisles. Most products in the store qualify for the bulk savings. Just ask — at any store — to find the savings.

Frugal Duchess is an occasional feature. E-mails can be sent to Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at sharonhr@bellsouth.net. Sorry, no personal replies.