The common denominator for getting a good bargain is camping outside to arrive early or visiting regularly. While I like a good deal, I do not care for those style of deals.
If economists are to be believed that is inevitable. The only way to get true economic gains is by sacrificing something.
I will say a lot of bargain hunters have difficulty framing their hobby in a way that properly reflects the time investment when describing to others...
Indeed, this follows from "efficient market hypothesis", "TANSTAAFL", etc. and probably has some more solid theoretical grounding too: if you're getting a good bargain, someone is getting screwed. Quite likely it's you.
It may not seem like that to the bargain hunters, because they're being used indirectly (the bargain is there to get them into the store), longer-term (the bargain is there to form a habit), or stochastically (the bargain may screw over only subset of buyers, so while on average, the buyer is losing, you in particular may be winning this time around). Sometimes the scope is even larger (e.g. the vendor burning money to dig themselves into the market). Or, it may be just the buyer exploiting some corner case so obscure it's not visible unless your time is literally free.
It's a simple idea that's hard to swallow: the bargain benefits the dealer somehow, or else it wouldn't be offered.
I will say a lot of bargain hunters have difficulty framing their hobby in a way that properly reflects the time investment when describing to others...