Maria Rodriguez already has a head start on her holiday window-shopping.

Although mall retailers and stores like Target and Old Navy have already begun the holiday markdowns and discounts, Rodriguez, a Roseville resident, prefers to do the bulk of her shopping online.

“I shop online when I can because there’s more stock and I can find great discounts,” Rodriguez said. “I can usually find sites that will give me free shipping or a percentage off, and I don’t have to fight the crowds to shop.”

By searching online for promotion codes and coupons, Rodriguez has found discounts of up to 30 percent off and free shipping at big brand stores like Victoria’s Secret, Old Navy and Eddie Bauer.

Sites like retailmenot.com and fatwallet.com post thousands of coupons and promotion codes or promo codes, as they’re commonly called, that return discounts and additional savings at retailer’s online storefronts.

GoPromocodes.com

Search 2,800 retailers for free shipping and discount codes and coupons.

Site donates 10 percent of its revenue to the American Cancer Society.

The codes are often provided by retailers themselves looking to drive prices down and site traffic up. However, site users also have the ability to share codes and deals they’ve learned about from mailers or magazine articles.

Savvy online shoppers, like Rodriguez find out about the discounts and deals by Google searching the name of the store they’re shopping at and promo codes, or by entering a specific discount following the retailer’s name.

“I usually look for the free shipping codes,” Rodriguez said. “Shipping can really add up, which is why I think a lot of people don’t like online shopping.”

Tossing his hat into the promo code business is Granite Bay native Tyler Stauss, 24, who recently launched his own site, gopromocodes.com from his Roseville home.

Seeing an opportunity to launch his own business with low overhead and no additional staff, Tyler and his older sister Alison began their promo code site in August.

“I already knew a little bit on how to do it, and figured I didn’t have anything to lose,” Tyler said. “I knew there was opportunity for it to be successful and I went for it.”

Tyler’s site currently features around 2,800 online retailers who submit their discounts and special promotions to Tyler for submission onto the site.

“That way my customers know that they are legitimate offers, not fraudulent ones or fake ones that you might find on other sites,” Tyler said. “They all also have the expiration dates posted so there’s no playing around trying to find ones that work, they’re right there.”

Online shoppers can search for the item or the retailer they’re shopping to find the discounts and promotions that are available.

The other advantage, said business partner and sister Alison, is that there’s no limit to the savings. Users can enter multiple promotion codes onto a site like Target to get free shipping, 20 percent off and other discounts in one transaction.

“It’s a great way to get your shopping done while cutting back during these tough economic times,” Alison said.

The Stauss’ site is also for shoppers who prefer to give back with the gifts they give. Gopromocodes.com donates 10 percent of its revenue to the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Alison said. “Shopping on our site saves money and puts money into cancer research.”

Although Tyler admits business is a bit slow since the launch of his site, Tyler said his sights are set on traffic picking up around the holiday season.

A recent Hitwise study found that searches for promotion codes and coupons at major retailers are up 19 percent compared to last year. The same study found that searches for online coupons and promotion codes last year peaked the Monday after Thanksgiving, commonly called Cyber Monday due to the amount of online shopping done.

“Instead of going out at 3 a.m. on Black Friday, I can stay at home and get my shopping done and have it shipped for free.” Rodriguez said. “I don’t have to fight crowds and it’s more convenient that way.”