Ellen PhillipsMy BFF ShopSmart offers some wonderful deals for the holiday season. Assuming readers haven’t already bought out the store (using, of course, Consumer Watch tips), open your eyes for the easiest ways to find the best deals.
1 Sometimes shoppers can actually find the greatest buys after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, on into December. According to the Wall Street Journal via ShopSmart, many companies are moving their better sales forward to better move inventory as Christmas approaches. On the other hand, do remember that fine jewelry, TVs, and the best seller of all – TOYS – tend to cost more the closer the holiday comes.
2 But how do we really know the best time to buy gifts? Price trackers are one answer. These goodies show everyday prices for specific items and by looking at a “sale” price, you’ll instantly know if it’s really a good deal or not. Check out PriceZombie.com, which works on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari by both tracking and comparing costs at more than 40 sites. Furthermore, PriceZombie enables you to create a price watch list and will alert you if a price drops. And even better, assuming the price drops even more after your purchase and you qualify for a refund, it will provide screen shots for you to use as proof to get refunded the difference.
3 While I love sales, this next hint is too much even for me. Email newsletters from your favorite retailers is a big plus, according to ShopSmart. Because so many companies use email as their main advertising method, they also send special links or codes within the messages for extra savings. Supposedly the free Apple app Sift takes care of the email avalanche but maintains those that offer these special savings. Link Sift to any store email address from which you wish to receive notices and it will sort through all of the emails that bombard your inbox. Also check out FatWallet.com to see current sales. ShopGenius, a browser add-on, instantly shows if another retailer is selling an item for even less to save more bucks; it also offers coupons and reviews to help you along. (As for me, I need far fewer emails so I’ll save money in other directions.)
4 Mailing costs can really soar during the holidays if friends and family live out of town. Since some of us prefer to get these gifts in the mail sooner than later, ShopSmart (and other sources) advises us to check out FreeShipping.com. Along with searching and comparison shopping, the site offers 10 percent cash back at over 1,000 online stores, stackable coupons aplenty, free shipping/return shipping, rebates, and price protection. Unfortunately, with an approximate $80 fee, FREEShipping isn’t “free.” Thankfully, a real free shipping service – Free Shipping Day – is available on Dec. 18 this year. In 2013, over 900 major retailers shipped free from their sites with guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery; frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if that number rises for the current season. Check them out.