Nowadays, you can’t turn on the TV without hearing about the plunging economy, government bailouts, drop in consumer confidence and the economic recession. With all this worrying talk it’s hard for consumers to get excited about the upcoming holiday shopping season. Between Halloween candy and costumes, the Thanksgiving feast and Christmas and Chanukah gifts, many families are concerned about making all their holiday purchases within a shrinking budget.
(Photo: WPA: unemployed shown at Volunteers of America Soup Kitchen: Washington, D.C. (Circa 1936); from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.)
CouponChief.com would like to take a break from the doom and gloom news and offer some solutions to surviving the economic crisis throughout the upcoming holiday season. The following tips from CouponChief.com can help online holiday shoppers save time and money this season while still ensuring their family and friends enjoy all the joys the holidays bring.
• Shop online: Online shopping creates many new opportunities for savings, as items are often on sale online, but not in the store. With sites dedicated to providing consumers online deals and coupons, shoppers can find discount codes for hundreds of items online, potentially saving them thousands of dollars. Shopping online is also very convenient as purchases can be made 24 hours a day and there are no crowded parking lots or long check out lines.
• Shop often: Online stores will change prices more often than in-store items, so it’s a good idea to check back often to see if prices have dropped. It’s widely known that some of the best deals all season begin the day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as “Black Friday,” and on “Cyber Monday,” the first Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday. If possible, carve out some time to explore all that these great shopping days have to offer. Also be sure to keep shopping as the season progresses, the end of the extended Thanksgiving weekend doesn’t mean the end of great deals. Retailers typically offer super deals online throughout the holiday gift buying season so keep your eyes peeled for these savings.
• Comparison shop: In addition to comparing the prices offered by different retailers, comparison shopping now entails checking an item’s price online versus the in-store price. Many times, an item is cheaper online than in-store, or vice versa. In addition, items purchased online can often be picked up in-store, saving you the cost of shipping.
• Hunt down discounts: Paying full price around the holidays is almost unheard of among smart shoppers. Retailers are especially likely to offer deals in the current economy in the hopes of encouraging shoppers to spend despite an uncertain economic outlook. Diligent shoppers can find discounts on anything from big-ticket items to stocking stuffers.
• Peruse the clearance section and the “sale” section online: Some great deals can be found in the clearance aisle, both the physical one and the virtual one online. Retailers often do their spring cleaning during the holiday season in an effort to clean out their warehouses for new products. Be it an aisle in the store itself, or a link marked “Sale Items” on a Web site, these are often great places to save some money.
Implementing these easy tips will help alleviate many of the stresses of holiday shopping, including the high prices! Be sure to visit CouponChief.com before making any online purchases to save money on all your holiday purchases this season.
By Gary on 10/27/08 in Columns, CouponChief, Featured, Main Feature
tag this | permalink | trackback url
