Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2009 in
Retail Stores/Products
Still waiting for Black Friday to arrive?
CBS Money Watch recommends a few tips before you make a trip to the nearest mall.
- Make a list. If you walk into the mall without one, you’re going in blind and that’s very dangerous. Do your research ahead of time so you know what you want to get and where to find the best deals. Bring a friend along when you do your shopping. Doing so prevents you from giving into temptation and going a little crazy shopping.
- Budget. If you’re on a budget, instead of buying gifts for each member of your friends, you can host a pot-luck lunch and a Secret Santa exchange. An exchange allows you to buy on a budget since you’re not the only one buying gifts.
- Look for coupons online. Most stores will allow you to redeem Internet coupons in store but read the fine print because some may be only good for online shopping. Also, make sure the coupons are legit since they are from the Internet.
- Check out the company you’re buying from. Even scammers know that this time of the year, consumers can get desperate looking for those good deals. If a company doesn’t accept credit card payments and instead demands wire transfers–most likely, the company is a scam.
- Free shipping is available to consumers who shop online. This year, 300 retailers have signed up for a free shipping day on Dec. 17 and guarantee that orders will get to you by Christmas if you order that day too. To find out who is participating, go to FreeShipping.org.
Read the full article at
CBS Money Watch, by clicking
here.
