5 Tips for Smart Shopping

More people will be shopping in the next few weeks with the holiday season coming up.  While I always recommend shopping at your local small businesses, not everything is always available there.  There are certain ways to shop online which help save your wallet.

  • One thing I’ve recently become aware of is selecting some things you want, place them in your “basket”, and leave.  This only works if you’ve logged in and the retailer knows your email address.  Over the next few days you may receive emails with coupons for a percent off, or special offers related to the items you’ve already selected. My most recent experience netting me a coupon for 20% off!
  • Check to see the best price for items you’re considering.  One alert site for Amazon is Camelcamel.  Other sites for more retailers include  SlickDeals, Gottadeal, and Dealnews. For electronics try Pricewatch.
  • Add a shopping app on your smartphone to help you find the best prices when you’re away from your computer.  Tom’s Guide has recommended several apps.
  • Find coupons that give you dollars or a percentage off of your purchase.  Some good sites for online coupons include CouponCabin, Coupons,  and Retailmenot.   And, there is also Groupon.  One thing I don’t like about Groupon is that you purchase the product or service ahead of time and may forget about the expiration date.  Several of my friends have made a Groupon purchase and never got to use it!
  • Just use Google if you know exactly what you want.  Enter the brand and model number and Google will tell you which companies are selling that item.

Do you have online shopping tips that you use?  Let us know!

Chris Eddy of Geek For Hire, Inc. has been providing computer service to families and small businesses with Mac’s and PC’s for the past fourteen years. His company is highly rated by both the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and by Angie’s List. You can find more on our website.  Geek For Hire, Inc. provides onsite service (Tier 3) to the Denver / Boulder / Front Range area and remote service throughout North America.

We’ve been using Amazon Prime for the past few years.  We like the free 2-3 day shipping and the online streaming. I haven’t tried the Kindle lending library yet, but I’m tempted!   Prime is normally $99/year, but you can try it for 30 day for free by clicking on this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial (Yes, we’ll get a small commission when you sign up.)

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