Monday, January 4, 2010

BEST BUYS OF WINTER (January, February)

Story from Kiplingers.com

Yes, deals abound on Black Friday, but you can save money on plenty of things all winter long -- particularly electronics. Here are ten things whose prices thaw despite the cold this season.


DECEMBER/JANUARY: Weddings
From dresses to reception halls, you'll save a bundle with a winter wedding, according to Denise and Alan Fields, authors of Bridal Bargains. It's the industry's slow season, so don't be afraid to haggle your way to even lower prices -- you might find people are willing to deal.


JANUARY/FEBRUARY: TVs
New TV models arrive in the spring, making January and February prime time to save a few hundred dollars on the outgoing model year, according toConsumer Reports. (It's worth watching for Black Friday deals and holiday sales in December, too.)


JANUARY: Linens
It may be cold outside, but you can make the indoors warm and comfy -- and save money in the process -- by shopping department stores' "white sales" in January. It's not uncommon to find discounts of 10% to 60% on sheets, blankets, towels and more (and not just in white).


JANUARY: Gift wrap
With prices marked down as much as 75%, post-holiday sales make a great time to stock up on gift wrap, ribbon and tags. Look for neutral patterns that you can use year-round to make the most of this deal.


JANUARY: Carpet and floor coverings
Few people buy carpet in January, so that's the time to snag a discount as dealers try to drum up business, says Alan Fletcher, author of The Complete Carpet Buying Guide. Make your purchase by February 15th, though. As people start receiving their tax refunds, business -- and prices -- pick up again.


JANUARY: Furniture
New furniture hits showrooms in February, according to the American Home Furnishing Alliance. That means you can save 10% to 50% in January as retailers make room for the new inventory. (See summer for another good time to buy.)


JANUARY/FEBRUARY: Digital cameras
With the Consumer Electronics Show and Photo Marketing Association convention at this time of year, new camera models start arriving at retailers. That means deep discounts on last year's perfectly good merchandise.


ALL WINTER LONG: Real estate
Most people don't shop for houses in the winter. But lower demand equals lower prices. You'd usually sacrifice selection by house-hunting in winter, but with the current lagging market -- and large number of foreclosures - bargain hunters should have plenty to choose from.

Competition brings deals to online shopping websites

The Wall Street Journal lists the Big Three online merchandising sites as Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and Ebay.com. In their testing, they found the best overall shopping experience was to be had on Amazon. Ebay came in second, featuring cheaper prices overall. Walmart lagged behind, with a far inferior user experience.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

How to Save Money Shopping Online in 5 Minutes!

By Robert Pagliarini

Tis the season to negotiate. Your other 8 hours are precious, but if you can save 15% on a big purchase and it only takes five minutes, it’s a great use of your time. If you shop online, here’s how you can save 5%-25% off your purchases by negotiating (and you won’t feel like a schmuck arguing with a vendor at a flea market).

The next time you are shopping online, load up your cart, but before you click “buy,” look for a “chat” or “live help” button. Click it and watch the magic begin. It will open a chat session with a customer service rep. Type that you have a full shopping cart but you are comparison shopping. You’d like to purchase the goods from their company but you want a 15% discount.

Most of the time they’ll initially say they don’t have the authority, but don’t take no for an answer. Ask them to check in with their manager or you will abandon your shopping cart and click over to their competitor.

This won’t work all of the time, but it will often enough to save you some money. Don’t forget, you are an online consumer. You have ALL of the power. It takes milliseconds to jump to their competitor’s homepage.

In other cultures, negotiating is not only expected but is a social custom. To not negotiate is rude. So do yourself and your wallet a favor and spend a few minutes negotiating a big discount on your next online order.

You can read my recent chat session below where I saved a quick 15%:

****************************************************

Thank you for choosing [COMPANY]. A representative will be with you shortly.

You are now chatting with Christie.

Christie: Hello! How can I help you with your order today?

You: I do a lot of business with the company. i’d really like a discount on my order. can you help me?

Christie: I don’t have discounts to give out.

Christie: We are offering 15% off on Thanksgiving day items. Are you ordering one of those?

You: no

Christie: I’ll be right with you.

Christie: I’m sorry for the delay. I’ll be right with you.

Christie: Thank you for waiting. I’ll be with you in just a moment.

You: if you can do 15% off i’ll proceed. otherwise i’ll order through [COMPETITOR]:

Christie: I’ll be right with you.

Christie: I’m sorry for the delay. I’ll be right with you.

Christie: Thank you for waiting. I’ll be with you in just a moment.

Christie: I’ll be right with you.

Christie: If you go ahead and place your order then give me the order #. I will issue the 15% off.

You: ok

Christie: Did you complete your order?

You: working on it

Christie: Ok.

You: [ORDER NUMBER]

You: do you need anything else?

Christie: Ok I have issued the 15% off. Your new total is [$XXX]

You: thank you again

Christie: Is there anything else I can help you with?

You: goodbye