Be a smart holiday shopper this season

Herb Weisbaum • Profile • E-mail

You shop all year long. So why do you need tips for being a smart holiday shopper? Because this is power shopping, done at the most hectic time of year. When you are tired and in a rush, it’s easy to make costly mistakes.

Whether you shop online or at a retail store, you need to do your homework. You want to be sure you are buying a reliable product at a good price.

These seven tips should save you time and money and prevent needless aggravation.

1. Beware of holiday hype
This is the time of year when everybody offers the lowest price – or at least that is what they want you to think. A common marketing trick is to boast about the deep discount you are getting off the list or regular price. But most places don’t charge list price.

The store may be “slashing prices” and offering “huge savings,” but all that really matters to you is the bottom line: How much does it cost?

2. Research and save on the Web
Even if you don’t plan to purchase online, the Web makes it easy to compare models. The manufacturer’s product descriptions always sound wonderful. You want to read professional reviews and consumer reviews.

“Many times reviews from individual consumers who actually own the product are much more insightful,” says Edgar Dworsky, founder of Consumerworld.org, “because they didn’t just play with it for an hour or two, they’ve been living with it.”

Check what people are saying on shopping message boards, such as Epinions.com and avsforum.com (for audio & video equipment), plus read reviews posted on online retail sites.

Use a few of the many shopping bots to see how much various stores are charging for the item on your list.

How to pay the lowest price Because of a little known trick called “dynamic pricing,” you could be charged a different amount for the same item as someone else. The price offered depends on the time of day, availability of a product and whether you’ve looked at the item online before, which is traceable through the use of cookies. To circumvent this trap do multiple searches on several price comparison sites in different browsers and even on separate computers to check if prices vary. You can also clear out cookies from your web browser to cover up those electronic footprints. Source: ShopSmart Magazine

Some of the better-known bots include: Shopping.com, PriceGrabber, BizRate, DealTime, Shopzilla, Yahoo! Shopping, and mySimon. Remember: The best price is not always listed first. Some retailers pay bots to put them at the top of the results page. If possible, sort the list by price.

To download coupons visit: FatWallet, DealTaker, CouponCabin, MyCoupons, Ebates, and Wow-Coupons.

3. Check the return policy before you buy
Most retailers extend their return and exchange periods for things purchased in November and December. Even then, the time frame differs from store to store, and it also may be different from item to item.

There may also be a different return policy for merchandise bought from a company’s Web site than from its brick and mortar store. And don’t assume you can return an item purchased online to a walk-in store. Some e-tailers make you ship the product back to them at your cost, even if they have a physical store in your area.

In general, return policies are getting more restrictive, especially when it comes to receipts. So keep those receipts. They will prevent headaches.

Many stores now have restocking fees – and not just for electronics – if the box is opened. You don’t even have to use the product, just break the seal and you could get hit with a 10 to 25 percent restocking fee. That’s because the item can no longer be resold as “new” merchandise. Buy a $300 camera and a 15 percent restocking fee will cost you $45. So make sure you really want that gift before you open the box.

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