Where to find the best deals and the best gifts this holiday
Thursday, December 16, 2010
It’s official; the best shopping experience and the largest selection of holiday gifts cannot be found in Union Square (or whatever mall, outdoor center or boutique you usually shop in), but can be found within your very own home. Shopping online is the best option for holiday shopping again this year as the online specials are bigger and better than ever and the chaos of shopping among the masses can be happily avoided.
Here are some suggestions on how to make the most out of shopping online this year:
1. Sign up on all of your favorite retailer’s sites for their email blasts about online specials, promotions, coupons, shipping deals, etc. and have those emails sent to a second email account that you create specifically for promotional emails like these. Now prepare to be bombarded with amazing deals without the frustration of these messages clogging up your primary account’s inbox.
2. Dig for an even better deal than the one that is offered to you by the retailer. One of my all-time favorite sites to get this done is retailmenot.com. I go to this site every time I’m placing an order online to see if there’s an additional discount that I can get on shipping or the item itself and I’m telling you 8 out of 10 times, there is.
3. Make sure you’re choosing the best discount or savings combination based on the individual purchase you’re making. Most retailers have more than one special going on at a time, so make sure you’re utilizing the one that can give you the most money off your total purchase. It’s takes some quick (but easy) math, but it’s worth it, as there are times I’ve gotten double the savings by choosing wisely the discount(s) I apply at checkout.
4. When you’re at a loss as to where to find a particular item or if you simply don’t have the time to go to 10 different sites to see what all the options are, may I strongly suggest using my second favorite go-to site: shopstyle.com. Just type in a description of any item you’re looking for, press the “go” button, and it searches and finds that item on sometimes hundreds of different websites in a matter of seconds.
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant.
For more information: cabinetdenvie.com.
Here are some suggestions on how to make the most out of shopping online this year:
1. Sign up on all of your favorite retailer’s sites for their email blasts about online specials, promotions, coupons, shipping deals, etc. and have those emails sent to a second email account that you create specifically for promotional emails like these. Now prepare to be bombarded with amazing deals without the frustration of these messages clogging up your primary account’s inbox.
2. Dig for an even better deal than the one that is offered to you by the retailer. One of my all-time favorite sites to get this done is retailmenot.com. I go to this site every time I’m placing an order online to see if there’s an additional discount that I can get on shipping or the item itself and I’m telling you 8 out of 10 times, there is.
3. Make sure you’re choosing the best discount or savings combination based on the individual purchase you’re making. Most retailers have more than one special going on at a time, so make sure you’re utilizing the one that can give you the most money off your total purchase. It’s takes some quick (but easy) math, but it’s worth it, as there are times I’ve gotten double the savings by choosing wisely the discount(s) I apply at checkout.
4. When you’re at a loss as to where to find a particular item or if you simply don’t have the time to go to 10 different sites to see what all the options are, may I strongly suggest using my second favorite go-to site: shopstyle.com. Just type in a description of any item you’re looking for, press the “go” button, and it searches and finds that item on sometimes hundreds of different websites in a matter of seconds.
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant.
For more information: cabinetdenvie.com.
