After over 15 years of retail management, I know how retailers lure in shoppers and entice them to spend far more than they may have budgeted. How many times did you get to your car or your home and start looking at the bags and the arm long receipts and wonder why you ended up buying too much? We have all been there, and I hope these holiday shopping tips with save you both time
AND money!
Bookmark or follow my blog for the next 24 tips in the days to come! HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIP #2:Bring in ads and store circulars to shop for specific items. This comes on the heels of tip #1 (Make a list, check it twice) for a very specific reason: to help you buy the right items at the right prices. Often, retailers offer a specific item, say a particular mp3 player at a killer price point. These "door busters" (or whatever that retailer calls them) are a special buy for holiday shoppers. It is a specific item that the buyers negotiated with the manufacturer, and it is often slightly different than the other mp3 offerings that store may have. It may be that it only comes in black, that it has slightly less file storage than another, maybe slightly lower quality earplugs. You get the picture.
So, when you go to the store, you grab the first mp3 player that you find, assuming that it is that killer item from your ad. You have a basketful of items, and you may or may not even notice in the rush, and the lines, and the crowds that the mp3 player you thought was that amazing price that is in your budget is actually the other mp3 player that is twice as much!
Bring the ad, bring the store circular. Take the time to make sure that what you are purchasing is what is in the ad. Often, the small print has the model number to match to the item you are buying. Extra tip: As these items are often special purchases, with limited quantities, you may find that the items are already out of stock. I hate to share trade secrets, but I have been in situations where only 6 of an item arrived...and 100 people lined up outside for those six items. Retailers will not offer rainchecks, as the quantity is limited. I would urge you to find a manager, first asking for the store manager, to see if they can work with you on offering a great price on a similar item. Most of the time they will...they want to save the sale, they want to drive the volume, and, if they are truly worth their name badge, they want to make YOU happy!
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