It’s not
down to the wire yet – you still have time – but holiday shopping days continue
to tick down to zero hour. Are you making the most of the time you have left?
Make sure that an ambitious gift list won’t leave you taking on last-minute
expenses like rush shipping or missing peak sale times. Keep this list of
holiday shopping ideas close to help you avoid blowing a carefully-crafted
holiday gifting budget.
When
should I shop to maximize savings?
If you’re
not much of a night-owl online shopper, you may want to consider it. Some
retailers activate their next-day sales after 6:00 p.m., which means you can
block off some time for after work shopping without having to be an early
morning doorbuster.
According to
reports, you may also want to consider shopping on the traditionally slowest
shopping day of the week: Tuesday. Online retailers often light up their best
deals to motivate business on otherwise light-traffic Tuesdays. Additionally,
early shopping on Tuesdays (or even late Monday nights) can help you score the
best of the best.
How can I
actively compare deals to make sure I’m getting something worthwhile?
There’s no
time like the holidays to practice your haggling skills! Price-matching is
something that many retailers offer to ensure they can snag your end-of-year
business. If you’re looking around to compare big-ticket items, check with the
cashier to confirm they can make good on another’s advertised offer.
Your
smartphone can also be a powerful tool with price-scanner apps that can capture
barcodes and let you know if the same item is available elsewhere at a better
price online.
Another idea
for those of us who aren’t gifted with incredible number-crunching skills: if
you’re calculating discounts in-store, don’t be shy about whipping out your
mobile phone’s calculator function to figure out where you land. Just remember:
- Start with the lowest listed sticker price
- Then add in any additional discounts being offered (item-specific or storewide)
- Then add on sales tax as the last step
There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re getting something
at a sweet deal until you learn you can’t combine two different promotions or
you forgot to include tax – especially if a bigger-ticket item is on your list
for someone special.
Read more on... Top Holiday Shopping Tips & Ideas
Author: experian.com
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