From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, there are many ways to save on holiday shopping this year, both in stores and online. Even if you’ve missed these one-day deals, there are plenty of everyday ways to score savings. The following holiday shopping tips will provide you with 10 unique ways to save time and money this holiday season.
1. E-subscribe – No one likes a cluttered inbox, but when it’s cluttered with coupons, who can complain? Many companies have expanded their email marketing initiatives over the years, and will offer their e-subscribers exclusive deals. So if you don’t mind weeding through a few extra emails every week, it’s smart to subscribe to your favorite stores’ email lists and wait for them to send the savings your way.
2. Become a Facebook Fan – Another way to keep up with the latest sales is to find your favorite businesses on Facebook. According to InsideFacebook.com, as of February 2010, there were 1.5 million local business pages on Facebook, a number that increased by 800,000 pages in just a few months. Fortunately for consumers, many of these businesses use their Facebook pages to offer their “fans” exclusive savings. Not sure how to “become a fan?” Simply go to the business’s Facebook page – you can find ours, for instance, at www.facebook.com/eatonberubeinsurance – and click the “Like” button at the top of the page, next to the business’s name.
3. Get Your Groupon On – Daily-deal sites like Groupon offer consumers another way to score significant savings. From $50 worth of merchandise for $25 at a local clothing store, to three oil changes for the price of one at an auto repair shop, these sites notify you about one or more discounted products or services in your area every day. While Groupon and LivingSocial represent two of the most well-known all-encompassing daily-deal sites, there are also more specific deal sites, like Gilt Groupe, which offers designer label products at discounted rates. According to the Washington Post, consumers are expected to spend up to $100 million this year on daily-deal sites, an increase of 80 percent from last year’s total. Since membership is free, it can’t hurt to join these sites and see if the deals appeal to anyone on your holiday shopping list.
Other daily-deal sites:
NHDailyDeal – New Hampshire exclusive deals
RueLaLa – Designer fashion
SniqueAway – Hotel getaways
Tippr – All types of deals by city
Ideeli – Designer fashion
Thrillist – All types of deals by city
Woot – One online deal per day
GiltCity – All types of deals by city
DealOn – Restaurants, spas & events
Yipit – All types of deals by city
4. Check for Coupons Before Checking Out – When it comes to online savings, consumers are typically inclined to share the wealth. After discovering a coupon, many people will post the coupon code to popular sites like RetailMeNot.com and CouponCabin.com. To help determine the coupon’s credibility, CouponCabin updates its deal three times per day and frequently checks each coupon code to ensure that it functions, while RetailMeNot allows users to comment on whether the coupon worked for them. So after adding items to your virtual cart, be sure to visit these sites and search for the appropriate store, as you may find a last minute promotional code to apply to your order. If you’re looking for printable coupons, visit sites like SmartSource.com, Coupons.com and CouponMom.com.
5. Stuff Stockings with Discounted Gift Cards – Gift cards are popular items on many holiday lists, and it’s easier than ever to buy them this year. Thanks to websites like Cardpool.com and PlasticJungle.com, you can now purchase gift cards online – without even having to pay full price. Designed to unlock the $30 billion worth of unused gift cards, these sites function as gift card exchanges, allowing people to resell their unwanted gift cards at a discounted rate. Both sites also offer free shipping, so before you head to the mall to stock up on gift cards, it’s a good idea to check Cardpool and Plastic Jungle to see if you can save.
6. Cut Costs at Costco – Whether you belong to Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s, warehouse clubs represent another great way to save on holiday shopping. According to Good Housekeeping, warehouse club deals could save you 30 to 50 percent on jewelry and electronics like digital picture frames and cameras. Not a member yet? Considering the money you can save on holiday shopping alone, an annual membership, which costs approximately $40 to $50, may prove to be a wise investment.
7. Opt for “Outdated” Electronics – With the never-ending advancement of technology, an electronic can be now considered “outdated” only months after being released. Provided that you aren’t shopping for a technology enthusiast, another money-saving holiday shopping tip is to purchase last year’s electronics. If your mom wants an iPad only to download books, play Angry Birds, and log into Facebook for instance, you can save a couple of hundred dollars (not to mention a few hours standing in line) by purchasing the older model.
8. Find Deals at Factory Stores – Another holiday shopping tip that can save you money is visiting the outlet mall nearest to you. But before you get in the car, be sure to go online to the mall’s website, as many will offer printable coupons or a detailed list of current discounts at each store, which will allow you to better plan your trip. For example, the Wrentham Village Premium Outlet’s website will tell you that among many other discounts at the factory stores in Wrentham, Mass., you can currently take advantage of an additional 40 percent off sale merchandise at American Eagle Outfitters, 10 to 60 percent off everything at Calvin Klein, a 30 percent storewide discount at Coach, and an additional 20 percent off everything at Vera Bradley.
9. Keep an Eye on Costly Shipping Charges – Although many consumers enjoy the convenience of online shopping, it’s important to remain aware of shipping charges, as they can quickly add up. To minimize or even eliminate shipping charges altogether, request that your items be packaged together rather than individually if you are given the option, and search for free shipping promotions, which are quite common during the holiday season, before placing your online order. Online shopping also highlights the importance of planning ahead, as waiting until the last minute to place an order online can force you to pay exorbitant rush shipping charges that sometimes exceed the cost of the actual product you’re purchasing.
10. Smart Savings on Your Smart Phone – If you have a smart phone, chances are high that you also have downloaded a variety of apps, from your bank’s app that allows you to pay your credit card bill with the click of a button, to your favorite store’s app that lets you shop straight from your phone. When it comes to holiday shopping, there are a multitude of free apps designed to help you remain organized and compare prices, like shopkick, which offers daily deals as well as rewards for simply entering stores like Target, Toys “R” Us, and Best Buy. Goodzer is a local shopping app that displays a list of stores that carry the product you’re looking for, along with prices, availability and directions to each store. Other helpful holiday shopping apps include RedLaser, which allows you to scan product barcodes and compare thousands of online and local stores for the best prices and features, and PriceGrabber, which lets you locate products, compare prices, read reviews, and get merchant ratings.
Click Here for the Full List of 15 Mobile Apps for Holiday Shopping – Provided by Practical eCommerce.
Whether you shop in-store or online, you’re now armed with 10 unique holiday shopping tips to help save you time and money this holiday season. Now there’s only one thing left to do – start shopping!