Browse the following posts about Shopping

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I do love a deal. There, I said it, but by now it’s really not a secret, is it? If you are like me, a typical “bargain hunting” shopper, you probably have signed up for emails from some of your favorite online retailers like Staples, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, and Walmart, etc. They are constantly sending offers like coupons and discounts on their latest promotions that you probably love just like I do. It can be a great way to find some online bargains, so long as you only use them when you need them.

Logically you think if you need clothes, check out the deals at Kohl’s, copy paper then look at Staples, and new cookware or a bathroom scale, Bed Bath & Beyond, right? But did you know the magical part of buying and selling online is that all of these retailers sell stuff you’d never guess they have and sometimes they are shockingly good deals! You’d never expect to get these bargains at these sites and that’s why today I am sharing with you some really surprising things that I have discovered! Continue reading

L.L. Bean has long been known for its lifetime return policy, which it ended just this past February. But don’t despair. The company is still offering an amazing policy that most people are pretty happy about! The store now offers a still-generous one-year window for returns.

L.L. Bean ended its legendary lifetime return policy to clamp down on customers who were taking advantage and using it to replace heavily worn products.

“Increasingly, a small, but growing number of customers have been interpreting our guarantee well beyond its original intent. Some view it as a lifetime product replacement program, expecting refunds for even heavily worn products used over many years,” the company wrote announcing the policy changes to customers.

I spent so many years (over 39!) in the retail environment that I can personally verify that some people out there do abuse return policies to the point that it has to be “built” into the retail price these days to cover for what stores must throw away that was returned for bogus reasons. Continue reading

For today’s guest post on Christmas shopping all year long, please welcome back fellow blogger Anum Yoon.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—unless you leave all your Christmas shopping until November and December. The long lines, the rush to get to the mall on Black Friday, the stampede to pick up this year’s hottest toy—it’s all part of the game, and it’s a game that can make you very, very tired.

What happens when you don’t put off your Christmas shopping until November? Does it matter? It actually does, and you’ll be a lot less likely to encounter the emotional dumpster fire that ignites as the clock steadily marches closer to Christmas. Not convinced? If you need more reasons than that alone to start shopping sooner, here are five more reasons to start picking up presents year-round. Continue reading

Bargain hunting can save you money, and who doesn’t love a bargain? Of course, we all do. But for some people, looking for the next “great deal” becomes an addiction. The call of the clearance rack wins out over practical matters like common sense and whether you need or want what you found. You may not even have a place to put it. I’m almost positive you have some things hanging in your closet right now that still have the tags on them from way back when you got “that great bargain”.

Getting a “bargain” on something that you will never need or use is a complete waste of your time and money! Continue reading

Happy Halloween! Today’s a day for tricks and treats, but no one likes getting tricked by retailers who make you spend more money! I’ve spent most of my working life inside retail stores starting way back in 1972. That’s when I began a job as an assistant buyer at R.H. Macy’s, a real learning experience for me as to exactly how a retail business is run and how it makes lots of money. Some of that knowledge was valuable then and is still just as valuable today. There’s an old saying “the more things change the more they stay the same”, and that couldn’t be more true in the world of retail.

Retailers, marketers, sales professionals, and CEOs are determined to make you buy more than you planned when you shop. In addition, retailers have an arsenal of sales tactics that may seem silly, but serve as heavy-duty artillery when it comes to persuading you to part ways with your cash. Remember the phrase accredited to P.T. Barnum when he said “a sucker is born every minute”? That’s where the tricks come into play. Continue reading

I know it seems hard to believe but summer has passed the mid-way point (that was August 5th) and it’s time to start looking towards fall. That means getting ready by shopping the two big events that occur at this time every shopping year: Back to School Sales and Summer Clearances.

Despite my spending over 30 years in the retail business (most of those in malls when they were the kings of retail), I still feel like you do and shake my head when I realize that in August we are already talking about the fall. I remember those “fun days” shopping for my kids at the back to school and summer clearances and although it wasn’t the highlight of my summers back then, it was worth the time and prep to save some real money. Continue reading