The holiday shopping season is upon us. It’s the time of year people begin their search for the perfect holiday gifts to buy for their loved ones. Most people today live busy lives and don’t have a lot of free time to browse around local malls or department stores in search for gift ideas.So what can you do? You can do what a growing number of people are doing and that’s researching for holiday gift ideas online. Brick and mortar department stores battle for your business during the holidays and they do a fantastic job advertising what products they are offering. Whether they’re blasting you with their advertisements via newspaper ads, catalogs, television commercials or the Goodyear blimps ticker the stores web site should be the most trusted tool available to you to help finding what you are looking for. Web sites generally will list everything advertised on the media circuits previously mentioned as well as additional product details, images and more importantly the products availability for in-store pick-up or online shopping cart.Given the availability to search and shop for your holiday gifts online you now have to ask yourself “How would you like to spend your morning on Black Friday”? At home. Sleeping in. Enjoying the day off from work and spending time with the family or hanging out with your friends being free of stress, traffic jams and painful long lines. Free from disappointment because the person in front of you got the item you spent all morning waiting to get.Shoppers today have become more relentless when it comes to shopping on Black Friday and for good reasoning to. It’s the one day that you are supposedly getting the best deal you’ll ever going to get on the hottest products of the season. Make no mistakes there is no doubt the sales are fantastic but the problem is a majority of the offers are limited to quantities available and or only available for a certain period of time during the day.What to do? Brave the cruel shopping hoard or sit at home and buy online and hope my item is available when I am visiting the site. Hmmm…?I got it Cyber Monday! Cyber Monday has become the biggest online shopping day of the year. Retailers give big discounts to specifically to online shoppers on the Monday following Black Friday. Here are a few tips to use to take advantage of Cyber Monday this holiday season.
Tip #1: Shop from reputable online stores. Personally, I have had a lot of luck finding good deals with well-known shopping sites rather than less-reputable sites that few people have heard of. Furthermore, identity theft and online scams are a serious concern in today’s world. If you know of a smaller independent store and you’re interested in making a purchase, make sure its website is secure and properly affiliated with the store.
Tip # 2: Do your research now! Be on the lookout now for gift ideas. There may be new and exciting products that come out a little bit later. But for the most part, the items that are being unveiled now at full price will be on sale come Cyber Monday. Patience is a virtue and your bank account will thank you in the long run.
Tip # 3 Take the time to compare prices. Yes, it’s tedious and requires some not taking. It is also extremely beneficial in the long run. Make notes of what the sticker prices are, how big the sales are come Cyber Monday, shipping prices, and any special holiday offers (like BOGO or free gifts with purchases over a certain amount).Take advantage of Cyber Monday in order to spend time with friends and family on Black Friday.