Special prices and Last Minute Deals

Well, just a little more than one day before all h#$% breaks loose--you know the after Christmas sales!
Meanwhile, retailers are still trying to court shoppers and get some of our hard earned $$.  Well, even though I swore I would not go to the mall this week, in the interest of research (haha), I couldn't say "no" when one of my colleagues asked me to join her in a last minute trip to the mall.  The so-called excuse was so she could return a last-minute purchase she'd made for herself. 

Half-off Sales Coming Soon

I know there will be some great treats in just a couple of days.  Macy's typically puts all it's Christmas related goodies (candy, baked goods, etc.) on sale at 50% off or more the day after Christmas.  We stopped at Williams-Sonoma, and I found one of the treats that I was tempted to buy last week (some goat milk caramels--I know sounds weird but don't knock 'em til you try 'em) had already been reduced by 30%. They had also reduced a number of other popular goodies by 25% or more.  And there will be plenty of half-off sales on other merchandise as well as edibles.

One of the easiest purchases to make--at the last minute or any time of year--is for a gift card.  Nearly all retailers sell gift cards.  They've caught on to the fact that it's a great deal for merchants--something like 20-30% (or more) never gets redeemed.  Still, if you need a last minute gift, and you're not sure what to get, this can be a good option.  In a large department store like Macy's or Boston Store, you can usually pick one up at any cash register in the store.

One of my personal favorite gift cards to give (and receive) is a Starbucks card. I mean who doesn't like Starbucks?  Okay, I know there are a few of you out there, but I know many more individuals who love a Starbucks as either a little treat, or just a regular source of "fuel."  This is one gift card that I can personally guarantee will light up the face of its recipient.  Other than that one, I don't buy too many gift cards.  "Why not?" you ask?  Well, I've also noticed that most people still love the surprise of an actual gift.  Even if it's not what he or she wanted, it's still fun to get an actual "thing" rather than just the promise of something (a gift card). And if you do manage to find a gift that delights the recipient, that's even better! 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

How would all you snow lovers out there like to experience some of those beautiful fluffy flakes without having to shovel it, without even having to step outside?  (Hey, that might even get the shopping maven to enjoy snow.)  For those of you who feel the holidays are just not the same without that fluffy white stuff, you're going to be able to experience it in the confines of one of your favorite places--a warm, cozy mall.  That's right--it started snowing at Mayfair Mall (in Milwaukee), as well as some other malls throughout the country, the day after Thanksgiving, and shows will continue right up until the day before Christmas.  How's that for a little holiday weather magic?  Go to Magic Snow for more details.

I haven't seen it yet.  I'm still waiting for them to bring in some live reindeer.

Color of the Year

Every year Pantone, the self-acclaimed "world-renowned authority on color" announces its color of the year.

Admittedly, Pantone has provided the standard on color for the print industry for many years. "In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system for identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community."

So for 2011, the color is (drum-roll)...HONEYSUCKLE! 

Pantone chose honeysuckle for the coming year because it's courageous, confident, and vital. "A brave new color, for a brave new world."  Really?  I didn't know a color could do all that.  Yes, color can evoke emotions and represent certain ideas, feelings, etc.  But really?  All that?  

According to Pantone Color Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman, “In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues”. And by warding off the blues, I'm assuming she means letting go of what's soon to be last year's color, turquoise, which was the color of 2010. 

Where Will You See This Color?

Everywhere (supposedly).  You'll see this color in:

• Fashion: sweaters, skirts, shoes, handbags, etc.  For starters, Pantone suggests: "Honeysuckle always works with the standard basics of black, navy, charcoal or light to mid gray. But using complementary bronze greens like Willow PANTONE 16-0632 and/or Tapenade PANTONE 18-0840 adds a new sophistication to the combination that showcases the energy of Honeysuckle."
• Wedding Apparel: Yes, you can have your bridesmaids and flower girl all color coordinated thanks to the Pantone Wedding Colors available from Dessy, a leading manufacturer of wedding apparel.
• Paint: Yes, Pantone paint is now available in its line of eco-friendly paint.
• Packaging: Available for a variety of packaging materials and products, it is especially recommended as a good shade for food or drink packaging. 
• And More!  You can even get a PANTONE Visa card in honeysuckle. See www.pantone.com/visacard for more information.

Have fun color coordinating all your walls, kitchen appliances, lingerie, and garden tools!  **Wink wink**  I'm still trying to find all my turquoise stuff from last year.

Popular and Unpopular Websites

As you may or may not know, Google's search engine is designed so that sites with the most hits are generally the most popular sites.  In other words, those with the most traffic get elevated to the top most positions in a search.  However, one of the flaws with Google's search engine is that it also elevates the most unpopular sites for the same reason--if they are getting a lot of complaints, it still makes the site more popular.

Sadly, this is exactly the opposite effect that consumers would like to see happen.  If a site is not providing good products or service, then it would be beneficial if those sites would fall to the bottom of a search list.

If you're dealing with big-name retailers, you generally know their reputation and the kind of service they provide (mostly good of course).  But if you're dealing with lesser known or relatively "nameless" retailers, there is one thing you can do to help ensure you'll have a positive transaction.

If you want to check a site's reputation--

Type the name of the business and the word "complaint" into the google search engine.  This should give you a good indication of whether or not buyers are complaining about a site.

Another thing to look for when dealing with a vendor that you're unfamiliar with is to search for contact information on the site. I highly recommend dealing with a merchant that lists a name and address, preferably within the United States or your own country of residence.  Unless you are seeking a product that you know is available only from a particular location (possibly outside your own country), it's usually far easier to have a safe and secure transaction within the US, where it might be monitored.  And I personally have had much better luck with companies listing actual street addresses not just a post office box--in fact, just listing a PO box is a good signal to avoid that company. Sometimes I'll even call a company just to confirm they're "real" and to get a sense of how they operate. 

Admittedly, the Shopping Maven is not totally immune to error when it comes to dealing with online retailers.  But I really have only two stories that come to mind. But I'll save those stories for a future post.  Just to let you know though, they both ended well.  So take good care, dear Shoppers.

Compare and Contrast to Find the Best Price

One thing's for certain, prices change. Sometimes weekly. Sometimes daily.  Sometimes more. Sometimes whenever the !$%@! retailer wants to change it. Therefore, you can never be sure where you'll find the best price.  And that's for sure.

So as a diligent shopper, you need to compare and contrast to find the best price at any given time.

But How Do You Find Out Where the Best Price Exists?

Ah yes, that Dear Grasshopper, is not always so easy.  And next to impossible.  But you can at least put in a concerted effort.  Well, if you want to save some $$ that is. You should definitely consider both online and in-store merchants. This means you might want to consider the following sources:

For Online Searches

• Search specific sites that you know carry the products you want. For instance, if you're looking for housewares, it's a good idea to check discount stores, department stores, specialty stores that carry housewares, etc.  You know.
• Do some random google searches (or using your preferred browser). In this type of search, you can try both general searches, and detailed searches specifying model, color, size, etc.
• Try searching using google's shopping tab.  You might (make that will) get some different results.
• Depending on the product you're looking for, you might want to consider doing a separate search on Amazon.com. (Since Amazon has such a robust set of products and such a good search engine, I can often find items very quickly and easily here.  Also they're often quite competitively priced.)
• Again, depending on what you're looking for, consider searching on eBay.  You may or may not find a good deal there.

For In-store Searches

• Check current flyers, newspaper ads, and consider any special discounts you might have if you're a regular customer or account holder of said merchant.
• Check in-store.  This can be tedious, but for higher ticket items can be well worth a little extra effort.  Stores often have different prices in person than online.  And the best prices can be found at either "location."
• It can be especially prudent to visit stores when looking for items that are seasonal values. For instance, if you're looking for linens, shop during White Sales. If you're looking for BBQs, shop after Labor Day, etc. Also, after the holiday sales can be a good time to find a bargain.

No Hard and Fast Rules

The main thing to remember when seeking out best prices is that there are no hard and fast rules. A best price can pop up at any time and anywhere. So as long as you know that online prices are not necessarily better than in-store prices. Discount stores don't always offer the best prices. eBay can be more expensive than any other source (but the opposite can also be true).  As long as you keep in mind these principles, and are not just lured by the latest and greatest "Last Ever Sale", you'll be well on your way to finding a great deal.

Confusion Revisited

 I've found one of the games of this shopping season, in particular, is how to confuse the consumer. If we make you think you're getting a fabulous deal, or if you can't figure out exactly what the discount is, you won't be able to compare it to any other store's or to any of the previous or future promotions of a single store. I've also found this is not always a bad thing. You just have to ask yourself "How good is the discount?", and "How badly do I want what they're selling?"

Here are some good questions to ask to evaluate a store and its promotions:

1. Is this a store where I normally go to buy merchandise?
2. Do I actually need one or more products from this store on a regular or ongoing basis?
3. Will I have to spend more (or less) to get the privilege of a discount with this company?
4. Does this store sell items I'd like to buy for other people? (Most of us have to buy gifts from time to time--you might as well decide in advance where you'd like to buy your gifts.)
5. Can I understand the deal they're offering?
6. For online deals, will I get free shipping?  (This can be a very valuable bonus.  Stores are well aware of their competition, and at holiday time this is a perk that's typically offered in addition to other promotions. Outside of the holiday season, this might be the only deal offered at times.)

These guidelines, dear shoppers, can help guide you to the truly great deals out there. And they do exist, amidst the not-so-great deals. So you'll have to evaluate each on a case-by-case basis. Happy promotion hunting!

Best Promotions of the 2010 Season*

I've found that The Body Shop has been offering some of the best promotions of this season. Ever. That includes those I've ever seen anywhere.

First of all, let me preface this by saying that I am one of the biggest skeptics when it comes to promotions. Yes, even though I love to shop, and love to find bargains even more than just plain every day shopping, I am always leery of a store's special promotions. Like you, I just find many of them are just too ho-hum to bother with, or don't really save me all that much, or are so confusing you can't even figure out what you're getting. (More on confusion in a future blog.)

By the way, I'd like to mention that although I am a regular customer of The Body Shop, no one is paying me to promote their company.  One reason I jumped at this promotion is because as a regular user of their products, I know I'll find things I need and want there. Here are some details on the promotions I've found at The Body Shop this season:

• About 3 weeks ago, I went in to purchase some of the wonderful Aloe Soothing Day Cream (a daily moisturizer for sensitive skin) that I started using a few months ago. (Why do I like this product? Well, that's a topic for another blog--so I'll get to that in a subsequent post.) So on that particular weekend, a sales person walked up to me to let me know about the promotion they were offering. If I purchased the holiday tote bag for $5, I could fill it with whatever merchandise I liked, and that merchandise would be sold at 30% off the regular price. Furthermore, if I (or any customer) has a "Love Your Body" card (which I do), then another 20% (double the normal discount) would be deducted from the price of everything. This produced a total discount of about 45%. Of course, I did have to shell out $5.00, so naturally, I was figuring that in and stalling on whether I thought this was a good promotion. But once I realized how much stuff I actually wanted to purchase, I realized this would be a great deal.

• Then, I found out the real icing on the cake were the additional coupons included with my tote bag. For the next 6 weeks, the store was offering a regular-priced, full sized item for free. Wow! That sounded pretty cool. Who knew if it would be something I wanted, but I figured I could always give those things as gifts. Well, as I mentioned, it's already been 3 weeks, so I've received 3 of the free items, and let's just say I'm thrilled!

What Did I Get?

The first freebie was some body butter (I forget the exact type)--that was before the coupons even kicked in.

• During Week 1, the free item was Coconut Body Butter. Not something I've used before, but I have used a number of the other body butters and love them (as long as the fragrance is not overpowering). And this one seemed nice.
  
• For Week 2, my free gift was the Hemp Hand Protector. This is a product I love! It was the small size buy, hey, that's okay since I regularly buy both sizes (small one is great for in my purse or desk drawer.) So I was very happy to get it for free.
  
• And during Week 3, I was given the Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover. This is another product I'd recently started using, and I've been extremely happy with it. As the name says, it's a gentle eye makeup remover. I like the fact that there's almost no detectable scent. Also, I have very sensitive skin and it's both calming and effective.
  
• So far, so good. That's 3 for 3. So I can hardly wait to see what Week 4 will bring. (I'll keep you updated in a future blog).

Additional Sales and Specials

• In addition to the specific promotion detailed here, The Body Shop has been offering special deals on a daily or weekly basis as well. For instance, on one day I was shopping there, they were handing out individual discount coupons. I have no idea if they were all for the same percentage off, but I received one that was good for 50% on all purchases that day. Yay!
  

• Some weeks they are offering special prices or 2-fer deals. For instance, this week they are offering two body butters of scrubs for $25. Normally the body butters sell for $20 each. So nearly 50% off again.

*This post is the first in a series on best promotions of the season.  I'll try to post additional promotions as they come up or just highlight other stores from time to time that are doing a good job at this.