3 On Your Side: Some Top Tips For Saving While Shopping
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Whether you'll be camping out on the sidewalk for door buster deals this holiday weekend, or you plan on doing your shopping online from the comfort of your home, everybody is looking for a discount. So 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan shows us 3 easy things you can do to get one.
A survey by Bankrate finds just 28 percent of shoppers will head to a brick-and-mortar store this holiday season. While Americans are projected to spend a record $89 billion dollars online, up 13 percent over 2013.
When shopping online be sure to cash-in on discount codes. "We look at those little spots as 'hey, it's free money here, come pick it up'," says Kevin Brassler with Checkbook.org. He says that typing in the name of a retailer, along with the phrase discount codes or coupon while doing a web search can pay off. He says, "We're taking about 5, 10 minutes of your time to save maybe 25% off or more."
More retailers than ever are now offering specific discounts to followers on social media. Brassler says, "Everybody knows the best way to collect followers is to offer them something they wouldn't normally get if they didn't follow." So it pays to follow, or at least sign up for emails. According to Brassler, "A lot of these stores are offering special discounts just for people within their email lists."
Finally, if you're making a big purchase you may want to take the plunge and get a store credit card. Brassler says, "Most big stores have steep, steep, discounts if you sign up for their credit cards."
By the way, 40% of Americans expect to do some holiday shopping on Black Friday whether it be in stores or online. The amount expected to be spent in that one day alone, an average of $399 per shopper.
For more information visit:
http://www.checkbook.org/cgi-bin/memberonly/newsletter/deciphering-online-discount-codes.cfm