Host: First let’s talk about bargains okay because black Friday might be over but there’s still some great bargains out there. You just have to know what to look for. So we turned to the experts from consumersearch.com to find out the best deals for your shopping list this holiday season.
When it comes to electronics, Christine Fritchin, the editor in chief of consumersearch.com says think small.
Christine: The big deals this year will be on the smaller television sets. And smaller Tvs are already outselling the large sized TVs. That’s probably a result of the economy. So that’s really what’s hot right now. The 32”, the 36” LCD TVs. We’ve seen some for as little as $300.00 or $400.00.
Host: and some of the items that were pretty expensive last year are coming down in price.
Christine: Bluray players are very hot this year. Finally, last year, they cost almost $300.00. This year, they cost half that and some of the sales have been as low as $80.00 for just a basic bluray player but it’s really now competitive with DVD so it’s really worth plunging of you’re ready for bluray.
Host: The best advice Christine has is to do your homework. Make your list, check it twice before hitting the stores.
Christine: A little research beforehand really goes a long long way and because you’ve got so many resources at your fingertips online, you can check out a product’s real price before you believe the circular that it’s a great deal. A lot of times, you can find the exact same thing selling for that advertized price right now. You don’t have to wait in line, you don’t have to get up early. You just buy it online. We found that a lot especially with the autogps and digital cameras, what’s been advertized in the circulars isn’t necessarily a great deal so check on the price beforehand and you’ve also got an opportunity to check on the reviews as well. Consumersearch.com is a great place to look up reviews for that and if we don’t review it, you can always try goolgesearch. Type in the product name plus review. That should get you some kind of research and feedback on a product.
Host: A good way to go when it comes to the holidays is gift cards but buyer beware, make sure to read that fine print.
Christine: Store gift cards are great. They don’t have any expiration dates. There’s no fee to purchase them. You pay the amount that you want to put on the card and that’s it, you’re done. Of course, the gotcha there is that you have to choose a store that a person’s actually going to like. One way that you can kind of hedge your bets with gift cards is to buy a card with some flexibility. K-Mart for example which is owned by Sears so if you have a Sears gift card, you can also use it at K-Mart and there are a lot of relationships like that. We like the Gap gift card. You can also use it at Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piper Line, and you can use it either online or in the store so if you can’t find something you like at one store, there’s a good chance you can find something you like at another store.
The bank issued cards are a little trickier. Those have fees and you also have to pay extra to buy them. So you’ll pay a purchase price on top of the value that you want to put on a card and also you start seeing some fees that kick in.
Host: Another great tip, only use cash you can afford to spend.
Christine: Leave the credit cards at home. Put the money you’re going to spend that day in an envelope and you’re not going to overspend or you’re not going to be so tempted to overspend. Another good tip is to leave your spendy friend at home. I think we all have one of those bad influence friends that we tend to spend more when we’re around them. It might be fun, do something else with that friend.
Host: And for more information on the best deals this holiday season, just log on to bettertv.com and check out holiday shopping in our link section.
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