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As I was
searching for a parking spot at the mall recently and
then dodging bustling holiday shoppers, it occurred to
me I didn't have to do this — and all of us may be
doing less of it in the future. Less Christmas shopping?
No, less shopping in stores.
I ended
up leaving with nothing as I confirmed what I thought
might be the answer — online shopping is more
convenient and less expensive.
This
threat should have malls and storefronts nervous as
online sales continue to grow, albeit they remain a
fraction of holiday sales. But while forecasters predict
a flat holiday for retail sales, online shopping is
already up 3 percent over last year, according to
ComScore
. The day after
Thanksgiving
saw an 11 percent increase. This compares with a 1.3
percent increase in stores so far, according to the
Commerce Department
.
But the
convenience of shopping in the quiet of your home or
office is not the only reason. After comparison shopping
at the neighborhood malls and stores and then checking
online, I found you can also save money by shopping
online. The same products on my gift list, mostly
electronics, were cheaper online, plus often didn't
require sales tax or shipping costs. And don't forget
the savings on gas and time.
One
oddity of this was one specific product in a store was
cheaper on its own Web site. Perhaps the stores want us
to shop online so they can eliminate the cost of sales
staff and overhead.
If you'd
like to cut the cost of your Christmas list, you better
hurry. Many online stores are ending their guarantees
for free-shipping orders to arrive before Christmas. If
you have to pay for overnight or expedited shipping,
your cost savings can vanish.
Also
check a few shopping Web sites to find the best prices.
PriceGrabber.com compares prices on popular products and
will email you an alert when a price drops. BizRate.com
also highlights good deals and Yahoo.com Shopping
publishes the latest coupon codes. Shopping.com features
consumer reviews on products and will pay you to submit
your review.
You want
to visit a few of these sites as not all stores are on
all sites. You also want to be aware of refurbished
products that may be the lowest price. Refurbished is a
way to get even a lower price, however make sure the
warranty is the same as new.
It may
take a little time to shop around online just as it does
in person, but you'll always get the best parking spot.
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