Smart Online Shopping

Everyone likes to know that they have gotten the best deal for their money these days, and there are often better prices available online than in retail stores.  However, some Internet sales offer less value than local stores, so it is always best to shop around if you are serious about saving money.

Some of my favorite sites for this are www.pricegrabber.com, www.mysimon.com and www.shoplocal.com.

To compare prices for products available online, simply visit pricegrabber or mysimon and type in the name of the item for which you are searching.  Within a few seconds, you should have at least a few results to compare.  By inputting your local zip code, these sites are also able to compare total cost, including shipping, and will notify you of your best Internet deal.

A helpful tip when using these sites is to know the exact title of the item for which you are searching.  If you have a brand name and model number, this will probably yield the most accurate results.  More general terms will yield more results, but you will likely have to wade through rows of irrelevant items to find what you are looking for.

To search for the best prices available locally, visit www.shoplocal.com and type in your search term.  You should then see a list of the best prices on said item, so that you can get the best deal in your area.  Remember, too, that many retailers will honor the advertised prices of their competitors, so if the best price is at Store A, but it is further out of your way, you may not like their return policy, or whatever, just print their ad and take it to the other stores from which you prefer shopping.  You may be surprised at how many retailers are willing to price match.

So, always shop around first so that you can most enjoy your purchases, knowing that you got a great deal!