6 new ways to save How to find great deals on almost anything E L I I l l u s t r at i o n s : C a r lo s A p o n t e / a r t d e pa r t m e n t F G A R Checking out at a shopping site with your goodies can be a thrill, even if all you’re buying is chew toys for the dog. But it can also be a moment of doubt. Were there coupons or special deals that you missed? Are there sites that sell the same item for less? Should you buy it at a store downtown instead? Will Mom approve? On the next six pages, we dug up some cool new tools you can use to keep those second thoughts from creeping up on you. Click around and find your favorites. Also, don’t miss the tips on page 31 to make sure that while you’re bagging bargains, Internet thieves aren’t bagging your personal info. Subscribe now at ShopSmartmag.org october 2010 23 1 Start your engines! W hen you’re in bargainhunting mode, you know to shop around. But you might be clicking in all the wrong places. For starters, if you’re not using pricecomparison search engines, you’re missing out on a great saving shortcut. The trick is to use the right ones, as we discovered when we put the top 25 to the test, including giants like the shopping engines of AOL, Yahoo, and Google as well as Bing, Bizrate, NexTag, PriceGrabber.com, Shopzilla, and more. To compare the sites, we created a basket of eight items (listed at right) to see which ones turned up the best prices and were easiest to use. The results: The best ones make it superfast and easy to dig up juicy bargains; on the other hand, the worst ones can be real time-wasters. For example, sites like Pronto and Shopping.com sometimes served up results that had nothing to do with our search terms. (In one case, when we asked for a book we got a baseball cap.) Others didn’t factor in tax and shipping costs, which can add big bucks to the final tab. One other thing we learned: It really pays to use price-comparison engines, whether you’re shopping for big items or small stuff. When we looked for “Wolf Hall,” a hardcover novel by Hilary Mantel, there was an almost $10 difference between the search engines’ highest and lowest prices. When we hunted for binoculars that went for more than $1,000, the difference amounted to hundreds of dollars. To dig up the biggest savings, follow our tips on the facing page. Our shopping list The wide range of prices we found on eight items: n “Avatar” DVD, $13.50-$34.95 n New Balance cross-training sneakers, $47.48-$69.74 n Samsung NP-N150 Netbook, $298.99-$443.83 n “Wolf Hall,” by Hilary Mantel, $14.50-$25.11 n Graco Quattro Tour Sport stroller, $118.10-$199.99 n Wacoal Awareness bra, $61.18-$72.57 n Kenneth Cole Reaction wallet, $23.99-$32.61 n Swarovski 10x42 binoculars, $1,539.99-$1,929 The winner 24 consumer reports Search smart Tips for zeroing in on the best deals start with pricegrabber.com. As we learned in our price-comparison test, this site is hands-down the easiest to use and nets you the best deals. NEXT try at least one of the runners-up. No one site always turns up the best prices. To easily access Google’s or Bing’s price-comparison sites, go to the main search engine page and click on the “shopping” tab. Be specific. Typing in “Lady Gaga” can bring up headphones, sheet music, and a paperback biography. If you want music, include “CD” or “MP3.” Click through. Sometimes the prices shown in search results are incorrect, so click through to the e-tailer to double-check them. For example, when we looked for the novel “Wolf Hall,” one comparison site showed that Walmart’s price before taxes and shipping was $11.49. But when we clicked through to Walmart, the price was actually $14.50. Also click around to confirm shipping costs, and while you’re at it check return policies. Know your model numbers. The same product might come in multiple models with different features and prices. For true comparability, type in the brand name, the model name (if it has one), and the model number. be open to new sites. One of the best things about starting with a search engine is discovering great sites. When we searched for the “Avatar” DVD, we found Glyde, a great money-saving source for used DVDs, books, games, and CDs. Get coupon codes. Never click buy until you’ve checked for them at sites such as Coupons.com and RetailMeNot. runners-up worst www.pricegrabber.com* www.google.com/products www.nextag.com www.bing.com Why we like it We found the lowest prices on six of our eight items here. Also, the site calculates tax and shipping when you enter your ZIP code. The results are easy to read and include seller ratings. Used and refurbished items are clearly marked. What’s new Apps for the iPad and iPhone as well as for Android phones. Also, it has partnered with Retrevo.com to list user reviews for electronics. Cool feature Don’t see a price you like? Click on “Add Price Alert” in the upper right-hand corner, and the site will send you an e-mail if the price drops. Why we like it Google’s price-comparison site found the lowest prices on many of the items we searched. And you can customize results. For example, you can see photos or view as a list. What’s new The toolbar gives you more ways to narrow your search. You can opt to see only new items or those with free shipping, and you can specify a price range or preferred stores. Cool feature If you have a Google account, click “add to shopping list” to keep track of products you want. Why we like it It found the lowest prices on fewer items but makes it easy to compare prices and get product specs. What’s new User reviews (millions of them!) let you know what others thought of a product you’re considering. Cool features As with Google, you can search by free shipping. Also, a price-history graph shows how much an item’s price has gone up or down recently, so you can gauge whether to hold out for a better deal. As with PriceGrabber.com, you can sign up for price alerts. Why we like it This relative newcomer is not only a Web search engine. It’s also a price-comparison engine. Click on “shopping,” choose a product category, then a specific product. Pages of photos and specs will pop up; click on “compare prices” to see what deals are out there. What’s new Sadly, Bing has discontinued its cash-back program. Cool features It’s easy to spot deals offering free shipping. Look for a “free shipping” tag under the product’s price. www.shopping.com and www.pronto.com Why we nixed them Shopping.com had some irrelevant search results— typing in “Avatar DVD” pulled up an Avatar game, action figure, and paintball goggles, among other things. And you can’t always get shipping costs for your ZIP code. Pronto had the same flaws. Our search for the novel “Wolf Hall” pulled up an Arkansas State University baseball cap. And shipping costs and tax were available for some sellers but not all. Save time and money by sticking to our top-rated sites, at left. *PriceGrabber.com operates the shopping service at ConsumerReports.org. shopsmart Subscribe now at ShopSmartmag.org october 2010 25 2 Pinpoint local sales www.google.com/products www.krillion.com* www.milo.com Best for checking inventory on the go If you use this tool on your computer, you can find products and reviews, but the full local search capabilities are available only on your mobile phone. Just go to the site through your mobile browser, search for what you want, and if the item is sold at a participating retailer in your vicinity, the result will include a red map pin. Click to see availability, prices, and directions to the store. Best for electronics and appliances This site’s tagline is “Find national brands near you.” If you’re in the market for a new computer or dishwasher, it can help you find which stores are selling what you want, how much the item will set you back, and whether it’s in stock. It’s easy to compare in-store and online prices. And you can sign up for alerts that let you know when prices drop on items that you identify. Best for national chain shopping This site is great for checking local inventory at national retailers such as Target and Barnes & Noble, and at mom-and-pop stores, too. (It’s working to add more local businesses.) There aren’t any price-comparison tools, but you can sort by products on sale, and the price-alert feature is nice. It also has an in-stock alert to let you know when an item arrives at your store. www.slifter.com Best for sharing your local finds The site allows you to search by “local results only” and you can create a shopping list and e-mail images to friends and to your cell phone, whether you have a smart phone or not. Download the free iPhone or BlackBerry apps, view the site on your mobile browser, or text your query and ZIP code to 95173. Just be warned: The search function can be a bit sketchy—we put in shoes and got a camera in our results. S ometimes you want to get in the car and pick up your goodies right away instead of shopping online. But you don’t want to drive all over town looking around and comparing prices. The solution: local search engines. They can help you find the best price before you head out the door, and they can dig up great coupons and sales. Just be warned: These sites are far from perfect. Prices don’t include local sales taxes, and search results are often spotty or include irrelevant items. (Note: Local search is now available for subscribers at ConsumerReports.org.) 26 consumer reports shopsmart www.couponmap.com www.thefind.com Best for restaurant savings Type in your city and state or ZIP code to see a map of local eateries where you can chow down for less, then print the coupons and go. The site also has categories for savings on products and services like apparel, office supplies, and travel. Also check out Restaurant.com, where you can buy discounted gift certificates. Click “narrow by coupon type” to refine results. Best for apparel and home decor This site has deep listings for a huge range of items, and the clothing and home categories are a good place to start. The clean interface lets you sort results by location, store, brand, color, price range—even items with coupons or special promotions attached. The site’s free iPhone app, Shop Nearby, does all that, plus calculates the cost of driving to a particular store. local.yahoo.com Best for discovering local businesses The search engine you know and love provides listings for items at local businesses. It’s easy: Just put in what you’re looking for and your ZIP code to find what you need in your own neighborhood. Take advantage of the supplied phone numbers to check availability, the maps to see exactly where stores are located, and the starred customer reviews to make sure you pick a winner. *Krillion operates the local shopping service at ConsumerReports.org. 3 Try a specialty site for books www.alibris.com Alibris goes deep, scouring independent booksellers to deliver top bargains in new and used books and DVDs. Hunt down rare books, including first editions. Check out the 99-cent book section and subscribe to the site’s e-newsletter to get money-saving coupons. for clothing & Accessories www.like.com This site has a fun user interface that lets you search by color, shape, or pattern. If you like slouchy hobo bags, for example, you’ll find them under “shape match.” And if you’re looking for a cute new T-shirt, you can specify whether you want long sleeves or short, V-neck or tank. for electronics www.retrevo.com Not only does Retrevo pull up the best buys on computers, TVs, cell phones, and more; it also gives you user reviews, detailed specs, and downloadable manuals. And it’s easy to search. For cameras, for example, you can specify LCD size, minimum optical zoom, and megapixels. Subscribe now at ShopSmartmag.org october 2010 27 4 Get in on group deals T he more, the merrier—and the cheaper, too, That’s the premise of a handful of “group buying” sites that have sprung up in the past two years. Those sites post limitedtime deals for local services and merchandise. A minimum number of people must click the “buy” button, or the deal is off. The discounts can be hefty. When we clicked around Groupon and LivingSocial, two of the more popular sites, we saw deals such as $40 worth of food at a Japanese restaurant for $20 or an exam, cleaning, and X-rays at a dental office for $55 (the regular price is $300). Many of the deals are for restaurants and services, but we also found offers for things like golf lessons and Pilates sessions. So far they’re confined to major cities, which means that if you don’t live near an urban center, you’re out of luck. Here are dos and don’ts to help you find bona fide bargains on those sites: n DO Check out the business. Before you sign up for a deal, type the name of the restaurant or service provider into Google or a review site such as Yelp to see whether it’s a business you want to patronize. n DON’T lose your mind. Limited- time deals are like auctions: In the excitement of the moment it’s easy to end up buying stuff you really don’t need. So stop to think: Is this something you really want? Also, read fine print; tax and tips are often not included, or the deal might be valid only on certain days. n DO Keep total cost in mind. Getting a $50 certificate for Mexican food for $25 sounds like a great deal. But by the time you order appetizers and drinks and tack on tax and tip, your bill might swell to $75 or more. Conversely, make sure you’ll be able to spend the entire value of the certificate—you won’t be able to get a refund for the unused portion. n DO Shop around. Half off at a local restaurant might sound like a steal, but you can often do better at sites like Restaurant.com, which offers discount dining certificates nationwide. n DON’T BE TOO ANXIOUS TO CASH IN. If you nab a great deal on dinner at a new restaurant, remember that hundreds of other folks will, too. So you might have to put up with crowds or long waits for a reservation. n DO Check refund policies. Groupon says it will issue refunds to any dissatisfied customer, but LivingSocial won’t give your money back more than five days after the purchase date. Top Sites www.groupon.com Cities 65 across the U.S. Recent deal $10 for $20 worth of food and drinks at a restaurant www.livingsocial.com Cities 56 Recent deal Half off a salon haircut www.socialbuy.com Cities 50 Recent deal 50 percent off a kayak tour www.buywithme.com Cities 8 Recent deal $25 for package of five yoga classes 5 Dial up savings One of the best tools for smart shopping is right there in your bag—it’s your phone! Whether you have a smart phone or a plain-Jane model, you can use it to find the lowest price on those shoes you’re coveting, check the carbon footprint of your favorite shampoo before you restock, or even find a killer garage sale in your neighborhood. Here are some of our favorite shopping apps (all are free): coupons The Coupons App What it does Pinpoints your location, then finds coupons for savings at nearby retailers and restaurants. Cool improvement: In the past, some offers couldn’t be scanned from your phone’s screen and had to be printed. Now you can redeem all coupons using the screen. Phone Android Yowza.com how low can you go? InvisibleHand (www.getinvisiblehand.com) is an app that runs in the background of your computer while you shop. Before you buy, click on its yellow toolbar at the top of your screen to see whether there’s a better price out there. While we checked out the “True Blood” season-two DVD set at BarnesandNoble.com for $41.99, InvisibleHand showed us a $31.95 deal at Buy.com. 28 consumer reports shopsmart What it does Puts coupons for local stores in the palm of your hand. To get in on the action, follow a few simple steps to tag your favorite retailers and you’ll get a notification every time they post a coupon. (The app is called “Where” on Android, BlackBerry, and Palm Pre.) Phone iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Palm Pre Price Comparison PriceGrabber food BigOven What it does Puts more than 170,000 recipes at your fingertips and creates shopping lists with everything you need to prepare them. Choose from favorites, random suggestions, and even meals that use whatever leftovers are in your fridge. Phone iPhone, Android green living GoodGuide What it does Searches a database of thousands of toys, personal-care, household, and food products to show you how safe, healthy, and green they are (or aren’t) before you decide whether to buy the product. Scan the product’s bar code or type in the item name. If you don’t have an iPhone, text “gguide” and the product name to 41411. Phone App for iPhone; text for all SMS-enabled phones What it does One of our favorite price-comparison search engines has gone mobile. You can now use your phone to see who’s selling whatever you are looking for at the best price, while also taking into account tax and shipping fees. Scan the item’s bar code or type in the product name. Phone iPhone, iPad, Android search SnapTell What it does Uses barcode and visual search to find books, CDs, DVDs, and video games (just take a photo of the product’s cover) at the best prices online or at nearby walk-in stores. You can search by the item’s title, too. Phone iPhone (bar-code scanner works only on 3GS and 4 models), Android vintage Garage Sales Tracker mall navigation Point Inside What it does Tells you exactly where your favorite stores (and the bathroom and the up escalator) are in hundreds of shopping malls nationwide. Phone iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, iPad What it does Finds garage sales, flea markets, and consignment shops in your area. You can also use the service by going to its website, at www.garagesalestracker.com. Phone iPhone Subscribe now at ShopSmartmag.org october 2010 29 6 Make friends S tudies show that women frequently seek out recommendations and reviews before making purchases and are most likely to buy when they get feedback from people they trust. We didn’t need any surveys to tell us that. We know from experience that feedback from friends means fewer money-wasting mistakes. The latest crop of Web 2.0 sites ups the ante. Now you can shop with friends from your computer (or cell phone). Use these sites to get all the feedback you need to make your next smart shopping decision. Other ways to make shopping social: “Like” companies on Facebook and “follow” them on Twitter to see what others think of their products. Also, keep an eye on Woot, which was just acquired by Amazon. It offers one sale item a day with real-time user conversations; we expect to see more socialnetworking opportunities soon. www.blippy.com This site is like a mashup of Twitter, Facebook, and your credit-card statement. Every time you make a purchase, you can post what you spent and where you spent it (or you can keep the purchase private). Friends can “like” or comment on your purchase. www.dealtaker.com This site is a great source of coupons and special offers (we’re especially fond of the “Free Shipping” area). It also acts as your personal deal shopper. There are two ways to interact: If you need 30 consumer reports shopsmart coupons for a certain store before you shop, just follow @CouponBot on Twitter, then tweet “@CouponBot StoreName,” and you’ll get up to 10 coupon links. If you’re looking for a deal on a particular item, post in the “Find Me a Deal” forum, and they’ll do just that. www.friendshopper.com Shop with a friend in real time. Say an online sample sale is starting in 10 minutes. Add the “bookmarklet” to your browser (easier than it sounds), then sign in to the instant-messaging chat with your friend, share images of the dresses you’re considering adding to your cart, and get immediate feedback on whether she thinks it’s for you. justbought.it Sharing your purchases is the name of the game. Link your account with Facebook or Twitter. Then upload a picture of your fab new stilettos or take a photo of the DVD you’re pondering and ask for feedback before slapping down your plastic. Download the free iPhone app so that you can take your sharing on the road. The privacy question rec.fm It’s social shopping with a purpose: Make a product recommendation, share it with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers, and if someone buys it, the charity of your choice gets more than 50 percent of the referral fee that Rec.fm earns. You get a warm, fuzzy feeling and a receipt for your contribution. shopsocial.ly Go to the site and share details on your new HDTV or ask for ideas for your dad’s birthday gift, and your friends can comment, “like,” or recommend. You can also see what your friends are buying and follow shoppers with taste similar to yours for inspiration. Requires a Facebook account to sign up. www.swipely.com Swipely imports your purchases from linked credit, debit, and e-mail accounts, then publishes the items you buy, along with photos. (You can choose to make certain transactions, like those chicken cutlets, private.) Use it to learn what your friends are loving now. How it works Companies amass details about you and how you spend your time (and money) online from information you volunteer when you fill out profile pages (such as telling Facebook how old you are or entering your mailing address so that you can get a coupon book). Also, when you visit many websites, they place a small file, called a “cookie,” on your computer. That cookie is then used to identify your address and track how you use the Internet. The data helps retailers sell to you more efficiently. For example, if you search for plane tickets to Italy, you might see ads for hotels in Rome. The opt-out system in the U.S. means that you often give consent the moment you type a Web address into your browser. But if you keep all your information to yourself, you’ll miss out. You can’t get that 20 percent off coupon for a local restaurant if the site doesn’t know where “local” is. And so we’re increasingly—often unwittingly— trading our privacy for personalization, convenience, and savings. Cookies might not tell retailers your name a nd age, but they can help companies assemble a picture of who you are and What you can do www.livingsocial.com While you’re getting in on good group deals, you can hook up your friends, too. See a deal you like, or one that seems perfect for someone you know, and share your find on Facebook or Twitter or send an e-mail. If three friends or followers get in on the featured offer, you get the deal free! Download the iPhone app and never miss a deal. Remember when you first started shopping online? You might have been a little nervous about entering your credit-card number, but it seemed a small price to pay to shop from home. Today, your privacy is almost nonexistent: Buy a book, and it’s added to a list of all the items you’ve ever bought online. Use a promo code to get free shipping on your new camera, and the e-tailer knows what other sites you’ve browsed. This phenomenon is called behavioral targeting, and it’s ubiquitous. www.thisnext.com This site is all about putting you on the cutting edge. Members make fashion, home-products, and electronics recommendations. Follow “mavens” who share your taste or post your own faves. Daily and weekly picks show you stuff you didn’t even know you wanted. At press time, Congress was considering a bill that would require websites to display simplified privacy policies, protect info from third parties, and permit users to opt out of accepting cookies, among other protections. In the meantime, here are some ways to protect your privacy: n Don’t give info just because a website asks for it. If you do share personal info, be sure to read the site’s privacy policy. n Clear browsers’ caches to delete cookies. Set Internet what you like, making anonymity almost impossible. Companies can figure out your income, health status, race, education level, religion, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and much more—and there’s an industry built around selling that info to retailers. Marketers know more about us than ever, and with so many bits of personal info out there, we’re at risk for dangerous leaks. Blippy, mentioned on the facing page, had a security breach earlier this year that briefly exposed some user credit-card numbers in Google searches. See below for some ways to protect yourself. options to accept cookies only from authorized sites. Reject Flash cookies at macromedia.com/support/documentation/ en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager06.html. n Opt out of Google’s behavioral targeting ad program (search “Google Advertising Cookie Opt-out Plugin” and follow directions), then opt out of other programs at www. networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp. n Disable geolocation in computer and mobile browsers, and deny requests to “find your current location” when asked, unless you want info that requires your location. Subscribe now at ShopSmartmag.org october 2010 31
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