Home     Log in    XML, RSS Subscribe Feed (RSS)     XML, RSS Comments Feed

Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

« Older Entries

Late Shopping Places On Christmas Eve!

December 24th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 4 Comments | Filed in Consumer Tips

7 Tips For Late Christmas Eve Shopping

On Monday, we mentioned 7 Last Minute Christmas Shopping Tips to help shoppers find what they want with just days left to shop. Today, being that it is Christmas Eve, this means that your presents have been bought, wrapped, and sent off or awaiting your personal delivery on Christmas Day. Right?!

Merry ChristmasBut what if you still have one more gift to go and you can’t get out to shop until after the sun goes down?

Well, you are in luck. A number of retailers will be burning the late night oil in a bid to serve last minute shoppers and anyone else who realizes that they forgot to get something for cranky Uncle Harry this Christmas.

Without endorsing particular retailers per se while still naming some or certain types of businesses, the following stores will remain open past the customary 6 p.m. Christmas Eve closing time tonight:

Drug Stores – Your favorite drug store chain is not only open late on Christmas Eve, but some are also open on Christmas Day! Visit your Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid retailer and you just may find that store packed with other late night, last minute shoppers. Expect shelves to be picked over and the choices slim.

Fast Food Restaurants – While most stores will call it quits by evening, a handful of proprietors will be open late, particularly those on well traveled interstates. You certainly won’t be buying someone a Happy Meal for a gift, but gift cards to McDonald’s can be a nice item. And now that Mickey D has some decent coffee options, Uncle Harry might appreciate that gesture too!

Movie Theaters – Some theaters are open late Christmas Eve and they’re also open on Christmas Day. For people who don’t mark Christmas, eating Chinese food and heading to the movies is an annual rite, so some will be open on the holiday too. Stop by a nearby movie complex and purchase passes to give as gifts.

Convenience Stores – Shopping at a 7/11, Circle K, or similar convenience store is often possible late Christmas Eve night. Just don’t expect to find any bargains and do expect to pay a premium for whatever you can get your hands on at that hour.

WalMart – Most WalMart stores are open until 8 p.m. Christmas Eve, with others closing at 6 p.m. A word of note: WalMart stores which are normally open around the clock will close down too, reopening the day after Christmas. Visit walmart.com to confirm store hours in your area.

Kmart – Visit Kmart.com to find out when this retailer closes their stores in your area. But, a quick look at Kmart locations near me has revealed that every store is open until 10 p.m. Amazing!

Online – Online retailers never close including those associated with brick and mortar businesses. This means that you can get a gift card at almost any hour although have a piece of plastic to present may not be possible. Instead, get ready to print out a receipt and included that within a Christmas card you can present on Christmas morning.

Lastly, if you’re skilled at building or baking something, your homemade gift can be a welcome item too. Besides, do you really want to hit the stores in full panic mode late this evening?

Adv. — Stop by Webreader to find free tools and downloads to help you with money management, discount shopping tips, travel and vacation, achieving success, and other life management features.  If you’re looking for online shopping bargains, please check out NBuy Shopping Plaza right now!


Tags: , , , , ,

How To Avoid Getting Ripped Off This Christmas

December 9th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 2 Comments | Filed in Consumer Tips

“Peace on earth and goodwill toward men” was the angelic declaration made two thousand years ago when Jesus was born. Unfortunately, not enough people have heeded that message of reconciliation between God and man, choosing to perpetuate one scam or another, more so during the Christmas season. At least it seems that way.

Christmas cartFor even the most sainted shopper, being aware of what can possibly go wrong can go a long way toward preventing a scam from taking place. Let’s take a look at some of the seasonal scams and holiday rip offs of our day:

Fake Goods – Unless you know it is fake or a knock off, you could be taken for a ride if that Gucci, Louis Vuitton, or Chanel handbag isn’t the real thing. While a knock off may not be illegal, selling a product as the real thing is. Avoid online sites offering fake goods or “incredibly low deals” on originals. Likely, if the deal is too good to be true, then it isn’t.

Cyber Christmas Cards – You want to save time, money, and paper, so you decide to send electronic greeting cards to everyone on your list instead. Unfortunately, some cards have come with a nasty attachment, namely a worm or virus embedded in the file. Don’t let your Ho Ho Ho turn into Oh, No No! because you sent or received a card that contained a virus.

Fake Invoices – This problem isn’t seasonal in nature and has been around for some time. Still, when you’re busy with other matters, it is possible that a fake invoice will sneak through and be processed by your accounts payable department. Have your staff verify bills and if an address for a trusted vendor suddenly changes, pull out copies of older invoices and call the company with the older contact information to verify changes, if any.

False Friends – Social networking sites are prone to phishing attacks where scam artists attempt to friend or follow you, but with other motives in mind. Don’t be quick to associate with just anyone online; be leery if you’re asked to buy, sell, or use a product via a direct or private message from this person. Alert the social media site if you suspect a scam in the making.

Public Networks – Never order anything from a public computer or access stores online through a public wi-fi network. Thieves may be monitoring your transactions and web activity in a bid to steal your credit card number, passwords, or social security number.

More Scams

There are many more con jobs being pushed this holiday season so check out McAfee’s “The Twelve Scams of Christmas” to find what ones are rampant and how to avoid them.

Adv. – If you haven’t had your fill of Ho Ho Ho yet this Christmas season, the NBuy Shopping Plaza can help you make this holiday season the most festive one yet. Besides offering links to more than 5,000 stores, NBuy has excellent party planner ideas and tips on promoting good health. Updated throughout the year, you’ll want to bookmark the site for seasonal savings and event planning ideas.


Tags: , , , , ,

Christmas Shipping Deadlines Loom

December 8th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 3 Comments | Filed in Consumer Tips

Overnight delivery can handle late gift buying

With just over two weeks to go, Christmas will soon be here. But that also means that gifts should be purchased, wrapped, and sent well in advance of the Big Day to ensure on-time delivery.

Christmas giftMany overseas deadlines are much sooner, unless you choose expensive package service delivery which means you can delay your shipment, but for a heavy price. Indeed, Christmas mail destined for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq should have been sent out on December 4th. Parcel post needs to be sent by December 16th while first-class and priority mail must be postmarked by December 21st. Lastly, Express Mail can be sent as late as December 23rd.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) and its many branches and letter carriers are busy this time of year, shipping some 16.6 billion packages, cards and letters between Thanksgiving and Christmas eve. That’s a lot of stuff to move! Moreover, the USPS says that they have printed 2.11 billion holiday stamps this year.

5 Tips To Help Move Your Package

Besides, meeting important deadlines the USPS offers some timely tips for people to remember when shipping packages. By following these instructions precisely, you can reduce the chances that your package will be delayed or shipped to the wrong address:

Mailing Address – Print everything in caps, eliminate punctuation, include apartment numbers, spell out the city name and abbreviate the state name. Use the two-state designator for your state; abbreviate streets (e.g., avenue is AVENUE and lane is LN).

Return Address – In the upper left corner of the package, include your return address. Follow the guidance offered for filling out a mailing address when writing out a return address.

Packaging – Choose a sturdy carton large enough for packaging and cushioning. The post office has boxes available.

Tape – Use pressure sensitive or reinforced tape to secure all carton flaps.

Remove – Mark out or remove any conflicting address information. This sometimes occurs if you reuse a box and details left from your last shipment received remain.

UPS, FEDEX

Though not a requirement, consider insuring your packages to cover possible loss of items. UPS and FEDEX include or offer insurance with their services; compare plans to find the right delivery service for you.

Source: USPS

Adv. – Are you looking to head into a fresh direction in 2010?  Consider purchasing a business to help you take a new step. Please visit the National Association of Business Brokers to view their listings, learn how the buying process works, and to get in touch with a broker.


Tags: , , , , ,

What You Need To Know About Christmas Gift Cards

November 12th, 2009 by Matthew C. Keegan | 6 Comments | Filed in Consumer Tips

All week we’ve been examining how to get the most out of Christmas this year. On Monday, it was all about getting your Christmas shopping done early. On Tuesday, we reviewed five Christmas shopping tips for savvy shoppers while on Wednesday we looked at rethinking your Christmas giving altogether.

Gift Cards

gift cardsToday, the discussion turns to gift cards and what you should know about these immensely useful and thoughtful presents. Not everyone likes to give them, preferring to buy a special item and wrapping it themselves, but for many recipients a card is the preferred gift as it allows them to decide what they really want. Honestly, gift cards can be a bit of a mystery, especially since their “rules” vary from retailer to retailer. Personally, there are some shops I would never buy a gift card from, fearing that they’ll tack on a fee that will diminish the value of the gift or in some cases the retailer may be headed for bankruptcy rendering the card and gift worthless.

Bankrate Advice

To help matters, we’ve turned to Bankrate.com a leading aggregator of rates and financial information for a variety of financial products including gift cards. Bankrate notes that gift cards have been the number one gift for the past five years, something not likely to change this year. However, they’re quick to warn consumers that reading the fine print is important before making a purchase, taking into consideration the following data as well:

  • Beware of fees on your major credit company gift cards if you don’t spend the card after the first 12 months: Three credit issuers charge a $2.50 monthly maintenance fee after 12 months of inactivity on their gift cards;
  • All store gift cards don’t charge a fee for purchasing their card in-store (Starbucks charges a $1.50 handling fee for cards purchased online), however all credit issuer gift cards charge a $3.95 fee upon purchase;
  • Keep an eye on your credit issuer gift card’s “Valid Thru” date: While it’s not an expiration date, your gift card will have date on it which indicates when it’s valid through (reportedly due to the shelf life of the magnetic strip). Gift card owners will have to call the issuing company to swap that card for a new one to use it;
  • When buying a retailer gift card, make sure that the card you’re buying can also be used online. While most retailers do allow online purchasing, major retailers such as CVS, T.J. Maxx, and Marshall’s do not allow their gift cards to be used online;
  • February 2010’s Credit CARD Act will also have an impact on the gift card industry: While the CARD Act does not prohibit an inactivity fee, it does mandate that gift cards cannot expire in less than five years;

Shop Now!

Gift cards certainly come in handy, but not all cards are equal. Know what you’re buying and the restrictions of each can certainly make a difference. Of course, if cards are used right away, then a number of issues disappear just as fast, therefore encourage your recipients to hit the stores ASAP in order to find bargains and get full use of their gift cards.

Source: Bankrate.com

Photo Credit: Ivan Prole


Tags: , , , , ,

« Older Entries