Bargain Central

(From our November 2024 Issue)

Shop ‘n Save

By Debbie Neal

The pandemic forced wider adoption of contactless payments, online shopping, and home delivery, requiring brick-and-mortar stores to improve their online presence. Statistics show that 15.4% of all sales are made online while 84.6% are made in stores. By 2025, almost 35% of all retails sales are projected to be conducted online.

Offering incentives like free shipping and next-day delivery, it’s no wonder why consumers prefer online shopping vs brick-and-mortar stores. Online shopping offers many benefits, including:

Convenience: You can shop from home without getting dressed or driving to a store. You can also avoid waiting for a store to open.
Better prices: Online stores can offer better prices because products are sold directly from the seller. You can also compare prices easily.
Save time: You can use search filters and categories to quickly find what you need.
No pressure: You can shop without the pressure of sales staff.
Variety: Online stores offer a wide variety of products from anywhere in the world.
No crowds: You can avoid crowds, which may be preferable for many shoppers.
Send gifts: You can easily send gifts to friends and relatives anywhere in the world.
Privacy: You can maintain your privacy when buying sensitive products.

Okay, online shopping is convenient. Of course it’s timesaving, but are the prices better? I once thought I could save money shopping at outlet malls. Well, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Meaning, it's not your fault if you're tricked by someone, but if you trust them and they trick you again, that's on you. The truth is, I’ve never saved money at outlet malls. If anything, I saw items at the same price as I would have seen at the local mall. While outlet malls offer a variety of name brand stores, once you get in, you quickly realize that prices are comparable at the mall.

It's the same with online shopping. Although it’s convenient, costs are the same as brick-and-mortar stores. But, with browser extensions for shopping, you can save and earn cash or gift cards. Is one extension better than the other? Probably not, however, the best browser extensions based on incentives I’ve found are as follows:

Best for earning gift cards: Capital One Shopping
Best for groceries: Ibotta
Best for American Express cardholders: Rakuten
Best for price tracking: PayPal Honey
Best for redemption options: CouponCabin

For serious shoppers, price drop alerts are also available with:

Price Tracker: A free app that tracks prices and product availability in the background.
Amazon Price Alert: A Chrome extension that notifies you when the price of a selected Amazon product drops. You can set a budget price and receive browser push notifications.
Skyscanner Price Alerts: Set up price alerts for different airports and dates to find the best deal on airfare.
Camelcamelcamel.com: An Amazon price tracker that highlights products with large price drops.
The Shopping Price Alert: An app available on the Amazon Appstore.

Price alerts can help you save money, make informed purchasing decisions, and be more convenient. You can also use the price tracking feature in Chrome, which is available on cell phones, tablets, and computers. With Black Friday, CyberMonday and holiday shopping occurring this month, I want to make sure you’re all set to shop and save even more. Happy Thanksgiving and, on this special day, may your family bond grow stronger and your love deeper.

If you know of any local or national bargains you’d like to share with the community, email Bargain Central at contactus@coloradospringskids.com.