The Dollar Stretcher
by Gary Foreman
gary @stretcher.com
According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans expect to spend about
$715 this year on holiday gifts. That amount is almost unchanged from
last year.
<http://www.marketingcharts.
In the current economy it’s no surprise that families will be
watching their holiday spending closely. Consumers are expected to
use every tool at their disposal to get the best value for their
shopping dollar.
Among those tools are the daily deal type sites that offer a variety
of special deals, many targeted by city. I use one myself occasionally.
I wanted to get a feel for how consumers might use these sites during
this holiday shopping season. To help me answer that question I spoke
with Gary Lipovetsky, president of DealFind.com.
The first question I asked Gary was do you expect many shoppers to
take advantage of daily deals this holiday season?
“Absolutely people love deals and daily deal sites are positioned to
help people stretch their money further than ever.”
According to his research, Mr. Lipovetsky expects customers to save
around $100 million just during November and December this year.
He also expects that certain product categories will be more popular
than others. “In our experience, the favorite deals for holidays are
stocking stuffers, spas or facials. Restaurants and getaways coming
in close second – they are great as gifts and a wonderful treat for
one-self as well. Magazine subscriptions did very well last year and
even useful presents like lost and found security tags for your
phone, keys, wallets, etc.”
I also wondered whether there was any way to tell when the best deals
would be available. In a tough economy I’d be tempted to wait until
desperate retailers were forced to offer above-average last minute
discounts. Would that apply to the deal sites?
So I asked Lipovetsky when would be the prime time for daily deals –
Black Friday? Nearer to Christmas? “It has already started, its
happening now and will continue through November with the last week
of December being most busy. There is always a huge influx of last
minute shoppers or people buying additional gifts.”
Finally I asked him what his favorite method for getting the best
deal? “We recommend the following tips: Buying deals early, buying
multiple deals if the price is great, buying as gifts – you can find
so many items that you would otherwise buy full-price or wait for
after-Holiday sales.”
Naturally, Lipovetsky is a big believer in deal sites. You’d expect
that. But, I agree that for the consumer who knows what they’re
looking for and what a good sale price is for that item, the deal
sites can give them another tool to use this holiday season.
My warning would be to be careful to avoid a rush decision that
hasn’t be researched. Deal sites can offer savings. But, if it’s not
something that you need or want or the price can be beat, you don’t
want to pull the trigger on the purchase. As always, think before you
pull out your credit or debit card!
Keep on Stretching those Dollars!
_____________
Gary Foreman is a former purchasing manager who currently edits The
Dollar Stretcher website <http://www.stretcher.com/
This article originally appeared at
<http://community.stretcher.
You can follow Gary on Twitter <http://twitter.com/#!/gary_
(end Dollar Stretcher blog)
Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.
Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.
She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.
