Christmas Shopping 2006

Shop, shop till you drop

Tis' the season to go shopping. According to the Direct Marketing Association, Americans plan to spend $299 billion on holiday gifts this year. Which means, besides having to navigate ever changing sale prices and small print on deals, all of the scamsters and fraudsters will be out trying to get into your wallet. But there are plenty of ways to avoid traps and have a safe and fun holiday shopping experience.

In Store Shopping:

Here are some tips that the FTC offers for shopping wisely:

• Shop around. A "sale" price isn't always the "best" price.
• Read sale ads carefully. Some may say "quantities limited," "no rain checks," or "not available at all stores."
• Take time and travel costs into consideration. If an item is on sale, but it's all the way across town, how much are you really saving once you factor in your time and the costs of transportation and parking?
• Look for price-matching policies. Some merchants will match, or even beat, their competitors' prices.

Online Shopping

If you're buying items from an online retailer or auction website, the FTC offers this advice to help you make the most of your shopping experience:

• Know who you're dealing with. Which company owns the website that you are using?
• Make sure the page is secure before you enter credit card information. There must be a letter "s" after http (or https://) for the transmission to be secure.
• Know exactly what you're buying.
• Know what it will cost.
• Check out the terms of the deal, such as refund policies and delivery dates.
• Keep a paper trail.
• Don't email your financial information.
• Check the privacy policy.