How to find the best shopping deals this December
The holiday season often means one thing year-after-year if nothing else, a lot of shopping.
Retailers know that though, and for that reason there are plenty of sales to be taken advantage of this December.With so many sales going on this time of year though, its tough to know if you're getting a good deal, or just the same one as everyone else. Developing shopping strategies this season will help you hunt down the best deals and ultimately save some money during the holidays. For more on how to hunt down the best bargains this month, read the tips below:
1. Look for electronics bundles
Electronics sales are fairly common during December. Video games, cameras, tablets and more are offered in bundles with other products during the final month of the year, The Wall Street Journal explained. Typically the packages you will come across during the holidays include one product, as well as a gift card or accessories for the item. This can include video games packaged with a system, or a flash drive along with a laptop.
2. Use mobile apps to hunt down deals
There are a number of apps you can use while browsing stores in order to find the best deals possible, Time noted. For example, the publication noted The Find as one great app for comparing prices. This app compares more retailers than the competition, such as Amazon, which makes it great for ensuring that you find the best deals. Additionally, this handy tool saves the barcodes you scan so you can reference items later. Another app Time mentioned is RetailMeNot. This one shows you deals and coupons on a map. You can save the deals you like within the app, so that you can return to them at check out easily. In addition, keep an eye out for stores that carry their own apps.
3. Search out bargains in the outlets
While everyone is shopping this month, they will be buying things at a number of different locations. While many will turn to their laptops, or the mall, the best deals can sometimes be found at outlet stores, according to The Wall Street Journal. Outlets already have pretty low prices, so the holiday sales going on right now will offer you some deals. But not all outlets have those deals, you have to find the ones that are offering true discounts, instead of smoke and mirrors. Many outlet malls have customer service offices, so you can check there for any special deals they offer.
4. Keep an eye out for daily deals
Some websites offer deep daily discounts on certain items, the NEA explained. Companies such as Woot.com offer customers huge deals every day on specific products for 24-hour periods. There are simple ways to track all of these sales as well, such as DODTracker.com. Keep up with discounts offered on a per-day basis in order to catch the quick sales that not everyone remembers to take advantage of.
5. Wait until after Christmas
Some products, such as apparel, are often heavily discounted starting the day after Christmas, The Wall Street Journal noted. Before Christmas you should be aiming for sales around 40 percent, but after you can hunt down discounts as strong as 70 percent. Many of the sales will be on winter gear as well, which is good because there are a couple pretty cold months ahead for much of the U.S. Many after-Christmas sales are even starting to seem like Black Friday discounts.
When you're holiday shopping this month, search out deals such as these in order to save money this December.