online shopping tips & suggestions

[neglectarino]

It's my first year as single parent, so my usual BF early a.m. jaunt isn't going to happen. I'm hoping to do reasonably well online & was curious how those of you who go this route manage it, if you have any tips, and which stores are the best/worst for this type of thing.

Obviously, I'm hoping to avoid shipping and am looking for kids' stuff (toys, clothing) although I won't turn down a good deal on an appliance or other household item (they're just not priority here for the budget). In past years, I hit up brick & mortar TRU, Kohl's, K-Mart. I avoided Walmart because of horror stories from friends who braved that front in years past (and considering that horrific tragedy last year, they weren't exaggerating).

[Ggbwg]

Have you found any tips ? Just was curious

[cintinative]

hmm. . . well, I am no expert but based on our experience you want to look at a good combo of price plus free or very cheap shipping. Look for coupon codes online so you can get things even cheaper. I use froogle.com to search for a cheap price on-line. My usual standbys for toys are Etoys, Target, and Amazon. But I would also check TRU or Walmart. Walmart has a free ship to store option in some cases (and you could avoid pickup on Black Friday). Check Happy Hen Toys if you are looking for Thomas stuff.

[ocean_brez]

I have never shopped online for BF deals, but I do Cyber Monday and Tuesday deals. My suggestion is that if you have a favorite store, to start checking out the prices over the course of the week and while you are at it, notate any % off Discount Codes and FREE Shipping Codes so that you will have less to worry about/forget while you are doing your online shopping.

For coupon codes, I usually compare Retailmenot.com, couponbcabin.com, and now I will be adding offer.com to this list as well. It probably seems like a lot of work to look for the codes, but if you have the time anyway, it is worth it.

[whatsfree4me]

Last year I did a lot of Kohl's shopping online. You can start at midnight Thanksgiving. I have learned with a big sale, if you put things in your cart by the time you check out, sometimes they are out of the item. Also if you forget to hit save cart once in a while, it will empty your cart if you walk away for a while. I had a free shipping code, so I ended up putting a few items in my cart and checking out right away. I did 3 or 4 transactions but it went a lot smoother.

I also got some good deals at Walmart online on Cyber Monday.

[t-rex]

You can shop on some of the price comparison sites if you are looking for a specific item:
mySimon - Comparison Shopping - Unique Gift Ideas - Reviews and Shopping Guides - Compare Prices
PriceGrabber.com - Comparison Shopping, Online Shopping, Product Reviews
PriceSCAN - Compare Prices, View Price Trends and Read Reviews

[SyLph211]

Stay away from Target and Toys R Us unless they offer free shipping. Those two places are known for having extremely high shipping prices. They are both known to offer free shipping so check thier sites.

Walmart is free ship to store and usually around the holidays they do .97 cent shipping to your door.

Amazon - depends on where you live..as usually they offer free shipping on super saver 25.00 purchase or do a free 1 month trial of prime-remember to cancel before the month is up. No tax is always a plus.

I just noticed this was posted awhile back so hopefully you are able to head out for BF or enjoy some great benefits the online stores are offerings today!

[neglectarino]

Thanks everyone! I wasn't too impressed with what I saw in the circulars or online, so I decided I'll just take my chances post-black Friday & see what I can do during the week or online this Monday. Thanks for the tips everyone! They were all very helpful!