I love shopping online because it allows me to do research and find the best value on things that I want.  Deliberate pursuit of a great deal on a specific product online is much less risky for impulse spenders than going to a retail store armed with a credit card and a vague idea.  Online shopping also saves me a lot of time and money.  The only drawback is on those rare occasions when I want or need something NOW and can’t wait for it to be shipped to me.  By combining the two tactics listed below, I can sometimes get a great deal and still get the product right now!

1) Always search for coupon codes.  When you’re filling out an online order form, if you see a space to put in coupon codes or promotional codes, do yourself a favor and visit www.retailmenot.com or simply do a web search for coupon codes for the site that you are shopping on.  I’m amazed at how many times I’ve found codes that work in just a few minutes of my time.

2) Check for online sales on products that are in retail stores.  Just yesterday, I bought a new all in one printer/scanner/copy machine on BestBuy.com  It had a special online only sale price.  I saved money by buying it online and selecting in-store pickup.  Less than one hour later, I got an email confirming that the printer was ready for pickup at my local store.  The store itself was packed with holiday shoppers and long lines at the cash registers and at the returns counter.  To my surprise, there was a separate, empty line for in-store pickup.  I walked right up, they handed me my printer, and I walked right out.  So I saved money, I was able to get the printer the same day that I ordered it, and I avoided browsing through the store and buying other things that I hadn’t planned for.  It was win-win-win.  Does anybody need anything scanned or copied?  :-)