Now Peoples Prepare to Save Big on Holiday Shopping

As the official start of fall nears (yes, already), it may be tempting to kick back with your favorite pumpkin spice latte and get in some semblance of a break before the craziness of the holiday season begins. However, savvy shoppers know September is a good time to get up and get moving. According to the National Retail Federation's 2014 Consumer Spending Survey, 40 percent of people start their shopping before Halloween, with most reporting they do so to spread out their holiday spending.

Those people have the right idea. If you start your holiday shopping now, you'll save time and money, plus avoid the last-minute rush of the holiday crowds. While everyone else is running around, likely blowing through their budget, you can kick back with a peppermint latte, rest, and reflect on how much you saved (holiday music optional). Here are some tips on how to do just that:
Budget
 
The first thing you should do is set a budget. Create a list of items you'll want to purchase, including gifts for family, friends, colleagues and teachers; apparel for parties and holiday photos; holiday décor; wrapping supplies and shipping fees; holiday cards and invitations and any necessary holiday travel. The more comprehensive your list, the better, because you don't want to have to come up with extra funds to cover items you've forgotten.

Most importantly, stick to your budget. Since you're starting early, you have plenty of time to put good thought into your purchases so you can buy something meaningful to give. And remember that being thoughtful doesn't have to mean spending a ton of money.

Do Your Research

Now that you've determined your budget, you need to lay the groundwork to reap the biggest savings. Sign up for store email and text message alerts so you can receive exclusive deals and get a jump on upcoming sales. Ask a sales associate about upcoming promotions, including free online shipping or free ship-to-store options. Visit your favorite online coupon site to find extra savings and look into discounts for military members, senior citizens, students and teachers. Research price-match and return policies. Finally, consider signing up for rewards programs for member-only discounts, rewards dollars and free shipping.

Shop Sales at Your Leisure

Now that you've done your research, you can start shopping. Since you're starting early, stores are more likely to have the exact item you're looking for because inventory will be higher. Plus, get the perks of shopping the Columbus Day and Veteran's Day sales without the stress of missing out on what you want because it's in someone else's cart (a common occurrence during the popular and much-hyped Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales). And even if that does happen, you have plenty of time to wait for stock to be replenished or to place a backorder. Yes, you can shop online and avoid holiday crowds any time of year, but you won't get the same security if you wait until the last minute.

Leave Room for Mistakes

Speaking of security, shopping early is like an insurance policy. If your purchase gets lost in the mail, you will have time to rectify the situation before the holidays. If something is broken, wrong or not what you expected, you can go through the return process and rectify the situation.

Read the Fine Print

Shopping ahead does come with its challenges. Perhaps some big-ticket items are worth purchasing during Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales (most electronics fall into this category). This period is where you return to doing good research. Look at historical data and figure out how to score the best deal – you have time on your side, after all.

Perhaps the biggest challenge when purchasing your holiday gifts early is keeping them a secret. Wrap them, hide them and keep your mouth shut. Just don't forget to bring them out when the time comes! Happy hunting – may you score the best deals, save a good chunk of change and relax during the holiday season!
source:http://goo.gl/0B8pzI

Read more »

Best apps for holiday shopping

The holiday season starts earlier and earlier every year, but it never seems like you actually have more time, does it?
Plenty of smartphone and tablet apps can save you money, but many more can also save you time — and during the holiday season, time is money. Financial planners say that shoppers who devise a strategy are less likely to waste money and make budget-blowing, last-minute purchases. (Read More: How to Avoid Falling into the Christmas Debt Pit)
Streamlining your price comparisons, keeping tabs on your budget and staying up-to-date on sales are a few of the tasks that apps can take off your hands. It only takes a little time to get familiar with the apps, and the time savings will pay off in the long run.
We’ve pulled together a few apps that can help you get through your shopping and get to the part that really matters: enjoying your friends and family during the holidays.
Slice
Available for iPhone and Android
Online shopping during the holidays can turn the average household into a package-processing center. Consider Slice your handheld operations hub.
This free app tracks your online orders and sends push notifications when your purchases ship and arrive. You can view shipments by item or order, so you know which products will arrive together.
You can also access all of your receipts from one tab, and Slice will keep a record of what you bought for friends and family, making it easy to stick to your budget and to plan next year’s purchases.
Slice will alert you to price drops on items you’ve ordered, so you don’t have to set aside time to compare costs, and take advantage of price-matching guarantees. It also tracks your daily deal vouchers from Groupon, Living Social and other coupon services so you don’t forget to use them during the hectic holidays.
Slice works by syncing with your email accounts. That’s no problem so long as all your shipment alerts go to one inbox. If not, you won’t get a holistic view of your holiday shopping. The app works with Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, AOL or iCloud/MobileMe.
RedLaser
Available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone
Smartphones have taken cost comparisons to a new level, but RedLaser is one of the best apps to help you save both money and time.
If you’re at the store, scan a barcode with RedLaser to compare prices at thousands of retailers. RedLaser will call up prices at nearby stores on a map. This little feature will help you decide whether the savings are worth the trip. Armchair shoppers can arrange to have purchases delivered or set aside at a local store.
If you’re not set on a particular brand, RedLaser can suggest similar products. And if you need a little something extra to go with a gift, the app will offer accessory ideas, saving you time on research.
You can also create and share gift lists and wish lists, making it easy to tick off items.
Myibidder Sniper for eBay
Available for iPhone, Android
Winning an eBay auction without resorting to the Buy Now option can take commitment — and another commitment is the last thing you need during the holidays.
Myibidder Bid Sniper for eBay helps you avoid the bitter taste of defeat and unshackles you from your computer desk. Enter items you want to bid on, and Bid Sniper will automatically make last-second bids, up to a specified dollar amount. The developer doesn’t guarantee that you’ll win, but it does boost your odds of snagging the perfect piece of memorabilia and other hard-to-find gifts.
The Pro version, available for $4.99, includes group bidding, which allows you to bid on multiple auctions for the same item, so you have a better chance of winning. The app will stop bidding on items in the group once you’ve won the number of auctions you specified.
Bid Sniper is in its beta version and does not support real-time updates or push notifications yet.
CardStar
Available for iPhone, Android, Windows, Blackberry, Nokia
Rather than fumble for worn-out loyalty cards on your key ring or in your wallet, reach for your smartphone and open CardStar.
The app lets you capture digital versions of your cards with your camera’s phone. You can browse your cards by store name or category, or use the search function to jump right to a retailer.
This app edges out other loyalty card scanners with a few added features. It provides merchant information and store locations, and calls up the store’s website with one touch — so you check for deals online, too. CardStar also delivers deals based on the cards you’ve uploaded.
Gift List Apps
There are so many gift list organizers, it’s really a matter of finding the best one for you. Be sure to avoid the ones that the developer isn’t updating, especially if you’re going to pay.
Gift Plan for iPhones is certainly one of the most versatile and well-designed. The profile view is the hallmark of this app – store gift ideas, personal tastes and clothing sizes for your friends and family. Gift Plan also imports birthdays from your contacts list and Facebook.
The free version of Christmas Gift List Planner for Android devices lets you track how much you’ve spent and what’s been purchased, mailed and wrapped for people on your list. The paid version unlocks additional features like a gift ideas list, password protection, and barcode scanning to add items.
Though technically a grocery list app, List Bliss is an excellent option for couples who want to split the shopping. It’s one of the few apps that lets you sync lists between phones so you can see what your partner has purchased. List Bliss is available for both the iPhone and Android.
FastMall
Available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia
The holidays are no time for strolling aimlessly through the mall. Crowded stores, pushy shoppers and the constant danger of holiday soundtrack overload all make it imperative to get in and out.
FastMall gives you turn-by-turn directions to help you do just that. Since you can download interactive maps, there’s no need to hunt out a mobile connection. Apply filters to the maps to quickly find points of interest, or shake your phone to call up the nearest restroom.
The built-in audio recorder can help you recall where you parked, but it’s also good for taking notes while you’ve got your hands full.
Even if you know your local mall like the back of your hand, FastMall can save you time by sending you notices about sales at your favorite stores and delivering deals to your handheld device. Coupon codes make redeeming those deals a snap.
Black Friday
It’s easy to go into information overload on Black Friday. There are plenty of apps that will do the number crunching and store location to help you get rock bottom prices fast.
In addition to streamlining the ad-perusing process, the Black Friday app by dealnews.com for the iPhone and Android compares sales with deals at other stores and online vendors. You can also store ads, get push notifications from your favorite stores and save items to a shopping list and check them off as you go.
TGIBlack Friday has similar functionality, but integrates with social media, so you can pool your resources with other savvy shoppers. You can send your list by email and share it on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus using your iPhone and Android device.
Zoomingo Local and Black Friday Deals, which is also available on iPhone and Android, aggregates the most popular Black Friday pins on Pinterest, uses GPS to find the best deals near you, and lets you “like” an item and monitor it to see when the price drops. The app is also optimized for tablet view.
resource:http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-news/2012/11/23/best-apps-for-holiday-shopping/

Read more »

First Look at the Ink and Paint Shop in Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

When Disney’s Art of Animation Resort opens this coming May, guests will find a colorful new merchandise location called the Ink & Paint Shop. For the past several months, Lyndsey Vincent, a recent intern on the Walt Disney World Professional Internship Program, has been diligently working on one important thing for the new shop. She has the unique job of designing the merchandise fixtures, and we recently spoke about her experience.
“I’ve grown up with Disney and visited Disneyland Resort every summer with my family,” said Lyndsey. “I graduated with an Interior Design degree last spring and moved from Idaho to work for Walt Disney World Resort. I didn’t know what to expect when I got here but the experience has been fun!”

Now a full-time member of the Global Retail Development team at Disney Theme Park Merchandise, Lyndsey worked closely with several departments “to put together the puzzle” that is a new location.
“Location planning was a key department that helped with the design process,” explained Lyndsey. “They provided me the number of ‘faceouts’ or areas that will carry merchandise. My job then was to design fixtures that would achieve their number while balancing other factors like traffic flow and shop design.”

Walt Disney Imagineering designed the wall spaces for the location which resemble oversized paint jars. Lyndsey explained that the fixtures will be clean and simple in form and will be neutral in color to complement the colorful palate that Imagineering used.
“We had several different versions of fixtures during the development process,” continued Lyndsey. “Ultimately, we chose clean, simple designs that remind me of an animator’s workspace. For this project, I wanted materials that had recycled content, had Greenguard certification for indoor air quality, and were manufactured in the US. The fixtures I am most excited about are the nested tables, which are made from a recycled concrete material.”

Lyndsey said she learned the importance of details from her Imagineering partners.
“Throughout this process, Imagineering taught me the importance of paying attention to the details,” remarked Lyndsey. “Guests don’t visit Disney and remark, ‘Wow – look at those amazing fixtures!’ Yet, they are an important part of any shop. When designed well, they create a great immersive shopping experience that is all Disney.”
You can see these fixtures and the location come to life when the resort begins opening in phases on May 31.

resource:http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/8721

Read more »

Holiday Retail Sales Growth Weakest Since 2008

By Daniel Wagner

U.S. holiday retail sales this year grew at the weakest pace since 2008, when the nation was in a deep recession. In 2012, the shopping season was disrupted by bad weather and consumers' rising uncertainty about the economy.

A report that tracks spending on popular holiday goods, the MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, said Tuesday that sales in the two months before Christmas increased 0.7 percent, compared with last year. Many analysts had expected holiday sales to grow 3 to 4 percent.

In 2008, sales declined by between 2 percent and 4 percent as the financial crisis that crested that fall dragged the economy into recession. Last year, by contrast, retail sales in November and December rose between 4 percent and 5 percent, according to ShopperTrak, a separate market research firm. A 4 percent increase is considered a healthy season.

Shoppers were buffeted this year by a string of events that made them less likely to spend: Superstorm Sandy and other bad weather, the distraction of the presidential election and grief about the massacre of schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn. The numbers also show how Washington's current budget impasse is trickling down to Main Street and unsettling consumers. If Americans remain reluctant to spend, analysts say, economic growth could falter next year.

In the end, even steep last-minute discounts weren't enough to get people into stores, said Marshal Cohen, chief research analyst at the market research firm NPD Inc.

"A lot of the Christmas spirit was left behind way back in Black Friday weekend," Cohen said, referring to the traditional retail rush the day after Thanksgiving. "We had one reason after another for consumers to say, 'I'm going to stick to my list and not go beyond it.'"

Holiday sales are a crucial indicator of the economy's strength. November and December account for up to 40 percent of annual sales for many retailers. If those sales don't materialize, stores are forced to offer steeper discounts. That's a boon for shoppers, but it cuts into stores' profits.

Last-minute shoppers like Kris Betzold, of Carmel, Ind., embraced discounts that were available before Christmas.

"We went out yesterday, and I noticed that the sales were even better now than they were at Thanksgiving," said Betzold Monday while shopping at an upscale mall in Indianapolis. Betzold, who said the sluggish economy prompted her and her husband to be more frugal this year, noted that she saved about $25 on a Kindle Fire she found at Best Buy.

Spending by consumers accounts for 70 percent of overall economic activity, so the eight-week period encompassed by the SpendingPulse data is seen as a critical time not just for retailers but for manufacturers, wholesalers and companies at every other point along the supply chain.

The SpendingPulse data include sales by retailers in key holiday spending categories such as electronics, clothing, jewelry, luxury goods, furniture and other home goods between Oct. 28 and Dec. 24. They include sales across all payment methods, including cards, cash and checks.

It's the first major snapshot of retail sales during the holiday season through Christmas Eve. A clearer picture will emerge next week as retailers like Macy's and Target report revenue from stores open for at least a year. That sales measure is widely watched in the retail industry because it excludes revenue from stores that recently opened or closed, which can be volatile.

Despite the weak numbers out Tuesday, retailers still have some time to make up lost ground. The final week of December accounts for about 15 percent of the month's sales, said Michael McNamara, vice president for research and analysis at MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse. As stores offer steeper discounts to clear some of their unsold inventory, they may be able to soften some of the grim results reflected in Tuesday's data.

Still, this season's weak sales could have repercussions for 2013, he said. Retailers will make fewer orders to restock their shelves, and discounts will hurt their profitability. Wholesalers, in turn, will buy fewer goods, and orders to factories for consumer goods will likely drop in the coming months.

In the run-up to Christmas, analysts blamed the weather and worries about the "fiscal cliff" for putting a damper on shopping. Superstorm Sandy battered the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states in late October. Many in the New York region were left without power, and people farther inland were buried under feet of snow. According to McNamara, the Northeast and mid-Atlantic account for 24 percent of U.S. retail sales.

Buying picked up in the second half of November as retailers offered more discounts and shoppers waylaid by the storm finally made it into malls, he said.

But as the weather calmed, the threat of the "fiscal cliff" picked up. In December, lawmakers remained unable to reach a deal that would prevent tax increases and government spending cuts set to take effect at the beginning of 2013. If the cuts and tax hikes kick in and stay in place for months, many economists expect the nation could fall back into recession.

The news media discussed this possibility more intensely as December wore on, making Americans increasingly aware of the economic troubles they might face if Washington is unable to resolve the impasse. Sales never fully recovered, Cohen said.

The results were weakest in areas affected by Sandy and a more recent winter storm in the Midwest. Sales declined by 3.9 percent in the mid-Atlantic and 1.4 percent in the Northeast compared with last year. They rose 0.9 percent in the north central part of the country.

The West and South posted gains of between 2 percent and 3 percent, still weaker than the 3 percent to 4 percent increases expected by many retail analysts.

Online sales, typically a bright spot, grew only 8.4 percent from Oct. 28 through Saturday, according to SpendingPulse. That's a dramatic slowdown from the online sales growth of 15 to 17 percent seen in the prior 18-month period, according to the data service.

Online sales did enjoy a modest boost after the recent snowstorm that hit the Midwest, McNamara said. Online sales make up about 10 percent of total holiday business.

resource: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/12/25/holiday-retail-sales-growth-weakest-since-2008/

Read more »