How to Survive Holiday Shopping

It's holiday season again and it's time to go out to get gifts for the special people in your life. That's true, of course, only if you are fortunate enough to have a job and enough surplus money and credit to go shopping. This is a good time to be thankful for all that you have because some people are homeless for the holidays and unable to get even the basic necessities of life for their families.

Even those who are doing well need to be cautious not to overspend on gifts and decorations because you just don't know what's going to happen to the economy.

Beware of the fake sales. You are not the only one who may be experiencing difficult times. The retail industry has been sluggish for over a year now. After last year's tough holiday season, stores are becoming more aggressive to boost profitability. This accounts for the occurrences of sales that really are not sales.

For example, in anticipation of Black Friday, signs post false "original" prices that are higher than the price originally was. So, when the sign says "50%" off, it really isn't. In fact it might be the regular price, but you are deceived into thinking that you are getting a great deal.

Beware of exceptional prices. You might see ads in the newspaper that have incredibly good deals, so you spend your time and gas money to drive over to the store only to find that the great deal isn't there: it's "sold out." This is a trick many stores use to "reel" in customers in order to get traffic and sales.

Beware of quality issues. The holiday season seems to be when all the weird brand names that you never heard of come out. Sure, the price might be good on that low priced flat screen television, but what are you ever going to do if you need to get warranty service? What good is a warranty if there's no way to contact the Chinese company that made it (if you're able to figure out what Chinese company made it). You need to be very careful before buying these shady goods. If you do, be sure to understand the risks and don't pout if the item breaks down in a week or two and you're stuck.

Beware of charity fraud. There are always those people who give charity a bad name. Many of us want to help others at this time of year, but crooks try to take advantage of that to get money for themselves. Contact your Secretary of State's office for your state to verify a charity before making a donation.

The holidays can be lots of fun, but if you approach them with a healthy skepticism, you will increase your chances of survival.