Posts Tagged ‘cost of livng’
Written on January 30th, 2012 by Samanthano shouts
The great recession that we are in has meant that a lot of Americans are cutting back on a lot of usually affordable items. Making ends meet with less income is a way of living that a lot of us are getting used to, until we can do better.
Experts are noting that unemployment has gone down; however, more detailed studies reveal that the numbers are illusionary because those that have run out of unemployment benefits or are not eligible for benefits are not counted as being unemployed.
As time goes on, many American’s unemployment benefits are being exhausted and they have become ineligible to reapply. However, this does not mean that these people are working—and at most they may be underemployed. Then there are those that are not eligible, like those with failing businesses that can no longer stay afloat. These people are not being counted by the general census for unemployment accuracy—this is the conundrum.
Among many other things, what we are left with is a class of people that have to pay living expenses with much less. For those that are living with one income when your household once had two, or you are underemployed, you may appreciate this information.
Basic Survival
Being creative is a skill that can get you far in times like these. What it really comes down to is making it from day to day.
For those fortunate to still be in the workforce, plan out all of the necessary things that you need for the week. You need to be sure to get to work everyday, so be sure to have that expense covered.
Buy your transportation fare card ahead of time. Some employers have a program that allows you to purchase transportation fare cards, like a metro card, directly from the employer. The money is taken out of your paycheck before your deductions are calculated from your gross pay. This may alleviate some financial burdens for you later on in the year—ask your human resources department about it.
If you drive to work, be sure to put aside gas money. Avoid parking tickets and any other fee related offenses. The last thing you need is to spend more money or not have the use of the vehicle you need to get back and forth to work or to support your family care needs.
Pack a lunch instead of buying takeout all of the time. If you don’t like eating leftovers for lunch, then buy lunch items when they go on sale at your local market. You may be able to save 30%-60% off of lunch food costs when compared to buying lunch from vendors near your job.
Keep home expenses down, like utility costs, food, and repairs. Keeping on top of your utility usage will help to keep them low. Try to purchase foodstuffs when they are on sale, and store them well. Keep up on minor repairs so that they don’t turn into expensive home improvement projects later.
Entertainment
Relaxation and getting in enough down time is very important. You need to get proper rest to recharge yourself. This may call for some distraction and entertainment. You may not be able to go to the movies on a regular basis and movie tickets are very high right now—no problem. Check out you local paper for free to-do events. Go to the park, botanical garden, or museum on discount days. Go to your destination’s website to find out the discount price and free event schedule they have to offer. You may be surprised at how affordable and convenient this may be for you to do right now.
Don’t want to go out? Then stay home and log onto one of the low cost video streaming websites that you subscribe to. Netflix® video streaming is less than $10 dollars, and Hulu® is free—and a paid subscription to Huluplus® is also less than $10 dollars. I am sure that the low unlimited video streaming costs are less than haff of what others may pay for cable. Unplug the cable and go online for much less and with more flexibility and control.
Save, Save, Save.
I know that his may seem really daunting in times like these. It is truly challenging to save a significant amount of money right now—but that is ok, do the best that you can at the moment. Saving even just a few dollars from paycheck to paycheck really adds up. Perhaps you may not save enough for an all expense paid two-week vacation; however, you may have saved enough money to be sure you don’t run out of money for your basic expenses. Do your best to not have to borrow any significant amount of money. Nothing can be worse than trying to pay back money when you and your family are living on a very low income.
Written on January 28th, 2012 by Samanthano shouts
How can you start off the year better than the last—start managing your money better from the start of it. This is such a simple idea and easy to follow. Take the beginning of this year to chart out a way to have a better grip on your finances.
January is coming to a close, so most of the mood for procrastination should also be coming to a close. Take this time to make a basic outline of how you want the next few months to turn out—financially. Map out all of your usual financial obligations by each quarter or individual month of the year. Let’s get started.
January through March
Get all of your holiday finances in order. By now, all of the credit card charges that you made over the holiday season should be posted and ready for payment. Paying the minimum amount due may suffice; however, paying even 5%-10% more can make a tremendous difference in the long run. Paying off all of your holiday debt should be your ultimate goal.
Look at your calendar and figure out what key events will effect you finances and just jot them down accordingly—a simple title will do to get you started, you can always follow-up with details at another time. It is just important that you get that much done, for now.
Stay on track and pay down that debt.
Tax time is right around the corner. If you have not already, now is a good time to gather up all of the necessary paperwork for filing. Check in with you accountant and discuss the details on what you may need for this year as your needs can change from year to year. Be sure to check in with your accountant early to find out his or her availability.
Start thinking about what you want to do this summer. Will you be going on a vacation? Will you be staying home? If you have children, will you be sending them to summer camp? These are all serious expenses that you should start considering and planning for.
April through June
Spring is in the air and so are new expenses—new spring and summer wardrobe to consider, home repairs and improvements, more holidays and special events to plan for. Parties, graduations, and outings may dominate the latter part of the spring for you and your family. Be sure that you have planned well to meet all of the accommodations you want to offer.
Keep all of this in mind and stick to the financial outline that you have created with your calendar in January.
July through September
Summer is officially here. Your wardrobe has officially changed by now. Be sure to have a hold on any related purchasing expenses and continue to keep up your payment plans. Keep a close eye on your calendar for reference. You should be continuously plotting in details for the general goal titles you have posted on your calendar already.
Big holidays like Independence Day can be quite expensive. Be sure to have a set budget for this. If you are hosting a party, get invitees to bring something to cut down on your own expenses. If you’re traveling to a party, be sure that you have money saved for gas, lodging, and other related traveling expenses. The same goes for family reunions, get-togethers, anniversary parties, and Labor Day.
By the time Labor Day arrives, you should already have your child’s back to school expenses planned out—or perhaps your own back to school expenses to think about. There should be a lot of really good sales going on from late July through August on targeted back to school items.
October through December
The biggest holidays of the year are well on the way—Thanksgiving, Christmas and other religious holidays, and New Years.
By late October and early November, you should really think about how you will be spending your Thanksgiving. Will you be hosting or going to visit someone else? The same goes for upcoming religious holidays, and of course New Years as well.
These holidays usually require the most money effort so plan early on costs for hosting a holiday gathering, gifts, and wardrobe.
Sticking to a basic plan and plotting your way through the year will prove to be a tremendous help. Be sure to modify your calendar with more details and continue to personalize it for new events as you become aware of them.
Written on January 26th, 2012 by Samanthano shouts
JCPenny® has been making big waves in the newsroom lately. The conglomerate has made announcements this week to make those waves. They have new leadership, a new look, and are making dramatic changes to their “pricing strategies.” These will be distinguishable by a multi-tier “level of pricing.” The three identifiable levels will be designated by clearly laid out badges for the public to quickly and discernibly make selections from.
Everyday Value (red tags)
Monthly Long Value (white tags)
Best Prices (first and third Friday of each month)
These three levels of detectable shopping values are expected to bring in more customers and promote more return visits. Goals are set for “shopping to be an event again.” JCP has noted that they created approximately 590 promotions in 2011—with a visitation ratio of 4 visits per consumer out of 12 months means that the majority of visitors were not aware of active promotions, according to JCP strategists. The new strategy is supposed to change all of that by offering continuous sale advantages. JCP strategists believe that this will promote a higher frequency of planned shopping trips. This anticipates higher spending and return shopping visits.
The estimated value of the proposed discount is expected to be a permanent price reduction of 40%-50%, at all JCP stores throughout the country. That is a huge amount of saving and at such an opportune time, when the Americans are looking for the better deal everyday.
Some financial experts have critiqued this strategy by noting that Wal-Mart® stores attempted to do the very same thing and experienced a financial backlash because of it. However, other experts are banking on JCP making a better go at it. Only time will tell.
Meanwhile, Wal-Mart and Target® are doing the best they can to hold the better title of all around store value. Following Wal-Mart’s successful venture into grocery offering, Target has recently expanded its full grocery section to include fresh produce.
Each store has prided themselves on having very low prices and at convenient locations. However, a recent survey conducted by Kantar Retail IQ has revealed that Target has lower prices than Wal-Mart. This is from a study started in 2009.
The survey included purchases from edible and non-edible groceries, beauty products, and store brands of various items. The study concluded that Target shoppers are saving close to 3 percent more than Wal-Mart shoppers. This is the result of a test that was conducted five times, with Target being the better place to buy three out of those five times. So Wal-Mart does have some good days—as a consumer you may have to dig a little to find them out though. Some advice offered by the experts:
- Target fared well when key items were on sale. The sale items offered a deeper discount when compared to Wal-Mart.
- Wal-Mart store brands had an overall advantage over Target store brands for pricing. If you like the Wal-Mart store brand, then you may want to stick with those.
- Wal-Mart does not want to be defeated and is also “reemphasizing” its own low pricing strategy—so that they may have more to offer, and for less than Target, in the very near future.
To the winner, go the spoils.
Resources:
Daily Finance: http://www.dailyfinance.com
MSN Money: http://money.msn.com
Written on January 18th, 2012 by Samanthano shouts
There are lots of ways to save money. One of the unavoidable money grabbers is your home. Reducing the costs for home related items, services, and upkeep could keep more money in you pocket this year.
Appliances
Energy efficient means cost efficient—there is a natural correlation. The purchase of an energy efficient refrigerator, washing machine, and other large electronic appliances can prove to be quite a money saver in the long run. Consumers can have hundreds of dollars a year by replacing vintage appliances with new energy efficient appliances.
Appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, that are high efficiency, may also use much less detergent than regular washing machines and dishwashers—another money saving attribute.
Look for appliances that have the ENERGY STAR label on them. This is a program that has a “set criteria” for energy efficiency developed by the US Department of Energy.
Other Electric Use
This is definitely an energy and money zapper. Turning off the lights in a room or space that nobody is occupying at the moment is a very good start. However, turning off electronics not being used at the time is also a very good and money saving idea. Turn off your power plugs too your computer, television, game stations, cable box, stereo, and the rest.
When on vacation or away from home for a long time, you should pretty much turn off everything except for your refrigerator, and main heating sources. You will end up saving hundreds of dollars per year.
It may be a bit inconvenient to have to reprogram certain items; however, a set schedule or routine may be helpful.
Change all of your light bulbs and any other sources for artificial light to energy efficient bulbs, etc. A ten-watt energy efficient bulb can last about ten times as long as a regular bulb at a much higher wattage.
Also give thought to the energy efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. Be sure that they have an energy saver switch or button option. During extreme weather, hot summers or frigid winters, these appliances may be heavily used. A spike in electricity usage can make for a surprisingly large spike in your utility bills.
Spare Change
Did you know that the TSA finds approximately $400,000 dollars of loose change each year? That is a lot of money. Can you imagine how much money you may have lingering around in your home? Even if you do not happen to come across loose change, your spare change can make a big difference to your wallet.
If you don’t have one already get a bottle or two or more to keep all of your spare change in. Those bits of leftover change that you have at the bottom of your couch, bag, pocket, or car cup holder can amount to a lot. Gather all of your spare change for about a month or more. Take your change to be exchanged for money at a cash for coins dispensary. You may be surprised at how much you can make from just a bit of spare change.
Resources:
Yahoo!: http://www.news.yahoo.com
Department of Energy: http://www.energysavers.gov
Financially Fit: http://www.finance.yahoo.com
Written on January 1st, 2012 by Samanthano shouts
The American dream has been getting foggier and foggier. The notion of getting good grades in school to advance on to a scholarly institution and graduate college to land a great job has become fleeting. Adding on a family, a home, car, and opportunity for enjoyment of these liberties are becoming a goal that has been cast at an even farther distance. Personal income has decreased sharply over the past 30 years—almost 10 percent. The standard of living for the American middle class has gone down with it. Jobs that were held by the middle class have turned into “low income” jobs. These jobs now make up almost half of all American jobs. This is huge.
Some experts are noting that “globalization” is a factor in creating this trend, and may contribute to a creating a two-tiered society in this country. Some experts are even mentioning that America may be on the way to becoming less that a first world country.
Technology is also a huge contributor to this trend. New technology has been the cause of the reduction of particular jobs and increased other jobs. Jobs that are now in demand are healthcare and hospitality. Jobs where there is an impact on direct care of basic human needs and relaxation will thrive in this society. All humans need healthcare, and others will still spend money on home wellness when regular health insurance is not affordable—this will not just be left for the increasingly wealthy, although the wealthy can afford to feed the more extravagant hospitality sector.
The private sector job market is steadily increasing; however, for low-income jobs. Private sector jobs for the middle class are steadily decreasing, and government jobs are about the same.
With this entire going on, some experts are noting that today’s American generation is doing better than the previous generation. So far, the greatest increase is being seen for seniors in their social security checks. However, this comes at a great cost to the government.
Surveys conducted by Gallop polls, reveal that older Americans feel better off than their parents were at the same age in comparison to younger Americans. The wealthy Americans surveyed feel much better than those that are not as wealthy. Overall, this connotation is down by 5 percent from similar surveys taken near the turn of the century. Surveys from Pew Research Center have also revealed equivalent results.
This all seems to be quite good for much needed morale. Perhaps, this may be enough to combat the reality of this situation.
The recent economic turmoil that most Americans have been feeling has been overwhelming for most. With the right amount of motivation, there is hope present for a better future. The thing is, how long will it take for this better future to be realized. Most experts have noted that although there will be steady increases, the real turn around of what has been deemed “The Great Recession” won’t be for a few years. In the meantime, we can still have hope.
Resources:
ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com
Yahoo! Finance – The Daily Ticker: http://finance.yahoo.com
Written on December 28th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
This has been a year that most may want to forget. Financial woes hit Americans hard this year. Lots of things are still out of balance as we look ahead. As this year comes to a close it is a good time to think about your financial future. Here are some tips on shaping up your finances in the new year.
Savings Accounts
This has to be the simplest thing to do. However, a lot of people don’t utilize them as much as they should. Some reasons may be that it is believed that not a lot of money—as interest—may be earned. It’s true that typical bank savings account products made for the average American, with a required minimum balance of only $500 dollars, has an average interest rate of below 1 percent. Accounts that have an increased earned interest value also have an increased minimum balance rate—$3,000 dollars and up. That is a lot of money to have on hand for the average American during such difficult economic times. However, even a 1 percent earned interest rate savings account is good for something—and, it’s a start in the right direction.
Pay yourself by saving a little bit each paycheck. Most financial expert recommendations have been a steady 10 – 15 percent of each paycheck. Recently, this recommendation has been increased to 20 percent. This will make a significant difference in your savings.
Pay Less
Modern consumers have much more choices than ever before when it comes to getting more for less. There are a plethora of discount or coupon services available. For a few dollars, a person may sign up for access to coupon websites where he or she may download coupons to use for grocery shopping. There are also discount website and/or manufacturer issued discount codes flying all over the internet for other wanted items such as clothing, shoes, furniture, bedding, and more.
Another big step for modern consumers are the group discount deals being offered by quite a few different companies. These are offers on mostly lifestyle, therapeutic, or relaxation products. Some of what is being offered are discount travel and vacation destination rates, discounts on dinner at trendy metropolitan restaurants, and discounts on gym memberships or fitness classes—the choices seem to be limitless.
Get More
Pleasantness with a mix of proper manners may go a long way on bumping up amenities at certain establishments. Being courteous to the staff at a posh restaurant or hotel may amount to getting more stuff for the same amount of money you have already invested. It pays to be nice.
Frequent users of certain products may also be able to get more with regular use of particular services. Look for services that offer a freebie or full use of their offered product for free once a consumer has accumulated a certain amount of usage. This can amount to a free lunch or a few free nights at a hotel. Shop around for the best prices online as well as locally. There are a lot of deals out there for you to find.
Written on December 19th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
Times have been tough for all us lately. The economy has forced many Americans to do without the usual and consistent luxuries. However, American women have adapted and even drove a particular market sky high—nail polish. Isn’t that simply amazing? There are plenty of beauty rituals that do not need to be put off because of the overturned economy. Become a do-it-yourself person, and get the most out of your own natural talents.
Nail Shop Envy
Consistent trips to a nail beauty salon used to be a grooming necessity. Now, it has become an every now and again luxury for many. A typical manicure and pedicure costs about $25 – $30 dollars, with a modest tip for the nail technician. That is a total cost of approximately $60 dollars per month, or approximately $720 dollars per year—when you add that up at the typical bi-weekly visiting rate for nail grooming. This does not include transportation costs, or the purchasing of a quick snack and beverage while waiting to be seated for services. That is a lot of money that can be used elsewhere, and for a more long lasting or productive purpose.
American Women Are Doing It For Themselves
Self-serve has taken on a whole new meaning this year. The numbers of self-grooming products are proving it—nail polish and nail products in particular. Nail polish products buying by average American women has gone up a whopping 59% for the better part of this year, according to the NPD Group market research firm. That is up from the same time in 2010.
Women are able to take care of this task themselves, and the opportunity to change up their look is endless. There is no need to wait for bi-weekly grooming, or for your favorite nail technician to be available. With the colder weather upon us, it can also be a bit more troublesome experience—try to get a pair of socks, boots, and gloves on after a fresh Mani Pedi. All that has to be done is to pick up a bottle of nail polish from a local beauty supply and voila—instant beauty makeover. This is quick, inexpensive, less time consuming, and truly gratifying.
Women just can’t seem to get enough.
Real Beauty
Women who want to be beautiful will find a way to achieve it without the salon. There are lots of beauty treatments that can be done at home. There are homemade beauty wrap recipes and products. Natural product facemask recipes for all complexions are easy to find with the some online research. YouTube is loaded with a plethora of instructional beauty regimen videos. Bring the spa experience home by adding romantic scents to the home atmosphere while performing a home beauty regimen. Make a party out of it by inviting some friends over. Get ready for the holidays—and save some money while you are at it.
With a bit of research women can find a ton of recipes on homemade beauty techniques, at a fraction of the cost of going to a beauty parlor or salon. That’s your beauty bonus.
Resources:
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com
Yahoo!: http://www.yahoo.com
Written on November 30th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
The holiday season is in full swing. Thanksgiving has just passed us by, and the end of year celebrations are just around the corner. No matter how or what you may celebrate, there is a pledge to the fashion police to adorn yourself with your finer clothing and accessories this time of year. However, with the economy being what it is, a lot of us will have to make due with a whole lot less this year. No problem.
Shopping for Discounts
There are plenty of options for affordable clothing these days. If you did not have the opportunity to partake in the recent Black Friday weekend shopping bonanza or the terrific deals presented to consumers on Cyber Monday, you may still have an opportunity to get a great deal or discount. First of all, many retailers are still offering sales—at the same or slightly higher pricing. In any case, it should be lower not then at any other time of the year. So if you were too into turkey day to look up, be on your way to the nearest shopping center for the end of year clearance racks.
Most retailers are getting ready for more holiday shopping and want to continue the successes enjoyed during last week’s consumer frenzy. They will start to offer end of year deals right around the time you will be ready to get an outfit together for your holiday event. Look out for deals on shoes, bags, hats, dress and casual clothing.
I can’t seem to say this enough, online retail websites are a very consumer smart way to go for some of the best deals you can imagine. If you are lucky enough to make purchases at all, I would definitely make online shopping a priority shopping option.
Exchanging Clothes
Times are not easy, but it has not always been like this. There are plenty of unused (brand new with the tags still on them) and gently used clothing that can be exchanged within trusted circles and associations. Keep an eye out for organizations that may be having clothing exchange events in your neighborhood. This may be held by a not for profit organization at a local participating retailer, thrift shop, neighborhood social center, or place of worship. If you cannot fine one, you may be able to host one yourself. This can be a great cooperative activity that you can share with family and friends—get them all involved.
Recycle Old Clothes
You know that you probably have enough clothing from the last holiday season to wear this year as well. Once it is still in good condition, it is wearable. This can save you big in the long run.
Don’t like the color—dye it. A bit too bland—embellish it with clothing jewelry or decorative fabric pieces. Get creative. There are a plethora of website portals with video and other clear media demonstrating how to get this done—that goes for great hairstyles for the ladies as well.
Don’t let the lack of immediate funds or the lack of what you may have been used to suppress your holiday spirit. You may find that participating in such tasks to not only be effective toward your goal of getting something to wear, you may also find a distraction that may be a well deserved pick me up. Enjoy.
Written on November 28th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
Retailers waited anxiously for what has become the biggest day in retail for decades now—Black Friday. Occurring on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday has been used as a determining retail factor for financial figures for the rest of the holiday season for decades. Retailers that do well on Black Friday may expect to do well financially by the year’s end. This has lead to an expected frenzy of encouraging sales to lure shoppers so that they get a jump making on holiday purchases—including extending Black Friday to “Black Friday weekend.”
Everything and Anything Goes
Televisions, cell phones, computers, house wares, laptops, clothing, furniture, jewelry, and of course the crowd favorite—toys. Retailers had all of these on sale. Savvy consumers made the most out of some of the best shopping deals on the momentous day. Items that were usually sold at much higher prices earlier in the year were offered at a deep discount this past weekend. Retailers have been following suit by offering new items during the Black Friday event. Manufacturers have also been playing along, by offering new and updated items with late fall release dates. This spanned from e-readers to the latest and greatest video games. All of these retail forces worked together for the largest profit imaginable.
So how well did American retailers do this year? Very well, and better than expected according to experts. The National Retail Federation has estimated that during the weekend of Black Friday consumers spent a “record $52 billion dollars.” There were an estimated 14 million more shoppers in stores this past weekend, and nearly 25% of all shoppers that visited stores did so during the 12-midnight opening time on Friday. The earlier shopping hours went over well with shoppers that just wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible and felt this was a welcoming alternative than getting up in the early morning to beat other shoppers to the door. Some shoppers would have been able to have dinner and camp out in front of stores with dessert—only in America.
And the Winner Is…
Lots of deals had eager shoppers flying in and out of stores this year, and Best Buy was a “big winner,” according to Reuters. Seen by experts as a retailer that may be closing up shop soon earlier this year, Best Buy turned a nice profit by attracting more shoppers than last year. Last season, Best buy concentrated on having some of the best items, but not at the best or most affordable prices as compared to other retailers offering the same or similar items. This year, Best Buy took a huge lesson from last year’s shortcomings and offered some of the best and most wanted items for lower prices. This was definitely their saving grace from this holiday season.
However, online shopping went up by over 30% from last year. The “leader of the pack” being Amazon. Wal-Mart came in second—Macy’s, Target, and Apple online stores also did very well.
Resources:
Associated Press: http://www.ap.org
National Retail Federation: http://www.nrf.com
Reuters: http://www.reuters.com
Written on November 15th, 2011 by Samanthano shouts
It’s Your Money
The holiday shopping season is finally here and shoppers are expecting a lot. Experts have predicted that shopper spending will increase almost 3 percent from last year. A lot of that has to do with the expectation of great holiday deals from retailers this season. Retailers are following suit by offering some amazing deals, and well before Black Friday actually arrives. The deals are expected to be so great that most experts predict that shoppers will not only buy for loved ones—they will buy for themselves as well. Some retailers have even started whole marketing campaigns around this popular theory. There may be a surge in BOGO’s (buy one get one) this holiday season as a direct result.
Here is a mini survival kit on how to get the most out of the 2011 holiday season.
Shop Around
Look through store circulars and compare the prices. You are sure to pinpoint items that you want to check off of your holiday shopping list. If you prefer dealing with a particular merchant, bring in competitor prices to see if they will match it.
Get Out Early, or Stay up Late
Lots of stores have set a trend of trying to beat out the competition by opening up as early as possible over recent years. The 8 am opening time has been swept aside for the 6 am opening, and then the 4 am opening. Well retailers have gotten even cleverer by offering Black Friday midnight (morning) sales. Macy’s, and others will be opening their doors at midnight so you can start shopping before sleeping off your delicious Thanksgiving meal. Check your local retailers for more details.
Go Online
Cyber Mondays has evolved into cyber everyday around the holidays. You do not have to wait until the Monday after Thanksgiving to get great deals. Great deals are only as far as your fingers can type your most wanted items into search modules.
Rain Check
Coveted items are sure to get top billing at most stores, which means that they will probably run out the fastest. You may be able to get a rain check from some retailers if this should happen. Don’t expect that you will be able to get the item before Christmas though. You may have to be patient and wait until the New Year—better late than never.
Keep Your Sanity Intact
The holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the entire year. If you do venture out, the lines are bound to be quite long with determined shoppers, who all want more than a retailer may have in stock. Be patient, and have several destinations in mind. If an item cannot be found at one store, it may be at another. This is a good time to get that out the e-reader and browse through a novel, or play a quick game. Bring along company, snacks, and water too. You don’t want to get dehydrated and famished while waiting on line.
Remember that a lot of stores may have an online website as well. If you can’t find it at the store you may be able to find at the store website.
Resources:
National Retailer Federation: http://www.nrf.com
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