Ask A Las Vegas Expert: Tips On Finding Deals Shopping Online
Editor
Racked Vegas
www.vegas.racked.com
Susan Stapleton is the editor of Racked Vegas, a website dedicated to shopping in Las Vegas. As a freelance writer based in Viva Las Vegas, she has been writing for publications such as Haute Living, Vegas Magazine, Las Vegas Magazine and Eater Vegas. It was fashion that originally brought her to Vegas, when she began her career as the fashion editor of the now-defunct Image section in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She moved to Vegas over seven years ago from Philadelphia, where she was the editor-in-chief of Philadelphia Style and D.C. Style magazines.
The easiest way to comparison shop is by simply using the internet. Start by typing the name of the item into the Google shopping tab. The search engine will bring up the item, stores where it is available as well as the prices. You'll be able to find the lowest price on the item without visiting multiple sites.
You can find sales almost any time of year if you join the rewards club or sign up for a store card. For instance, Banana Republic typically offers 30 percent off if you use its credit card for purchases, plus you can earn points for every purchase that add up to discounts down the line. Retailers also sometimes offer early access to new collections or an additional percentage off sale prices when you use your rewards or store credit card.
Did you miss out on a dress or a handbag from last season? If it's designer, you'll most likely find it on eBay. There are people out there who make a living by combing through sale racks and then posting the deals to eBay. Ebay is also a great place to find a duplicate of your favorite pair of jeans or ruined party dress.
It may be irritating to your inbox, but many of your favorite brands send out sale notifications, coupon codes and flash sale invites to shoppers in their subscription database. Most retailers also send out pre-sale emails for Black Friday as well as the other big shopping holidays. If you don't want to constantly filter through promotional emails, set up a separate email address just for your online shopping.
Join a site such as Shoptagr or Lyst to get alerts when items go on sale. The sites allow you to tag items you love and get notified when they go on sale. Follow "mommy" shopping blogs like Hip2Save and The Krazy Coupon Lady. These sites have hourly posts on flash sales and hidden gems from sites like Amazon. Racked National has something called the "Shopping Report," a daily list of sales and discounts found all over the web.
Related: Ask A Las Vegas Expert: Shopping For Home Decor On A Budget
