ATLANTA — Christmas is days away. If you put off shopping until now, Channel 2 Consumer Adviser Clark Howard says you will need to be extra savvy to find the deals.
Clark says the biggest savings are not online.
Procrastination is almost never your friend when it comes to finding deals, but it’s not exactly your enemy if you are still working to fill stockings. The key is comparison shopping inside brick-and-mortar stores.
To find the best deals, focus on what’s not hot. Look for the items everyone overlooked.
There is no guarantee what you buy online will get to your loved one by Christmas, so your best bet for finding the right price will be in the stores. Clearance items and last-minute sales will be out in force but remember that feeling rushed is no excuse to skip comparison shopping.
And just because a sign says it’s a deal doesn’t mean it’s a deal.
You might be tempted to recruit AI to help. Clark’s take is it’s not ready for prime time.
Lastly, set a budget before you leave the house. According to Bankrate, one in four shoppers expect to take on debt this season - don’t be one of them.
“And remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune,’ Clark said. “You might even not have to spend money at all. There are so many ways you can show your love and caring for somebody else without just opening up your wallet.”
A guide at Clark.com has a lot of creative things you can do for a friend or loved one that aren’t going to cost you a lot of money, or maybe no money at all.
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