ALT-2 Tips for Shopping Online for Fathers Day
You'll need to buy a father's day gift somewhere, and savvy shoppers know the benefits of internet retail. No crowded stores, long lines, or wasted gasoline; online shopping is easy, quick, and just as fun as browsing the brick-and-mortar stores. It's not without drawbacks, but the power of a good search engine picks up the slack; if you know what dad wants, and you have the money, you can buy it.
Shop as early as possiblebut not too soon before the Father's Day sales begin. First rate web sites like amazon.com, buy.com, and eBay move inventory like any other department store, shoving hot items right up front. The day the sales begin you'll notice a front page overhaul; Father's Day goodies left, right, and in between. Those specific goodies may not fit precisely on dad's wish list, but if he asks for a power drill by Black and Decker, and you click on one made by Makita, you're certainly in the right department. You'll also notice the reduced sale prices on these items; front page web space is expensive, so retailers are taking the chance to move items seriously, even at lower cost. Reap the rewards.
There's another reason for shopping early; shipping and handling times. While a last minute gift shopper can zip in and out of a store in ten minutes, an online shopper needs to plan several days for the gift to travel. Many retailers offer overnight shipping, but it's far from cheap; save money and get your order in first. An order placed early on Monday or Tuesday could arrive at your door before the weekend. For extra expensive or fragile gifts, insure the package and save yourself some worry.
If you're unsure of what to buy dad, don't sweat it; every online store has a quick search function attached to their whole inventory, and if they're hosting a Father's Day sale, they'll have popular items arranged for head-scratching shoppers to find. And if you want to search multiple stores at once for multiple prices, point your browser to froogle.com. This Google-powered search engine combs the web for anything on sale you've asked it to find. It easily compares and arranges prices by your criteria, and provides a visual report of the seller's quality, from one-to-five stars.
With all the ease, it's no surprise web shopping carries a stigma of unsafe transactions. And while there are far more reputable sellers than crooks out there, it pays to buy from a reliable source. The aforementioned store sites are all reputable, and sites of the "big box" stores are equally safe. But with every excuse to shop, there's a shady guy trying to make a buck off your mistake. Shop smart; if one eBay seller is hawking a grill for half the price of everyone else, there's probably something wrong with it. If a seller asks for your credit card, bank account number, or password as "verification," he's bologna; drop him like a rock and report him to the site manager. Private stores on eBay will never see your credit card number; the most secure transactions are done digitally, and all honest sellers keep it that way.
But once you've got the gift ordered and payments processedrelax! Let FedEx do the rest of your work. By shopping online you've saved money, time, and hassle. Await the package with confidence and give dad a good surprise.
