Shopping Help Web

Another Penny Deal Pops Up

2008-08-11T23:20:00.002-04:00

Not to be outdone by Wine.com's fabulous 1 cent shipping offer, OfficeMax is offering its own special penny deal for a short time.

As you shop for supplies and back to school items, Office Max will give you a $25 headset for only 1 cent. The deal started yesterday, and Office Max said (we'll paraphrase) while supplies last. Don't count on this deal being there if you delay.

Shipping Is Only 1 Penny At Wine.com (get the coupon code!)

2008-08-11T14:07:00.003-04:00

You've only got until Friday to pick up an order at Wine.com and have the bottle(s) delivered to your home for only 1 cent.

Use the link below to pick up your favorites on discount and pay only a penny to have them shipped directly to your home. You get Wine.com's low prices (and handy discount finder guides) and practically free shipping. Short of paying you to accept delivery, offers don't get much better than this.

Click on the link below, and your special code will be revealed at the top of the wine.com screen in red letters.

And speaking of reds, Wine.com has some awesome buys, including Santa Rita Cab for $16.99 and Australia's Wynns Shiraz 2005 marked down from more than $18 to only $13.29. There are plenty of whites, sparkling and other wines to stock up on or sample for the first time.

Don't forget that Wine.com is also the home of the high rating / low price finder and is offering 132 different vintages that have a 90+ rating and that cost less than $20. Throw in shipping for a penny, and it's a sweet deal.

Hot New Sweepstakes With Daily Prizes

2008-08-01T20:22:00.001-04:00

WWEShop is giving away a 17” HD laptop computer, a Playstation 3® package, a $250 WWEShop shopping spree or a SummerSlam DVD Anthology Package. Plus, a chance to win in our daily prize drawing for an MP3 player in our WWEShop's SummerBlast Sweepstakes.

This is a sweet deal for wrestling fans especially as August 17th's big bout comes up.

Bookmark this page, come back every day and enter again. The more times you enter, the better chance you'll have to bring home a new computer or PS3!

Best Deal Magazine - 1 Day Special Offer

2008-07-21T11:58:00.002-04:00

We've always praised Best Deal Magazines (you can read our review of the discount magazine retailer here at Shopping Help Web).

That's why we were excited to see that the subscription agency is going deep on discounts for special titles each day this week.

Monday's special -- and it expires in just 12 hours -- is Family Fun at only $3.97!

Take An Additional 15% Off. Enter Coupon Code PXCJ727 During Checkout

eBay Customer Service Fails To Impress CTO

2008-07-21T10:54:00.002-04:00

David Silversmith, a web thought leader we saw on eBay a long time ago, tells the story this morning of some pretty strange customer service interaction regarding an issue between the web giant and its PayPal subsidiary.

The issue dealt with Silversmith identifying fraud and how eBay pushed the resolution process through its subsidiary back to him.

Silversmith, who knows startups, online and service as well as anyone out there, detailed the eBay customer misadventure in his Internet Muse blog today. If you're not subscribing there, you should really consider doing so.

Microsoft Slashes Xbox Price

2008-07-13T19:27:00.003-04:00

Looking to be more competitive with Nintendo's surprising hit Wii platform, Microsoft slashed prices on its XBox 360 gaming console today. List prices are now below $300, and we've found you an offer even lower at Buy.com, starting at $279.

If you were waiting for an excuse to go for the 'box, you now have one.

Beat The Heat With A Free Slurpee

2008-07-11T12:29:00.003-04:00

Quick, look at a calendar.

Yes, today is July 11, or 7/11.

That makes the Slurpee shop happy, and they reward you with a free Slurpee. The offer is good while supplies last and ends at 11 p.m. local time tonight.

Check your thirst at the door and check local participating stores at slurpee.com

Blockbuster Cuts 1st Month 50% and Offers Full Discount

2008-07-08T23:08:00.002-04:00

Blockbuster is serious about catching Netflix. The video store chain has been trying to convince film fans to subscribe to the Total Access package.

The biggest difference? Blockbuster subscribers can return their DVDs directly to the store and cut a big chunk out of return mail time, even with Netflix's big improvements in that area.

Today, Blockbuster got serious about taking on Netflix. Their latest deal is a beauty and offers the first month at no charge if you pay with PayPal.

The details:

** The first month is now 50% and only $9.99

** Consumers paying via PayPal receive a $10 credit.

That leaves the first month's cost at, uh, free.

Just like Netflix, you can have 3 DVDs out at once. You also get to make 5 in-store returns each month. That's worth trying just to see how it changes your habits. This offer is worth jumping on now.

MicroCenter and Domino's Keep Going

2008-07-01T11:28:00.002-04:00

By sheer coincidence, or one might say some law of numbers, both MicroCenter and Domino's spammed the same email account last night after our post on unwanted email.

You've got to get those end of month sales in at the last minute.

Men's Clothing Sale At Bank - 75% Off and Free Shipping

2008-07-01T08:35:00.003-04:00

Men's clothing store, Jos. A Bank, got a jump on the upcoming July 4 holiday with a and 75% off sale and free shipping over $175. Bank has long been one of our favorite stores (George, our COO, orders shirts there by saying, "One blue, one white, one green, one striped...")

Jump in on the action now because the online sale starts this morning. Pants and shirts are down to $14.99 in many sizes, jackets are only $99 and some suits are as low as $199. Even if you're a hard-to-fit size, buying a quality suite for $199 and paying a little to have it altered is a deal, especially with free shipping.

Want to get advance notice of all sales? We don't publish at least half the sales we know of, but reserve them for our subscribers. Privacy and email confidentiality is our absolute commitment. We're part of Consumer Help Web, after all. We never sell, trade or otherwise your release your email address to anyone else. But if you want us to give you a heads-up when sales and special events happen, simply send us your address on our private contact form, and we'll do just that. If there are special categories or merchants you want to know about, let us know that too.

A Tale of Two Spammers and A Nice Solution

2008-06-30T20:47:00.004-04:00

by George Bounacos

Shopping at the beginning of June brought me a lot of spam from two merchants I previously considered higher caliber. One was a bricks and mortar retailer and the other was the online arm of another famous retailer. Luckily, I have a free solution to tackle both.

Spammer #1 - MicroCenter

My network consultant was very happy when we moved offices June 1, and he got to make a shopping list for a trip to a real computer store. We drove over to MicroCenter, and I was not surprised to see that there was gentle pressure throughout our buying cycle of PCs, cables and various other little parts designed to finish off our networking. Network guys always buy online so getting to roam the store was a treat for my business partner.

I was surprised to see that I was briefly stopped as I left the computer area to go to the main store. Just like in an auto dealership, we were approached by a closer whose job was to sell extended service agreements (what others often wrongly call "a warranty"). The salesman effectively waved him off by saying that we were professional geeks.

We were stopped again at the cash register, but one look at the base gear we had bought convinced the front manager we would not be easy marks and had no intention of buying anything extra. She too thanked us and waved us on our way, but not before the cashier pushed for an email address. No dummy, I had one already to give him. (More on that in a minute because it's awesome)

Spammer #2 - Domino's Pizza

This was surprising. We've been ordering food online for years. No one, grocery stores, food retailers, no one, spams up. We get the occasional piece from Omaha Steaks, but like VistaPrint, that is a known inconvenience.

We normally call Domino's, but with a laptop across my legs, I placed the order online. Thank goodness I had my secret weapon handy because Domino's spent June spamming us as well.

What Is This Secret Weapon?

I have been using a free service called Boxbe for several months. The site acts as a waypoint for email destined for your address. I originally signed up so I could keep an email address in public and not see it pulverize my email box. Messages arrive and are either cleared (whitelisted) by you in advance, pass a challenge or sit in email purgatory waiting for your decision.

When the mail from these two national merchants started (I don't mind an email with an offer, but a deluge is a bit much), I decided to keep track.

The winner of the SpamTooMuch contest in June?

It was a tie!

Domino's and MicroCenter each sent me six pieces of unwanted mail. I dont have the Domino's opt-in screen or permissions available so I may have agreed to something in mouseprint. As for MicroCenter, I answered a cashier's question. There was no disclosure, no opt in and certainly no agreement that MicroCenter would start writing me the day after I left their store and then send five more pieces.

Boxbe is free, and they're not paying me to share anything with our readers. I think they provide an amazing free service and have some smart people there who will undoubtedly be able to make money from advertising in some way. Boxbe works with Outlook and Yahoo Mail among others and is on our must-have list to keep aggressive merchants at bay.

Consumers Owed $300 Million Says IndianaUnclaimed.com

2008-06-11T16:10:00.000-04:00

States continue searching for effective ways to find consumers who are owned money for deposits, refunds and other purposes. These so-called "unclaimed monies" are often relatively small amounts that grow over the years with large populations to big amounts.

IndianaUnclaimed.com, a state-run site, estimates that current and former Hoosier residents are owed $326 million. The state has no address at all for the consumers owed more than one-third of that money. When we've spoken with consumers, many tell us they found money for themselves or a family member, even if only a few dollars. Our very unscientific poll of six people resulted in four finding money in states they lived in now or had previously lived in.

Most states have a small group set up to deal with these claims. We don't know of any who charge a fee to process claims although you may be asked to produce proof that you are the named person, even if that means finding proof of a residence you moved from years ago.

Most consumers won't get rich finding unclaimed property, but if Indiana's 6 million residents and companies can generate 1/3 of a billion dollars over the years, then you might want to take a moment to search the records for any state in which you've lived. Just make sure you're checking with an official state agency and don't send personal information or pay any money to a third party.

Free Donut Today at Krispy Kreme!

2008-06-06T12:46:00.003-04:00

You can spell the tasty treat "doughnut" or "donut".

You can spell the glazed sugary goodness "Krispy Kreme" or "Krispy Kream".

Whichever way you choose, today is the day to pick up a tasty after-lunch snack or some free desert. Bakery company Krispy Kreme (NYSE: KKD) is celebrating National Donut Day today by giving customers a free donut. You even get to choose the donut, err, doughnut, um, delicious goodness, as Homer Simpson might say.

Consider Starting With A Free Chicken Sandwich From McDonalds!

We told you last month that McDonalds is heavily promoting its new chicken sandwich and chicken biscuit. Coupons have shown up in newspapers, mailers and even Amazon boxes.

Now we have word that Amazon orders continue to fulfill with a coupon good for one of each sandwich. So even if you miss out on your free donut today, you can always have a book delivered next week and dig into summer reading at Mickey D's for breakfast and lunch in the same day.

Circuit City Goes 24/24

2008-05-25T17:01:00.004-04:00

What's 24/24? Isn't that supposed to be 24/7?

The electronics retailer is continuing their awesome shipping offer. Consumers get a choice of:

1) FREE SHIPPING on electronics for orders over $24, or
2) Free in-store pickup within 24 minutes. Not hours, minutes.

This convergence of online stores and the Internet helps make online shopping an instant gratification process. Hate wandering the store and know what you want? Just like a restaurant's call-ahead feature (and no one beats Outback at this), place and pay for your order online, snagging at the local store in less than 30 minutes.

If gas prices or a heavy schedule have you bogged down, there is no special fee to pay for free shipping like Amazon's Prime service. Instead, you buy something for $24 or more, and you get free shipping. That's an unbeatable deal.

With Father's Day and graduations looming over the next few weeks, it's a perfect way to get that perfect toy or gizmo as a gift. If you're worried about in-house snoops, pick it up yourself. If you're pressed for time, nothing is easier than free delivery.

Bank Wants To Dress Up Your Father

2008-05-24T17:50:00.003-04:00

Jos. A Bank is responding well to the competition from Paul Frederick and other online men's clothing retailers.

The biggest salvo of the battle this is Bank's Father's Day offer. We've always praised Jos. A Bank for their service and the free shipping for orders totaling $175 and over. Bank also a crazy good clearance section, and only through May 31, that section is selling all sorts of things for Dad at 70% off.

Yes, a tie is a cliche, but if you know what Dad likes to wear, or even what he would look great in but hasn't tried yet, check out the sale items. This is an instance where you don't need the free shipping to save a lot of money. Everyone wins when quality clothes are 70% off.

Free McDonald's Sandwiches

2008-05-24T16:50:00.003-04:00

McDonald's continues promoting its two new chicken sandwiches -- the breakfast biscuit and the southern style chicken.

We have seen orders fulfilling from Amazon.com this week that include a coupon for each sandwich in each box. While you can't easily control how many boxes Amazon's centers use to ship your order, the coupons have been inserted in each, much like the Cell Phones for Soldiers promotion at the holidays.

Others are reporting wireless companies promoting the sandwich, as well as direct mail (don't throw out those coupons -- they're good for a free meal!).

So with all this going on to promote the new sandwiches, has anyone tasted one yet?

Sears Launching 50% Off Sale This Weekend - Bedding, Father's Day Half Off

2008-05-15T07:58:00.004-04:00

Word from Sears last night is that they are running a 50% off sale on lots of springtime items this Saturday. Below is a shot from their latest sale.

Look for 50% off plus 10% plus free shipping on mattresses and all shoes on sale with 50% off on summer shoes.

If you're looking for Father's Day presents early, the home of Craftsman Tools is touting 50% off on thousands of tools.

This is a hot deal you won't want to miss. Be sure to bookmark this post for Saturday morning, and get your hands on some hot summer deals before they sell out.

Forever Stamp Saves Postage Costs, But Doesn't Deliver Enough Savings

2008-05-12T10:50:00.003-04:00

The US Postal Service's latest brilliant gimmick is the "Forever Stamp". The stamp allows people and companies using first class mail to purchase the stamp at current postage rates and use the stamp for future mailing, even if rates rise.Saving money is great, but even if you send a lot of first class mail, you didn't miss out on many savings now that first class postage is 42 cents instead of 41 cents.

Consumers rushing to buy Forever Stamps this weekend -- especially those who bought 100 or more -- saved 1 penny per stamp at current rates. That's one dollar in savings for a cash outlay of $41. Smart shoppers know not to stock up on bulk sales items because the price is increasing.

Remember too that these stamps are called "live postage". That means they're not available in a postage meter and have to be peeled off and placed on an envelope.

Is that worth a price break of less than 3%? We don't think so either. Just stock up on some 1 cent stamps when you go to the post office if you have the old 41 cents stamps around.

Yes, a penny saved is a penny earned. But spending $41 to buy 100 stamps and save $1 is not worth the effort.

Send A Free Mother's Day Card Even If You Call

2008-05-11T14:46:00.002-04:00

You're reading a blog so we'll talk Mother's Day and computers. We're not going to tell you that you shouldn't call Mom today (east coast folks, you're pushing it too late now already), but if Mom is a wired lady, consider sending a free ecard too.

Ecards allow you to sink behind the anonymity of being able to type the words some folks have trouble saying. Want an especially fun idea? Schedule an ecard to be delivered first thing tomorrow to Mom. Remind her that every day is Mother's Day since she brought you here.

Hallmark and 123 Greetings are among ecard merchants offering some free offerings among some very cute paid offerings.

Linens 'n Things Closing 150 Stores

2008-05-05T09:07:00.001-04:00

Check out Consumer Help Web's blog entry today about Linens 'n Things declaring bankruptcy and closing stores. Good advice there. If you're holding a gift card, call your local store and see if they're on the list to be closed.

If so, there are plenty of discounts to be found. But you may also wind up with a pretty piece of plastic and a long drive to redeem the value.

Gas Prices May Not Ruin All Summer Vacations

2008-05-04T15:59:00.003-04:00

Travel aggregation company ORBITZ is back with a summer deal that is hard to beat.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) says that gas prices are rising more often than not. Prices for self-service unleaded are topping $4 in many cities. Multiple polls state that American families plan to travel closer to home this year rather than venutre on to highways clogged with gas sucking SUVs.

Orbitz, meanwhile, has rolled out another of its slick summer programs for those ready to plan.

You must book by July 6 -- that's 60 days from now, folks, so plan and get ready.

Orbitz Summer Sale: SAVE up to 50% on hotels! Hurry...offer ends July 6!

Click the link above, and you'll save 40% on hotels plus an extra 10% for any stay longer than one night. Half off your hotel bill will pay for a lot of gasoline, even as the price continues to rise.

To get in on this sale for half-off hotel stays this summer, click the above link and remember three things:

1) You must book by July 6.
2) You must travel by September 30.
(That's why they call it *summer vacation*)
3) You must use the secret discount code: SUMMERSALE10.

Have fun, and don't forget to come back here and tell us where you went at 50% off!

Thank yous are a must

2008-02-19T21:08:00.002-05:00

When you get a gift send a thank you: bottom line!

Okay, now that I've said that I'll share with you the secret to sending thank yous, have them on hand and you'll never forget. A good way to keep them on hand is to pick them up while on sale.

Today I stopped into Target and found stacks of thanks yous for less than $2 a pack.

Spring is in the air...or at least in the stores

2008-02-19T20:56:00.002-05:00

This is a tough time for shoppers.

The holiday shopping season is over and if you live where winter seems to be never ending there doesn't seem much to look forward to shopping wise...

Unless you have a spring vacation coming up, which I do!!

Although it's a month away, I've started shopping and despite the snow, I've found the stores both online and in person have plenty of spring wear.

Today I headed to Old Navy and fell in love with their spring line. For women it's all about safari and animal prints and for guys it's all about prints and plaids. So much fun!

What are you finding during your spring shopping??

Freecyle is pretty cool

2008-01-24T22:01:00.000-05:00

Despite my love of spending money I love to get stuff for free, I mean who doesn't.

I also love to clean out my apartment pretty often. Ridding myself of clothes and a bunch of other stuff that I can't necessarily sell but hate to throw away.

My friend Tiffany let me in on a great site www.freecycle.org

You simply join a local group and post your need, want or offer.

I logged onto my local group today in search of some faux house plants and I found myself searching around the other offers because they were so interesting.

And as a side I really hope to find my house plants!

People give everything away, some useful, some not. But you know that saying "one person's trash is another person's treasure?" So true at this site. Check it out!

What size are you?

2008-01-17T21:45:00.000-05:00

If you're anything like me it depends where you are shopping and what brand you are buying.

This can be a really big problem for online shoppers, leading to multiple returns, adding shipping costs and other annoyances.

Well, there may soon be a solution. Check out this article for more info!

I'm excited, that's for sure.