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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — It is officially December, and the holiday shopping season is in full swing.
Nora Yousif, a financial advisor and Boston-area Vice President at RBC Wealth Management, shared her tips with WBZ's Laurie Kirby (@LaurieWBZ) for saving money while getting gifts this season.
Black Friday deals are still active now on Amazon and many major stores like Kohls. Yousif said the deals stretched earlier in the season than ever this year. "Retailers really did their best to get people shopping earlier and later, with Amazon, Target and Walmart all posting deals as soon as October and continuing them out throughout the season," she said.
Yousif said price-matching and holding on to your receipts is essential. "If you buy a big-ticket item, don't move on. Keep scouring the internet and find deals where you can bring the receipt back into the store and ask for the difference back." She said Best Buy, Target, Walmart and other big-box stores offer price matching if you can beat their prices.
Some retailers like to jack up their prices right before the holidays then cut them to make it seem like consumers are getting a good deal, according to Yousif. She said to use online tools like CamelCamelCamel to track the prices of items over long periods of time. Browser extensions like honey.com can also help consumers save: it searches the internet for any coupon codes they can apply at checkout.
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