Thursday, July 7, 2011

Christmas in July: Part 3

Daily Deal and Flash Sale Sites

Daily deal sites, such as Groupon or Living Social, offer great discounts on "experience" gifts. Gifts like a spa day for your sister or a golf outing for your dad generally go over better than bath salts or a tie. A few things to keep in mind:

     * Watch the expiration date. Make sure the expiration date is far enough past the holidays to allow the      receipent time to use it.
     * Read ALL the fine print.
     * Select the "Gift" option when checking out. This usually allows you to print a voucher with the pricing information.

Daily deal sites can also be a great place to pick up vouchers to purchase gifts from other sites. You can find these types of deals on Plum District, SaveMore, and Mamasource by Mamapedia. For example, today on Plum District you can get a $30 voucher for $15 to Kidorable. The amounts to a 50% off discount.

     * Make sure to factor in shipping costs.
     * If you are giving the voucher as a gift (versus using it to buy the gift yourself), make sure to check the expiration date and factor in the shipping costs. Maybe add a VISA gift card to the gift to cover shipping and overage.

Flash deal sites offer deep discounts on a variety of products. Rather than buying a voucher, you are purchasing the actual product. Always make sure to price check the cost (plus shipping) against another retailer. I generally price check against Amazon. There are flash deal sites for a wide variety to products. Some of my favorites:

Kid's Clothes and Toys: Totsy
Housewares: No More Rack (Get $10 credit when you sign up)
Designer Accessories: Gilt
Designer Kids' Clothes: My Habit (get $25 off a $25 purchase until 8/1/11)

Have you purchased any gifts (Christmas or otherwise) from a daily deal or flash site?

No comments:

Post a Comment