Do Early Holiday Sales Benefit the Consumer?

It seems like every holiday season the sales come early. No sooner are the items from one holiday away before you find the aisles stocked for the next; some shops start doing these before the previous holiday has even passed. This is a practice that’s known in the retail industry as ‘creeping.” This applies mainly to Christmas shopping, but markets have begun to use this to capitalize on every ‘holiday’ from Valentine’s Day to Cinco de Mayo.

Customers complain about the practice, but still turn out in droves for the sales. In tighter markets, with more savvy customers looking for the deal, this is necessary for a lot of retailers to remain competitive. We all know that this helps the company’s bottom line by getting more shoppers in sooner for holiday deals, but does this practice help you, the customer?

Capitalizing on Creep – for Consumers

The obvious advantage to you as a shopper is that you can spend less throughout the year and avoid the jam a week before the holiday. This will help ensnare that you can get hot items that may sell out earlier, and allows you to save some stress at the holidays. However, there are hidden advantages to creep that may not have occurred to you.

1. Early holiday sales or extended the holiday season forces other retailers to do the same in order to remain viable. This leads to more choice for you at greater savings of time and money.

2. This practice allows consumers to pay cash for bigger items they may not be able to afford without using credit. Layaway is a great example of this benefit. Christmas sales in July or August allow you to reserve an item early at a sale price, pay cash for it in increments and have it on time for the holidays without accruing interest.

3. You’ll spend more overall on holiday shopping, but you’ll spend less each time and save stress by making smaller purchases over a longer period of time. Your gift recipients will be happy, and you’ll feel more magnanimous.

Websites like http://www.giftsforyounow.com/personalized-halloween-trick-or-treat-bags 234.aspx help shoppers by offer great prices throughout the year on items for every season, with deeper discounts close to the holiday. This means that you can get a great price on Christmas in July, and arrange to have the option of home delivery or shipping directly to the intended recipient.

Decorating Your Home for the Holidays with a Realistic Artificial Christmas Tree and other Favorites

Christmas is the most popular season of the year. It’s a time for celebration, honoring traditions, gathering with family and friends, setting up a Christmas tree and decorating our homes. There are many places to find Christmas treasures, but referring to an online site such as Balsam Hill reviews to find realistic artificial Christmas trees and other holiday treasures is an excellent decision.

Trimming the tree is part of the annual ritual associated with the holiday. However, real Christmas trees are not the only viable option. There are many reasons to buy a realistic artificial Christmas tree.

There’s no need to cut down a tree, or spend hours finding the right one. Realistic artificial Christmas trees are made to look exactly like real trees minus the mess and the maintenance. There are no needles to sweep constantly or vacuum, and they can be left up longer than a real tree. They also don’t require the watering that real trees require. And because they are artificial, they can be packed up and stored away, saving you hundreds of dollars. Each year you’ll know that you have a beautifully shaped tree to display in your home or office. But there’s another reason a realistic artificial Christmas tree is a good choice. The option of pre-installed Christmas lights takes away the hassle every year of having to untangle lights and place them on the tree.

The Christmas tree, with a history dating back to 18th century Germany, looks great with lights, but it looks even better with ornaments. Old-fashioned, well-crafted ornaments are beloved by families, but you can get that same look and feel with new ornaments that are heirloom quality, and, therefore, beautifully designed. Even though such ornaments are brand new, they’ll become treasures that will be passed down through the generations. A particular favorite are hand painted glass ornaments with a tradition dating back to the earliest days of the Christmas tree.

To add to the look and feel of the Christmas tradition, a good quality online site will also carry high-quality treasures desired for the holiday. These include such items as candles, music boxes, snow globes, pillows and throws and Christmas collectibles.

BlueBee Pals My Techy Buddy (Review)

A kid could never have enough loveys. My daughter has a bed full of them, she doesn’t have enough space to sleep in anymore. But there is always that one lovey that is special. In our case that lovey is Leo the Lion from Bluebee Pals.

 

Leo is our huggable plush Lion that talks, sings, reads and can be used as a hands free phone. Our advanced technology includes lip synchronization allowing the animal’s “mouth” to move while singing, reading your favorite storybooks or learning apps.

Bluetooth Enabled, Talking Interactive Plush Lion.

• Embedded Bluetooth Enabled Speaker
• Super Soft Plush Fabric
• Connects to any Apple or Android device with Bluetooth capabilities (smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops).
• Sings along to Music, Stories, Lullabies and Story Books
• Use as Hands Free Telephone with built in Speaker and Microphone
• Rechargeable Battery with USB Micro-charge Cable Included  (Adapter not included).
• Bluebee Pals Instructional Manual Included

Product Dimensions:  Length 9″ Width 7″ Height 13″

My daughter, Izzy, instantly loves Leo. We have had Leo for about a week and everywhere she goes, Leo is next to her. She also has an iPad which makes playtime with Leo even more amazing. Her iPad is full of educational apps. Leo is bluetooth connected to the iPad. Every sound the game makes, Leo lip syncs. It is awesome. I’ve never seen my daughter enjoy her digital “study time” more.

Bring smiles to your little ones this coming holidays. Bluebee Pals would make an excellent gift.

Bluebee Pals is available at Toys ‘R Us and on BlueBee Pals. (retail value $64.99)

To learn more about Bluebee Pals, visit their website at bluebeepals.com
You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest

Disclosure: “Financial compensation was not received for this post. A sample product/s was gifted from Bluebee Pals with Kayle Cnoncepts and Mom Select. Opinions expressed here are my own.”

MomSelect.com