Holiday Shopping Tips for 2014
By BRIAN MARTIN
With the holiday season arriving, everyone is expecting the intense amount of shopping when looking for presents for loved ones.
There are many ideas of where and how shoppers can get the perfect gifts.
Stores offer customers great deals such as discounts and sales for different types of products, especially during the holidays.
“[People can] buy stuff 50% off at any store they shop at,” said Tracy Ann Thomas, freshman.
A clothing store is the perfect example of finding a sale or discount being held such as, “buy two, get one free.”
Video game stores such as Gamestop offer deals on used and new games, as well as gaming consoles such as, discounts for trading in old games and earning their store points to have the chance to redeem the points for even better offers.
With offers such as discounted Xbox Ones and new game releases such as Assassin’s Creed Unity and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, the gaming market will have a busy holiday this season due to a high demand of these products.
Movies and television shows are another popular item that buyers tend to purchase.
Now film and television companies are releasing products in multiple editions upon release such as, Blu-ray and Digital HD or Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy as a way for customers to decide which formats they want to purchase.
“Look at the local ads that come in the news paper to find the best deals,” said Andrew Sofman, senior.
Noteworthy film finds for this holiday season include “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition.” TV shows to also keep on eye includes “The Walking Dead,” and “Game of Thrones.”
Music has become mainstream among consumers through music services such as iTunes and Spotify. Stores will offer gift cards to spend on buying or streaming music digitally.
iTunes also offers gift cards in stores with prices ranging from $10 to $100.
Music albums are also being offered in stores such as Best Buy at prices as low as $9.99 depending on the product.
But as much as going into a store sounds like the obvious suggestion, some many not always have everything a customer is looking for. Nowadays, people can easily buy their presents online.
Shopping online is a much easier option if one does not wish to wait in line at a store or cannot find the presents his or her loved ones want.
“It depends on what each individual likes,” said Jaci Tempkins, junior. “If they like getting their products in a days worth of shopping, then they should do that. If they have very little time in their busy lives, then online shopping is the thing for them.”
A perfect website to go to is Amazon, as it offers everything from video games to movies and offers its products at incredible discounts. Users can choose between getting new or used products depending on the price they are willing to pay.
Used or pre-owned products are usually cheaper if one does not wish to spend much money on an item.
Gamestop and Amazon are perfect contenders because they offer these types of products at reasonable prices.
Online shopping does not take stores out of the picture when it comes to holiday shopping. If one still prefers getting a product in-store, he or she can shop online on the store’s website and reserve for the package to be picked up in-store.
With the holiday season only a few weeks ahead, families should start finding presents with these shopping tips and hope for a successful endeavor.
