Online Shopping

How does Christmas creep up so quickly? It seems like just yesterday our shopping concerns were stocking up on stuffing and turkey for a Thanksgiving feast. Now parking lots are full and checkout lines stretch around the store. Many online merchants have already ceased their holiday shipping, leaving shoppers to fight through the last-minute masses.

Luckily, there are still a few stores that can help alleviate your stress. FreeShipping.org has compiled a comprehensive list of holiday delivery deadlines for over 100 stores, and the following merchants offer expedited shipping for free or with a minimum order.

1. Apple Store
Place your order by Dec. 21 to receive free Next Day Shipping on most items, excluding custom or engraved products.

2. Roxy
Any orders received by 10 pm EST on Dec. 21 will include free 2-Day Shipping.

3. Neiman Marcus
To get free rush delivery on orders of any amount, use code NMQUICK and choose "promotional shipping" as your shipping method. This offer is valid until 11:59 am CST on Dec. 22.

4. Under Armour
Enjoy free two-day shipping on any order using promo code FREESHIP.Read more

The holidays are almost here. Shopping online can make holiday gift buying much easier, but it also requires advance planning to account for order processing and shipping times.

The editor's over at dealnews prepared a list of stores to avoid to ensure a risk-free holiday purchase.

Doing last-minute Christmas shopping? Click clear of these online stores:

Flash Sale Sites: Fab.com
Many of these sites don't actually possess the items they're selling, often contributes to a lengthy processing time and slow delivery.

Stores that Specialize in Personalization: RedEnvelope & Pottery Barn
But not only does their gift-friendly personalization add an extra time-consuming step, it introduces a significant chance of encountering an error that cannot be fixed in time for the holiday.Read more

One of the great privileges we have as parents is giving to our children. Seeing the elated look on our children's faces when they open a present gives us a rush. But an even bigger thrill comes when our children get that same rush watching others enjoy gifts, especially ones they gave.

Maybe this is the Christmas your family decides that it truly is more rewarding to give than to get, and you put your money where your mouth is. Just how will you do that when it hasn't been a priority in the past? According to Dr. Marilynn Price-Mitchell Ph. D. of Psychology Today, "It is the act of thinking about and choosing gifts that is of high value to the giver." Kids, she says, "can prepare for gift giving, some with needed parental help."

You don't want to raise a crop of bratty I-deserve-it children. This Christmas is a great time to steer your family in the right direction, and here are a few tips to help you along the way.

1. Prepare your child for the experience.
Dragging your kid through Toys 'R Us without buying him something is like parading a starving man through the buffet line and telling him not to eat. The first step to shopping for others with your children is talking about it. Start the dialogue with, "Isn't it great you have so many toys to play with? I wonder if there are other kids who don't have any toys." When the time comes to go shopping, first remind your child of the reason for going to the store--it's not about them this time! Read more

'Tis the Season– Either time passes too quickly or the year is getting shorter. Seems like Black Friday, Cyber Monday 2010 were just here and BAM!!! they're back. True Halloween is barely passed but retailers have missed you crowding the malls, beating each other up for those marvelous Christmas gifts. This year, you're ready because all your mobile device batteries are fully charged and you know how to use these shopping tools.

It's hard to believe but the most dreaded period of the year is almost here…Black Friday, Cyber Monday.

If you thought last year was "interesting," this year is lining up to be a terror. Yes, folks have lost jobs…yes homes are underwater…yes things are tight.

Financial institution greed, political hypocrisy only makes the human spirit more resilient. Yes **** it you're still standing!

People are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Manufacturers, online/storefront retailers are determined to move the needle even if global governments can't/won't! It used to be simple ... Retailers – management, employees – would have an uneasy Thanksgiving meal and rush to the store to get the merchandise ready for the mobs.

Women would hit the stores fighting over half a bra. Men would hit the stores to struggle under the weight of a new huge TV set. Manufacturers would be readying next year's plans, budgets, preparing for good/bad news on end-of-year sales.Read more

What are bargain hunters going to be looking for this coming Black Friday and what's on everyone's holiday gift wish list? This latest Pulse Study from Retrevo asked consumers about what they want for the holidays and what they're going to be looking for in the bargain bins. For Black Friday bargain hunters only, tablets top the list followed by HDTV sets, laptops and smartphones.

Shoppers Are Hoping For Black Friday Tablet Deals
Would you get up at four o'clock in the morning to get a deal on a tablet or laptop computer? Apparently there are plenty of bargain hunters who plan on braving the elements this Black Friday to buy electronic things. Although we don't expect to see too many doorbuster deals on iPads or even other tablets, it's at the top of the bargain hunter's list this year.Read more

No wonder the U.S. Post Office is having trouble -- FedEx is stealing all their thunder.

The global-shipping behemoth said recently they expect Dec. 12 will be the busiest day in company history, as more than 17 million packages make their way through the system. That's just a small portion of the 250 million shipments they anticipate handling between Thanksgiving and Christmas, for a total increase of 12 percent from 2010.

FedEx's good fortune may have something to do with consumers' increasing trust of e-retailers as more individuals turn to the Internet for their shopping needs, according to a recent article by Marketing Pilgrim. And, with holiday free shipping deals being announced by such stores as Sears, Kmart and Best Buy, shoppers have even more incentive to buy online. But that's just one interesting shopping trend popping up this holiday season. Here are 11 more for your consideration.

1. Less Time Spent Per Site
The same IBM Coremetrics study featured in the Marketing Pilgrim article found consumers aren't willing to dig deeper into a site unless they see the info they need on the homepage. In fact, many shoppers won't go any further if they don't see an ad with a free shipping offer. Read more

It goes without saying that a retailer's primary objective is to make money — and preferably, a lot of it. In July, STORES released its list of the Top 100 Retailers of 2011, which lists what merchants made the most dinero during the past fiscal year. It may come as no surprise that Walmart overtook its competitors with ease, earning over $300 million in the United States alone.

While the goal of a retailer is to stay in the black, the budget-conscious shopper focuses on which stores offer the best deals. Walmart easily earned the most cash, but does that mean it also offered shoppers the best discounts, above all other merchants? Based on dealnews research, this was not the case.

Walmart may have grossed the most money, but in terms of the quantity of deals it offered, it was still a distant second to the retailer that's arguably the biggest name in online shopping: Amazon. Meanwhile, Amazon ranked 19th in total sales last year. It seems revenue doesn't tell the whole story, when it comes to deal offerings.

For the budget-conscious shopper, dealnews assembled a list of the Top 10 Most Deal-Friendly Online Stores of 2011 which lists merchants based on the number of dealnews deals. Read more

Shopping in May is a conundrum: What kind of prices can consumers expect when looking for seasonal items like grills, swimsuits and bikes? Conventional wisdom would tell you one thing about your chances of getting a deal on these eight items in May, while data from dealnews will tell you the real answer.

Is now the best time to buy, or should you wait? Here are the best strategies for eight key seasonal categories in May:

Grills and BBQ
If you see advice out there that says the best time to buy grills is May, before the season, or September, after the season, think again. We've actually seen prices on grills remain fairly flat over the course of a season, and over the past several years. In fact, Walmart has been offering the same Uniflame 40,000 BTU Propane Gas Grill for the past three years, with the price only going from $127 to $115 (and is now $118). The same goes for Brinkman, Char-Broil and other top brands at top merchants. If you're looking to buy a grill, the best thing you can do is wait for a storewide 10% or 20% off sale at a store like Sears, Home Depot or Lowe's. If you're looking for BBQ accessories like meat thermometers, tools and brushes, it's best to look for special offers from a daily deal site like 13deals.com, which seem to be abundant in May.Read more

Mother's Day is meant to be a day of reflection and appreciation for all of the hard work mothers so gracefully take on. For some however it brings pure panic. What do I get mom this Mother's Day? What does mom even like? Will she still love me after she sees the gift I got her? How much do I have to spend?

For most mothers a simple "thank you" or "I love you" is more than enough. But we all know that a little gift of appreciation can speak volumes, and every super mom is more than deserving.

Here's a list of 10 Mother's Day coupons that will help you save on the perfect gift for mom.

Coldwater Creek
If you can find stylish apparel, chic accessories, and cozy home decor all in one shop then you're sure to make mom proud this Mother's Day. Shop Coldwater Creek for the perfect gift and receive free shipping plus 25-percent off your order with coupon code AFLC451.

1-800-Flowers
You can never go wrong with a bouquet of flowers. This Mother's Day 1-800-Flowers is offering free shipping and no service charge on their Mother's Day Collection. Select from a gorgeous collection of Mother's Day arrangements and gifts, and apply coupon code MDAY46 during checkout. Read more