Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Where can I get the best deals online?

2008 is definitely ending on an economic down note but the upside is that it’s truly a buyer’s market when it comes to this year’s holiday shopping. The savvy shopper can still give great gifts while saving money – if they know where to look.

With expectations of some major retailer chains filing for bankruptcy, others will try to survive by offering low prices before and after the Holiday shopping season. Even stable retailers are offering great deals to entice shoppers.

If you’re a technical person like myself, you may enjoy the Dell Days of Deals. They only arrive about once a month so it’s best to check in every once in awhile. Another Canadian website that offers great deals and coupons is redflagdeals.com. Many online retailers put up their door crashers here and it’s a great way to save on a wide variety of things. If you are a book lover Amazon.com or Amazon.ca are great sites to order from, especially if you buy enough books to add up to $39 or more. This qualifies you for Free Shipping. If you know of any sites that have great deals before and after the Holidays post them here and spread holiday cheer!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Holiday shopping frenzy

It’s getting close to that time of year and if you don’t act now you’ll probably find yourself in an overcrowded mall trying to find that perfect gift – a gift that was probably sold out 3 weeks ago. Is this really how you want to spend your Saturday? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Online shopping continues to gain popularity (according to Statistics Canada, it rose 61% between 2005 and 2007) and it’s easy to see why: great deals, huge selection, and the ability to shop while wearing your house coat and drinking some coffee.

Want to make holiday shopping even easier? Use KinekPoint!

Haven’t used it yet? It’s simple:

1) Sign up for a free account at www.kinekpoint.com (do it by December 16th and you’ll have a chance at winning a free Wii & Wii Fit*)

2) Log In and find a KinekPoint Depot that’s close to your home or work – maybe even one along your daily commute.

3) After selecting the Depot, copy the address into the shipping form when you order online (don’t forget to include your KN number)

If you often shop from the same retailers, you can usually save the address on their site. That’ll keep you from having to type in the information every time.

I’ve been using KinekPoint and it’s already saved me loads of time (I’m never home when couriers try to drop off packages so I usually have to drive across town to get them). There’s a depot located just a block from my office and it only takes a minute to pick up my deliveries. If there’s not yet a KinekPoint near you, suggest a location – we really do want to know what locations would work for you.

Happy shopping!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Not sure what to get them this holiday season? Did you check their wish list?

Wish Lists are becoming a common sight on some of our favourite online stores and people are using them in increasing numbers.

Think no one you know has one? You might be surprised. We randomly typed in the names of our friends and family as a test. The result? More people than we thought were using wish lists at sites like amazon.com and chapters.indigo.ca (great guys, but next time maybe you could tell us – it would take some of the guesswork out of shopping).

Sites like Amazon and Chapters offer wish lists. Once you find the perfect gift, send it to a KinekPoint to keep it a surprise.










Most sites with wish lists allow you to search by name or email address. If you’re searching by an email address, there’s a good chance that any result that comes back will be the right one. If, however, you’re searching by name (especially a common name like John Smith), check the items on the list and ask yourself if they match up with what you’d expect that person to like – if they don’t, you may have the wrong list.

Happy shopping and don’t forget to use KinekPoint – it’ll help you keep whatever gift you find a surprise.