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Babies & Bambino InformationAre You Defrayal Too More Money on Baby Gear?
by:
Stephanie Gallagher
Did you waste $57 today? I hope not. Unfortunately, so many a new parents pay more much than they have to for baby products, because they don’t cognize the private secrets the insiders know.
Remember, simply because you shop at so-called discount stores doesn’t mean you’ll get the lowest prices. The same is true for warehouse stores and online auction sites.
Even coupons that seem like great deals aren’t always a bargain. For example, one online distributer recently offered a promotion wherever
you could buy one board game and get one free. But the games cost double
what they cost at a competitor. So it wasn’t actually a deal at all.
What’s a bargain-hunting parent to do? It helps if you can find being who’s done several research for you.
The Purchasing
Mom to the Rescue!
In an attempt to do a scientific, apples-to-apples comparison, I recently conducted a cost test of six popular baby product web sites. I purchased a basket of common baby products from each site.
All of the sites I chose were well-established businesses, with reliable consumer
service, and a nice selection of products. Many a offered extra services, like reader reviews, purchasing
checklists and helpful tips. The sites were:
1. BabyCenter (http://www.babycenter.com)
2. Babies R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com)
3. Baby Universe (http://www.babyuniverse.com)
4. Baby Catalog (http://www.babycatalog.com)
5. Shopping.com (http://www.shopping.com)
6. Target.com (http://www.target.com)
Shopping.com isn't a retailer. It's a comparison purchasing
service. But I enclosed
it because it’s supposed to be able to find you the better deals online. I wanted to see if it lived up to its promise.
The Results
Remember the $57 I talked simply about wasting earlier? That was the difference in total cost between the cheapest site I shopped and the most expensive. A pretty hefty chunk of change, considering my basket had simply four items:
1. A Britax Roundabout car seat in Denim (the cost can dissent depending on the pattern)
2. The 1st Years On the Go booster seat
3. An Avent newborn starter set
4. A Boppy
I used my address in Maryland to calculate shipping and tax. Obviously, the cost to you wish vary, depending on wherever
you live.
And the Winner Is...
Coming in at a lean, mean $255.55: Baby Catalog offered the better deals. And this didn't include the extra discount you get by language up for their Baby Club of America.
Shopping.com came in a close second at $257.34, fashioning it a worthy
finish for anyone in the market for baby gear. Plus, Shopping.com is integrated with Epinions.com, so you can get product reviews right there. I as well likeable
the fact that Shopping.com calculated the total cost, including shipping and tax, in advance.
Baby Universe came in at $263.91. But support in mind that Baby Universe offers a flat shipping rate of $6.95, no matter how many a products you buy. So the more you buy, the better deal this site is.
Babies R Us was the most expensive, at $312.97, followed by Target at $300.74, and BabyCenter at $285.06. Interestingly, several Babies R Us and Target are under the Amazon.com umbrella, which means you should always comparison shop among the several stores on the Amazon site.
Keep in mind, too, that all of these retailers offer coupons and special deals from time to time. So it always pays to shop around.
Just simply about the Author
Stephanie Gallagher reveals her closely-guarded purchasing
private secrets in her ezine, The Purchasing
Mom’s Weekly Tip. Get the eCookbooks Direction Sampler Book of facts as a special gift once
you subscribe. Send a blank email to: theshoppingmom@aweber.com
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