Handling holiday stress is the focus of this month's e-newsletter from the Institute for Women's Health Research and can be accessed by clicking HERE.   It addresses why stress is handled differently in men and women.

We also thought the following tips on e-shopping might be helpful!.

Now that black Friday is over, many of you have likely decided to do the rest  of your shopping on-line.   Here are some tips to help you avoid problems when shopping from home.

Coupon and Promotion Codes. Search for coupon and promotion codes to be sure you get all discounts the e-tailer currently offers. To find current codes, perform a search for the e-tailer’s name along with the words ‘promotion code’ or ‘coupon’. After applying the coupon code double check your total price to ensure the discount was applied properly. Also check "Deal of the Day" websites, where retailers offer deep discounts on merchandise and services.

Payment Methods. The way you pay matters! You get the most protection with a credit card; debit cards are more risky. Virtual wallets such as PayPal are convenient but have disadvantages, too. Single use credit card numbers are another option – ask your credit card provider if they offer this feature.

Shipping and Handling. Shipping and handling can put a big dent in a shopping budget. Look for sites that offer free or discounted shipping rates. Make sure you understand all conditions placed on free shipping offers and that you’ll get your merchandise in time if you choose that option. The law affords you rights surrounding time-frames for shipping your purchase.

Return Policies. Understand the e-tailer’s return policy. Do they offer a special, extended return policy for the holiday season? What documentation needs to accompany a return? If you purchase online, and the e-tailer also has a brick and mortar site can you return to the store? Do you need a return authorization number or an “RA” to return an item? Will the e-tailer pay for return shipping of the item or do you have to cover that cost? Will you have to pay a re-stocking fee?

Problems with the purchase. One of the most common online purchasing problems is products that don't arrive in time. Even if the company is unable to ship as promised, it must provide you adequate notice promptly and give you a revised delivery date. You must be allowed to agree to the delay or cancel the order and get a refund. If you're not happy about a transaction, you should complain to the retailer using the address or phone number you kept from your transaction receipts. If you don’t receive the merchandise you ordered, file a dispute with your credit card company.

 

Tags: 

Comments

The two best points of this article for more are searching for coupon and promo codes and looking for free shipping. Almost whatever you buy nowadays you can find a site that has coupons for your purchase. It usually takes just minutes to run a google search for whatever you are buying with coupons after it. I also look for free shipping on various sites. This is one of the best ways to save money when shopping online.

Excellent advice, I will send this link to my wife to read as it will go far to the issues of online shopping, it helps you save big!

Nice Tips, i should have found this more early. We possibly should write some kind of online shopping guide for worried custumers for the holidays next year. And the part about coupons and promotion codes reminds me to build those features into our own online shop. Merry Christmas and happy new year from germany!

Great article. I do find shopping extremely stressful during the holiday period. I much prefer to shop online thanks for the tips.

Great article thanks, I've definitely done so much more shopping this year on line so much easier and less stressful, easy to look for best prices and the voucher code and coupon idea is great to reduce your spending!! Alot of the bigger companies offer free delivery too which is a blessing too! Merry Christmas!!!

Great tips. During the holiday's especially, it's important to save every penny so you can focus your money on presents for the family.

Muy interesante el Blog sobre el estres y dias festivos. Saludos, Gino Giurfa

HI! Thank you for the tips, it is a great article. Anything to reduce stress that shopping causes. Shopping on line, does complaining really work? It never has for me, they usually point me in some other direction. Frustrating.

Yeah holiday is time in going to Super Store to buy some things, cloths and foods and some stuff after that you will see your bills on your credit card on how much money did you spent during that day it gives you stress. But holiday has lots of discounts but you must still know how to budget your money.

The stress is an automatic reaction of the organism to a dangerous situation, whether a disease, a responsibility, a plane ride, etc..

Was afraid to try on-line shopping this past festive season due to lack of sufficient information... now I feel confident having come across this wonderful blog. Thanks for the insights and looking forward to more tips

At the time I developed Clinical Depression there were no substantial treatments for it. I suffered many years with it.