Tag Archives: shopping

Sears Family & Friends Event! Extra 5-25% Off! Nov. 13th 6-9pm CT

If you are like me, you’ve already made a list of what you want to get everyone in your family this holiday.  In addition, if you are like me you might not actually buy those items until December 21st or later.  Sound familiar?   This year though, I’m determined to have all gifts purchased by December 20th at the latest. 😉  Baby steps.  Sears is helping me do that by offering shoppers amazing discounts this Sunday, November 13th at the stores and online November 12-14th (see times below).

Here’s the Scoop!

This weekend, on Sunday, November 13, 2011, Sears is having their special in-store Family and Friends event. Offering better than Black Friday sales throughout their store this is the perfect time to get all those tools, electronics, and clothes for your family!  Get the Black Friday deals without the Black Friday hassle!

When To Get In-Store Savings:

November 13th 6-9pm CT (timing varies by location)

To get these special discounts at your local Sears store print out this special shopping pass and take it with you. The pass is a .pdf file.

When To Get Online Savings:

Saturday November 12th from 8pm CT to Monday November 14th at 4am CT

To learn more about the Sears Friends and Family sale, visit this page.

Sears Family & Friends Event November 2011

 


Take a look at the discounts in these departments!

  • 25% off regular, sale, and clearance Land’s End clothing and footwear.  My  husband and I love Land’s End.  We’ll be all over this sale!
  • 20% off  regular, sale, and clearance clothing for your entire family including intimate apparel and accessories.
  • 15% off regular, sale, and clearance fine jewelry, footwear, window fashions, house wears, bed and bath and luggage.
  • 10% off regular, sale, and clearance fragrance, appliances, watches, fitness, sporting goods, cosmetics, game room, outdoor furniture, automotive, tools, lawn and garden, home services and the Christmas shop.
  • 5% off regular, sale, and clearance electronics.

Shop Your Way Rewards Members get an extra bonus!

Shop Your Way Rewards members can also earn 5% back when they pay with their Sears card, on top of the already incredible discounts being offered!

Free Shipping!

Use code REALJOY when checking out at Sears.com (not applicable on Marketplace items) to get free shipping on orders $99 and over.  This discount applies to mailable items only and the offer ends 12/19 at 4pm.


Connect with Sears 

Disclosure: I was provided with a gift card in exchange for this post.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

The Do’s and Don’ts of Layaway Plans

This a guest post by Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc.

Layaway PlansWould you rather put holiday spending on your credit card or pay for it through a layaway program? Many Americans are opting for the latter, helping retrench these time-honored payment plans.

Walmart, Sears, Best Buy and TJ Maxx are just a few of the major merchants now offering layaway. In fact, Toys ‘R Us has expanded its layaway program to include most toys, rather than just the big-ticket items.

Layaway nearly vanished before the recession, as credit card use grew in prominence. Stores preferred we swipe away because it was easier than handling all that paperwork. But with consumers leery of facing too much holiday debt — and threatening to spend less this year in stores — retailers began using layaway as a means of luring us back.

While this all sounds well and good, there are problems related to such programs. Here are a few “Do’s” and “Don’ts” you should consider before making the leap.

DO

Do Dissect the Fine Print
You’ll have to sign a contract or layaway initiation form, which naturally contains a lot of vital information you could easily overlook. Don’t let a long line or impatient clerk rush you through checking each detail so you know what to expect.

Do Consider Whether it’s Worth the Origination Fee
There’s a fair amount of paperwork, processing and labor involved in layaway plans, so stores charge a start-up fee for each order. Consider the amount of that charge is worthwhile compared to the overall total of your purchase.

Do Decide if You Really Need This Item
Should something happen and you decide not to go through with all payments, you’ll likely have to pay a fee of roughly 25 to 30 percent of the total price of the layaway plan. That’s a hefty fine for changing your mind, so make sure you really want the item before placing it on layaway.

Do Compare all Fees vs. Credit Card Charges
Add up the potential costs and consider whether you’d be better off placing a purchase on a credit card. According to a New York Times op-ed by Cornell professor Louis Hyman, a typical shopper could wind up paying far less interest by using a credit card, even if it has a fairly high APR. Plus, a credit card gives you purchase protection and, with some companies, price protection.

DON’T

Don’t Ignore the Internet
Don’t let a sale combined with a layaway plan talk you into buying before researching your options. You’ll often find better deals online and it’s a lot easier to comparison shop with your mouse. Search for promo codes to use toward your coveted item, and then compare the total cost of the online purchase to what you’d ultimately pay by putting it on layaway.

Don’t Neglect Your Expiration Date
There’s a limit to how long Walmart will store your stuff. As with other stores, they want to move it before Christmas, so check to ensure you have enough time and cash to pay the entire debt off on time or you’ll forfeit everything you’ve already paid. Mark that date on your calendar and make sure you make all payments before it hits.

Don’t Forget About Automatic Withdrawals
Some merchants prefer to set-up automatic checking-account deductions, ostensibly to save you the hassle of coming in to make each payment. In actuality, it’s just another way to make sure they get their money. Should one of those payments bounce, however, you’ll be socked with a healthy overdraft fee from both the merchant and your bank. Once again, mark on your calendar the date each deduction will be made, so you can double check the balance in your account.

Don’t Layaway When You Can Pay
It’s hard to part with cash during the holidays, when other expenses build up, but the fees you incur with a layaway plan aren’t always worth it if you can pay cash now and avoid the hassle.

This a guest post by Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc.

My Quick Run to Sephora Turned into an ‘Experience’

I ran out of my favorite tinted moisturizer a couple of months ago and decided that I would go to Sephora at the mall after I took my mom to the airport and dropped a tent of at my friend Stacie’s house this morning.   Since I was out that way, I thought I’d go to the Sephora at Perimeter Mall.. near Stacie, not so close to my house, but that didn’t work out seeing as how I got way lost. So, I drove on to my neck of the woods.. Kennessaw, GA and thought I’d be in and out of the mall (not one of my favorite places to be) in a few minutes. Well, that didn’t happen but I’m glad!

Smashbox Radiant Lip Enhancing Gloss
Smashbox Radiant Lip Enhancing Gloss - $18

Once I got to the Sephora store in the mall, I went to the Laura Mercier counter and grabbed my favorite tinted moisturizer.  Then I thought that while I was there I might as well take a look at some eyeshadow and lipgloss.   After about 15 minutes of browsing and swiping at least a dozen lig gloss colors on the back of my hand, a store employee asked if I needed help.  I may have scared him a little when I replied with “Yes, I’m desperate!” and  told him that I needed to find a lip color that would provide good coverage, but not require a lot of swiping on my lips.  You see, my lips are very sensitive and more than two swipes of a lipgloss makes my lips bright red and puffy.  Not pretty.  Well, this wonderful employee (who’s name I’m sad to say I don’t remember) said that I gave him a challenge he’s never experienced before! Score for Alicia!

After seriously pondering (I could see it in his eyes) my predicament for a few moments, he walked me to the Smashbox section of the store where he excitedly said “a brush applicator is what you need”! A brush applicator!  Why didn’t I think of that?  He proceeded to try a few colors on my hand, adding to the dozen I had already tried, and wahlah.. we found a delightful color that applied smoothly and matched my skin tone.  It’s a miracle!

Sephora Makeup Purchase
Next thing you know he and I were talking about the eyeshadow color palette I picked out (above) and when he had to go to the register to tend to a customer, another talented Sephora employee talked to me about less expensive tinted moisturizer options.   I went in to Sephora thinking I would buy my usual $42 tinted moisturizer and thanks to this helpful employee, I left with Sephora’s own tinted moisturizer, saving me $21!

That wasn’t the end of my trip to Sephora.. not at all! As I was about to check out, an employee asked me if I had a few minutes to spare to get a free hand massage and eye treatment. By this time, they knew me by name and I couldn’t turn down a free hand massage from Sephora employees who referred to me by name.  Even if they called me Bob I wouldn’t have turned down a free hand massage. The wonderful employee in the photo below, gave me an amazing hand massage and used the fabulous Clarisonic Opal Sonic Infusion System ($245) on my eyes.  I’m not sure when my eyes will look as vibrant and non-puffy as they do since the treatment.  It really has an instant effect on the puffiness and dark circles.. love it!

Sephora eye treatment and hand massage
Clarisonic Opal Sonic Infusion System - $245

I don’t think I’ll be so hesitant to visit Sephora at the mall again.  It’s not Sephora.. it’s the mall.  I just don’t like going to the mall really.  I usually buy makeup products online but the service and personal makeup and beauty advice that the employees at Sephora provided me made it 110% worth the drive and time to go to the actual store.

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for this post.

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

Crocodile Creek and Envirosax on sale at Totsy today!

I am a huge fan of online sample sale websites.  Online sample sale websites like Totsy and Zulily offer exclusive sales on top brand name toys, clothes, and more, at scheduled times.

Here are a couple of adorable items currently on sale at Totsy.com

Totsy - Crocodile Creek Butterfly drinking bottle
Crocodile Creek Butterfly drinking bottle - $5.75
Envirosax Flower Power Green w/Flowers
Envirosax Flower Power Green w/Flowers - $4.50

Find these deals and more on Totsy.com!

Atlanta AJWright stores offering great summer deals and a gift card giveaway!

Atlanta Moms, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity.  Awesome prices, deals, AND the chance to win a $10 AJWright gift card!

AJWright is an off-price clothing retailer from the TJX family of stores which one year ago, opened its first AJWright stores in the Metro Atlanta area.  Due to the positive response from the community, AJWright now has six stores in the Atlanta market. Way to go!

The TJX family of stores includes Marshalls and TJ Maxx and while AJWright offers brand name apparel and footwear for the entire family and you will find that the prices are incredible at up to 70% off discount store prices every day.  It doesn’t get better than that.. especially at back-to-school shopping time.

To celebrate their one year anniversary, AJWright is offering additional deals on a variety of summer merchandise.  From now until October, AJWright will feature weekly specials on items from summer dresses to kids’ shoes and back-to-school clothes.

Find the AJWright nearest you using their store finder tool.

To learn more about AJWright, LIKE AJWright on Facebook or visit AJWright online at AJ-Wright.com.

Do you have a model child? Don’t we all? AJWright is looking for models. Get more information on AJWright’s model searches by clicking HERE.

GIVEAWAY!

We are giving two lucky Atlanta readers a $10 AJWright gift card!   You must live in the Atlanta area in order to enter!

To enter leave a comment below (jump to comments here) telling us what you would buy at AJWright.. stuff for your kids, yourself, your home?
Get an extra entry for following Atlanta Moms (atlmoms) & The Mommy Insider (mommyinsider) on Twitter and two extra entries for ‘liking’ AJWright on Facebook.. for  a total of 4 available entries!  Don’t forget to let us know that you follow us on Twitter and ‘liked’ AJWright.. you can tell us all of that in one comment!

Entries accepted through July 31st.