According to a 2023 survey, more than 99% of the shoppers perused online reviews from time to time, with about 87% regularly trawling the net for consumers’ views on products and services.

Up to 40% of these online testimonials are unreliable, according to a public interest research group, and these fake reviews are estimated to influence $152-billion worth of online spending annually. 

“Around 70% of my purchase decisions are made after scrutinizing these testimonials. I use them for attractions when traveling overseas. Accommodations for sure. Services and food,” says 28-year-old Goh.

She relies on the reviews to assess costs, ambience of restaurants, and convenience of reaching a destination.

When asked how frequently she gets disappointed by online testimonials, she’s quick to reply: “So many times!”

“Consumers are putting blind trust in review platforms that their algorithms are giving them,” online review fraud investigator Kay Dean says. 

Dean, who used to be a former federal criminal investigator and has earned her the title “fake review hunter,” has been taking online fraud cases pro bono for the past six years.

She has distilled the essence of her learnings based on hundreds of fake-review cases in the following tips. Read on to avoid regrets this festive season:

1. Too many five-star reviews?

If a business has an abnormal streak of five-star reviews over a very short period of time, sometimes with little to no text at all, it’s a clear red flag, Dean warns. 

“Or if you see a negative review followed by a string of five-star reviews, that’s suspicious, because sometimes business will try to bury legitimate negative reviews.”

2. Check review writers’ history

Be skeptical of profiles of people that have left just one review. If it appears that an account was created just for that one testimonial, it is likely to be fake. 

Other warning signs could come in the form of locked Google profiles, which Dean surmises could be one way fake writers hide their review histories from consumers. And if a business’ testimonial feed is littered with reviewers whose profiles are locked, it warrants a cautious approach from consumers.

3. Who is the reviewer?

Be careful, if a reviewer uses the name of a celebrity or a stock image, or some random photo as their display picture.

Additionally, if the reviewer has left a slew of testimonials from different parts of the world and in quick succession within a short span of time about a particular business, it’s worth being a bit more cautious.

Especially so if a business is found to have many reviewers with similar “global” footprint that have appraised the very same stores — these accounts may be fake and the reviews could have been bought.

“They may be a world traveler, maybe. However, if multiple reviewers’ profiles [left on a business or service] have those similar geographic distribution of their reviews, it’s suspicious,” Dean says.

4. Pictures, posts and lies

While reviews with all stars and no text are suspicious, be just as mindful of reviews that are detailed.

“People often think that detailed reviews or those with photos must be real. Not true,” Dean says, sharing an anecdote about how she’s seen photos from real estate listings being passed off as work purportedly done by home remodelers in several reviews.

5. Talk to real people

Ultimately, Dean’s most watertight tip is to talk to real people — getting the recommendations from friends and relatives instead of relying on virtual reviews.

“Get back to the tried and true method of getting your information by word of mouth.”

It’s a virtual world

Online reviews, both real and fake, are not going away any time soon.

E-commerce is set to represent 41% of global retail sales by 2027, up from 18% in 2017, a recent forecast by Boston Consulting Group showed. This means online reviews will continue to be prevalent and play a critical role in purchasing decisions. 

And fake ones are going to ensnare the gullible, often promoting low-quality and sometimes even dangerous products.

Dean adds that because shoppers rely so heavily on reviews, there is “great pressure” on businesses to maintain good ratings to gain a competitive edge.

A one-star increase in a Yelp rating for example could bring about a 5% to 9% increase in revenue, according to a study.

“Reviews make or break a business. And incentives are high for people to cheat,” Dean sums up.

Even though e-commerce is now part and parcel of our everyday lives and much of the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday – a term coined back in 2005 by the National Retail Federation – continues to be the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it.

For several major retailers, the “Cyber Monday” sale is a days-long event that begins over the weekend. Amazon’s, for example, kicked off on Saturday and runs through Monday. Target’s two-day event began overnight on Sunday, while Arkansas-based Walmart kicked off its most recent discounts Sunday evening.

Consumer spending for Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication on how much shoppers are willing to spend during the holiday season.

Shoppers have been resilient this year in the face of stubbornly high inflation, which recently reached its lowest point in more than two years but remains painfully apparent in areas like auto and health insurance and some groceries, like beef and bread.

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But consumers are also relying on savings to fuel their shopping and are facing more pressure from credit card debt, which has been on the rise along with delinquencies. They’ve also been embracing “Buy Now Pay Later” payment plans, which allow shoppers to make payments over time without typically charging interest — a model some analysts believe can make acquiring debt too easy.

The National Retail Federation expects shoppers will spend more this year than last year. But the pace of spending will slow, growing 3% to 4% compared to 5.4% in 2022, the nation’s largest retail trade group said earlier this month.

According to Adobe Analytics, which tracks online spending, consumers spent $76.7 billion from the beginning of November until Thanksgiving, when major retailers including Amazon, Target and Walmart were already offering online deals geared towards the holidays. On Thanksgiving Day, Adobe said shoppers dolled out $5.6 billion, up 5.5% compared to last year. That’s nearly double the amount consumers spent online in 2017, showing the continued shift to online shopping during the gift-giving season.

Retailers began offering holiday deals in October this year, continuing a trend that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been resurrected due to supply chain clogs or inflation woes.

Rob Garf, vice president and general manager of retail at Salesforce, said some of the earlier deals retailers offered were fairly conservative. That changed on Black Friday, when the discount rate began to peak at 30% in the U.S., he said. On Thanksgiving, consumers also saw big discounts for toys, electronics and computers, according to Adobe.

“Consumers feeling economic pressure are taking control of their household finances and have been really diligent and patient,” Garf said.

“They’re once again playing a game — and winning the game — of discount chicken, where they wait for retailers to discount to where they feel most comfortable,” he said. “And that’s what’s happening.”

Garf said Salesforce’s data showed health and beauty, footwear and active apparel continued to be the hottest categories for discounts. He said consumers should expect good deals in those categories on Cyber Monday.

The resale industry, which has grown in recent years, is also expected to be a significant part of the holiday shopping season. Salesforce predicts 17% of holiday gifts this year will come from resale markets like Facebook Marketplace or ThreadUp, as well as brands like Canada Goose, Patagonia and Coach offering resale options on their sites for environmentally-conscious consumers or those who enjoy vintage offerings.

____

AP reporters Anne D’Innocenzio and Chris Rugaber contributed to this report.

A survey from nationalblackfriday.com showed that shoppers plan to spend over $900 this holiday season. Forty-three percent said they’ll likely cut back on their holiday shopping budgets because of inflation.

“Consumers definitely have inflation on their brain,” said shopping expert Kristin McGrath. “They’ve been getting hit by it for the better part of two years now, and that really does factor into their holiday and Black Friday shopping strategies”

When it comes to shopping strategies, don’t forget to check the return policies.

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“Online shopping is a big part of this and a lot of people love free shipping, but they’re kind of abusing it,” said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate. “You know, some people are using their home as the dressing room, basically, and they’re ordering like three or four of the same item, maybe different colors or different sizes.”

Returns are now a significant and growing challenge for the entire retail sector, leading to changes.

“I’m seeing more retailers charging fees for returns, whether it’s like a restocking fee or a shipping fee or something like that,” Rossman said. “So I think it’s important to be mindful of this, especially if you’re going to return something or you think you might.”

Also, when planning your holiday budget, don’t forget about the smaller expenses that can add up, such as things like greeting cards, postage, and holiday parties – all this seasonal spending can impact what you can afford.

According to the BBB, quality issues, delivery delays and poor customer service were among the contributing factors to the company’s lowly rating, which is no stranger to criticism from the U.S. government.

A report from a House committee in June 2023 found that Shein was one of two retailers who have regularly violated U.S. import tariff law, dodging tariffs and human rights reviews on shipments to the U.S.

Currently the world’s largest fashion retailer, Shein is known for providing fast-fashion, items that are modeled off of high-end designer clothes and reproduced at a large scale.

Shein has also faced allegations of human rights abuses for alleged forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region.

The BBB advises new Shein shoppers to start small and check reviews on the platform.

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Tysons Corner Center nowlets shoppers to put a “twist” on their shopping experience by allowing them to sip a drink from one of the mall’s restaurants while they shop.

“Shopping with a Twist” launched at the shopping center on Nov. 1. Shoppers 21 years old and older can purchase alcoholic beverages at participating restaurants and drink on The Plaza and in the common area of the mall.

And if you’re trying to pick up some gifts while enjoying your drink? Just look for signs at retail stores that say: “C’mon in with your drink.”

For a full list of participating retailers, go to the Tysons Corner Center website.

Tysons Corner Center says it’s the first indoor shopping center in the DMV region to allow public cocktail consumption to its shoppers.

“Shopping with a Twist” will be in allowed during normal center hours.

Where can guests purchase their “Sip & Stroll” beverage?

• American Girl Bistro
• Barrel & Bushel
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Earls Kitchen + Bar
• Eddie V’s
• La Sandia
• Seasons 52
• Shake Shack
• TGI Fridays

Beverages must be in a disposable cup with the restaurant’s logo showing where it was purchased. Only beverages purchased from the restaurant will be allowed outside of the restaurant and into the shopping center.

Drinking is not permitted in parking garages or any parking areas.

Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.

When is the sales tax holiday weekend in Virginia?

Virginia’s three-day sales tax holiday is from Friday, Oct. 20 at midnight to Sunday, Oct. 22 before midnight.

Which items are eligible during the Sales Tax Holiday?

According to a Virginia Department of Taxation video, a sales tax holiday is “a period of time where you can buy certain products without paying any Virginia sales tax on those items.”

The Virginia holiday is available for in-store and online shopping. It can also save shoppers between 5.3% to 7% on purchases, according to the video.

“The VA sales tax holiday starts a week from today! Save money on cold-weather clothing 🧣🧤 & footwear 🥾 to keep you warm this winter!” @VaTax wrote in part on X.

During Virginia’s holiday, there are three categories of items that qualify: school supplies, clothing and footwear; hurricane and emergency preparedness products; and Energy Star and WaterSense products. Some of the items are only exempt from sales tax if they do not exceed a certain amount.

For a full list of items eligible during the Virginia sales tax holiday, visit the Virginia Tax website.

Why did Virginia’s sales tax holiday go away and later return?

Shoppers in Virginia have relied on the sales tax holiday in August for back-to-school shopping since 2015. That changed this summer when lawmakers did not renew the date on a bill mentioning sales tax holidays, so it expired.

That item was in Section 3-5.25 of the 2022 Appropriation Act. It stated that, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, the retail sales and use tax exemption holidays…” authorized by the Code of Virginia, “shall remain in effect through July 1, 2023.”

The state budget proposed by the Virginia State Assembly later included renewing the popular tax-free weekend. It also stipulated that the missed August tax holiday would move to late October.

When Governor Glenn Youngkin signed the budget in September it officially reinstated “the state-wide sales tax holiday for school supplies, clothing and footwear,” according to a release.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article said the sales tax holiday ended Sunday, Oct. 22 at noon.

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“It’s a question of when, not if,” Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said during Thursday’s earnings call. “You’ll see it happen at some point. We can’t really tell you if it’s in our plans or not.”

USA Today was the first to report the comments.

Costco has not raised its membership price since June 2017, and Galanti also noted that six years is “a little longer” between price increases than in the past.

The wholesale giant also said that it has begun testing EV stations for its locations, as the retailer is already known for selling gasoline to its members for lower prices.

Overall, Costco continues to grow its number of memberships year-over-year, with a 7.9% increase in household memberships from last year. However, part of that increase may be due to the store’s crackdown on card sharing in recent months.

In the past week, Costco has also announced some new initiatives for savings-seeking consumers, including a new healthcare partnership with Sesame.

Bed Bath & Beyond may never return to its brick-and-mortar heyday, but the doors at former corporate siblings Buy Buy Baby and Harmon are set to reopen, CNBC has learned. 

The group that bought Buy Buy Baby’s intellectual property at a bankruptcy-run auction in June, the owners of baby goods retailer Dream on Me, plans to reopen 11 stores in the Northeast as soon as this fall, Dream on Me’s chief marketing officer, Avish Dahiya, told CNBC. 

But the group isn’t stopping there. 

It’s setting off on an ambitious plan to return the brand to its glory years, with 100 to 120 stores over the next one to three years, said the marketing chief, who is also an officer on the Buy Buy Baby transition team. 

“We definitely see merit in expanding to that number across the U.S.,” Dahiya told CNBC in the company’s first interview since its acquisition. “Similar to what we have done in the Northeast, it will be more cluster-based versus one-off.”

Dahiya added: “We believe omnichannel is critical for the success of the business and stores play a role, so it’s important that we have stores come in sooner than later.” 

Meanwhile, private investor Jonah Raskas, who brought the dog-walking app Wag! public through a special purpose acquisition company in 2022, plans to reopen five Harmon stores in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and potentially more down the line.

“This business never failed. This business was shut down because Bed Bath was failing,” Raskas told CNBC. “We have the luxury of deciding which stores to reopen … we have that ability to focus on the right places at the right time where the customers really want us back again.” 

When Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy April 23, it repaid its creditors by auctioning off bits and pieces of its broken empire to investors. No one was willing to buy the entire company, but some saw the value of its individual assets — and managed to snag them for a song. 

Overstock bought the intellectual property to Bed Bath’s namesake banner for $21.5 million, a price that Bank of America internet analyst Curtis Nagle bluntly described to CNBC as “pretty cheap.” Dream on Me’s owners, meanwhile, have the chance to rebuild Buy Buy Baby after it received its trademark, data and 11 of its store leases for about $16.7 million, far below what the chain could’ve gone for as a going concern. (The new Buy Buy Baby will operate independently from Dream on Me.)

Raskas, on the other hand, snapped up Harmon’s trademark for a mere $300,000 when the chain could’ve once went for $5 million to $10 million, he said. 

The new operators of Buy Buy Baby and Harmon have a chance at making something out of the bankrupt businesses, thanks to better balance sheets and less exposure to underperforming locations, according to Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData.

“People have picked over the carcass of Bed Bath & Beyond and they’ve managed to get some quite good bargains in terms of the value that they’ve paid for the intellectual property and the business,” he said.

What will the new Buy Buy Baby offer?

When Buy Buy Baby’s doors reopen, shoppers can expect smaller stores, national brands and a focus on experiences, community building and learning, said Dahiya, Dream on Me’s marketing chief. 

About 80% of the staff — including the merchant, tech and marketing teams — previously worked at Buy Buy Baby, and the company has tapped Bed Bath veteran Glen Cary to be its chief of stores, Dahiya said. Cary spent about two decades with BB&B, overseeing stores at Buy Buy Baby and Bed Bath’s namesake banner, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

The revamped Buy Buy Baby is envisioning registry events and product displays that will allow new parents to meet each other, learn from each other and test out big-ticket items like travel strollers before making a purchase. 

A brick-and-mortar footprint is important for the company's overall strategy because it'll give it a competitive edge that'll better differentiate it from mass retailers like Target and Walmart, which would be tougher to do if the business was online only. The big-box stores have leaned heavily into the baby category but they lack the expertise and focus that comes with a specialty store.

"[Mass retailers] have an aisle or two aisles of baby. We have a store of baby. That's the difference, right?" said Dahiya. "We are very focused on the category we are in."

When it comes to baby goods, especially higher-priced items that are more technical, consumers need more "hand-holding" that's better suited for an in-store experience than online, said Melissa Gonzalez, the principal at architecture and design firm MG2 and founder of the Lionesque Group.

"There's a mix of so much education that's needed that cannot really be fulfilled online in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming and intimidating," Gonzalez told CNBC. "On average, when somebody's spending like more than, say, $200, then it's a different price point of consideration where they're going to need multiple touch points before they can make a decision and on average, there's not as much comfort to do that online-only." 

Dream on Me has been in the baby business since the 1990s. While its manufacturing capabilities and expertise make it well-suited to compete, busy families need convenience and are already comfortable doing their baby shopping at Walmart and Target. In order to survive this time around, Buy Buy Baby will need to focus on offering a unique value proposition, said Saunders from GlobalData. 

"It's not only Buy Buy Baby that failed. There's also before it, Babies R Us failed and Toys R Us, which used to have baby stuff, and it failed. So, it's a difficult model to get right," said Saunders. 

"It really needs to focus on specialism and that means having products that other retailers don't, having services that other retailers don't and being renowned for really strong advice and expertise in the baby segment and having really good locations as well." 

What's next for Harmon?

Raskas, who bought the intellectual property for Harmon, had been a longtime customer of the chain when he heard its 50 stores were shutting down. 

Immediately, his curiosity was piqued, and he started doing outreach to a board member to figure out if there was something wrong with the business.

"There was nothing. There was no red flag," said Raskas, 37, during an interview with CNBC. "The exact line was, 'There's so many fires here to put out every single day, it just was something we needed to kind of move past.'" 

When Bed Bath declared bankruptcy a few months later and investors began swarming over its namesake banner and Buy Buy Baby, Raskas started asking about Harmon, which had all but gotten lost in the noise. 

He learned the company had done about $150 million in sales in 2022, had been profitable every year for the past two decades, and that seven out of every 10 customers who came into the store bought something.

"I went and discussed with my lawyers and we said, 'OK, what's the kind of bare minimum bid that we can throw out?'" Raskas recalled. "And that's what we did."

With a $300,000 bid, he secured the rights to Harmon's trademark and plans to reopen five of its best-performing locations in New York and New Jersey hopefully by year-end. More could come down the line, Raskas said.

David Abrams, the founder and CEO of brokerage and advisory firm Masonre, has been advising Raskas and scouting locations for the stores, one of which could open in Manhattan. 

"There's probably no better time to be a tenant," said Abrams, adding that he's looking for storefronts with better rents and visibility.

At its heart, Harmon is a drugstore chain that sells a lot of the same products that CVS and Walgreens do, but it earned a cult-like following with its wide assortment, travel-sized products, low prices and its beloved private label Face Values. 

Standing outside of a now-shuttered Harmon's location in New Rochelle, New York, where Raskas and his family used to shop about an hour north of Manhattan, he pressed his face against the glass and recalled what the store was like during better times. 

"What stood out was wide aisles, great lighting, the employees were super friendly," said Raskas. "In today's age, where a lot of times your in-person shopping experience is just kind of fine, painful or hellish, it was refreshing. I knew I'd get what I need … and I'd get out fast." 

The location, situated at the end of the North Ridge Shopping Center alongside an Italian restaurant and a smoothie shop, was one of Harmon's bette- performing stores and one Raskas is considering reopening.

Jennifer Kiggins, a trainer at the Rumble Boxing studio a few doors down, can't wait. 

"I think they had really great prices and they had everything you need from like toilet paper and paper towels to sunscreen to makeup, any like random thing," said Kiggins, 28, who grew up shopping at Harmon with her mom. "I feel like it was always there." 

Luckily, aside from a few optimizations and tweaks, Raskas plans to keep everything the same. 

"I'm not just buying a retailer, I'm buying something that was a community-loved favorite store that they went to throughout their entire lifetime and throughout all these different life-cycle journeys. ... That's why I think this is so exciting," said Raskas.

"Everyone loves a comeback story and everyone loves to come back to something that they thought was gone and now is back again."

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The 36-year-old brand director for an advertising firm calculates the cost-per-wear of his wardrobe by highlighting 200 items in a spreadsheet — excluding underwear and socks — and meticulously listing the price he paid for each of them as well as how many times he’s worn it. He updates the spreadsheet every night on his computer to determine whether his purchases were worth it — or not.

Lots of people thought Welch was weird when he started doing this 12 years ago, opting to ditch the cheapest items on the sales rack in favor of maximizing the value of his purchases over the span of their lifecycles. But with inflation still a nagging problem, more shoppers are coming around to his way of thinking.

“I was actually onto something versus being a little looney,” said Welch of Erda, Utah, who presented his findings last month at a company meeting.

Retailers are taking note of this mindset and shifting their marketing strategy in some cases. Gap’s Old Navy is offering shoppers a full refund for uniforms purchased during the upcoming back-to-school season if the clothes don’t hold up for a year. Retailers like Kohl’s and online shirt retailer Untuckit have recently revamped their marketing campaigns — particularly for the fall — to focus on durability and versatility. American Eagle is touting the “longevity of your most-loved jeans” made of recycled cotton and polyester in an email campaigns to customers.

That means a $200 classic sweater may end up being a better deal if you plan to wear it every week in comparison to a hot pink dress picked up for $40 that might be worn only once a month.

“Cost-per-wear is another way that they think about how to combat some of the inflation,” said Christie Raymond, Kohl’s chief marketing officer. “Is this item going to last? Is it going to really be versatile? For back to school, for example, can my child wear it in a number of different ways?”

Some shoppers are also looking to be more eco-friendly by buying clothes that don’t end up in a landfill after being worn a few times.

Still, the cost-per-wear calculation may only make sense for those consumers who can afford to prioritize quality and versatility over price. Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, notes that shoppers with tighter budgets will look at price and may not care whether something will last just as long as it looks good for now.

Indeed, fast-fashion purveyors are still faring well in the face of inflation. Chinese e-commerce retailer Temu, known for deep discounts and coupons, has continued its meteoric rise in the U.S., adding nearly 10 million new daily users since the turn of the year, according to market intelligence firm GWS. Meanwhile, Shein, the ultra-low-price, fast-fashion juggernaut founded in China, has been increasing its daily users from 3.1 million to 4.9 million daily users over the past year, according to GWS.

But there’s a growing backlash to the cheap stuff.

Rohan Deuskar, founder and CEO of Stylitics, a retail technology firm that powers personalized styling, outfitting and bundling suggestions for 150 retailers online, said he started seeing the trend this past holiday shopping season. He noted the average order was going up, particularly for holiday dresses, while shoppers were buying fewer items. And shoppers were also spending more time engaging with the virtual models that showed different ways to wear the item.

“Shoppers are being more considerate about every purchase and being willing to spend only if they get value — and that no longer just means cheap,” Deuskar said. “We’re reaching a little bit of an oversaturation of buying a bunch of stuff.”

According to market research firm Circana’s Retail Tracking Service, higher prices are outpacing lower prices over the past 12-month period ending in June. Women’s dresses priced $200 and above grew about twice as fast as those priced under $50. Sales of men’s jeans that were less than $30 declined, while higher price brands drove growth. Sales of women’s jeans priced $150 and above increased by 7%. And while the market for women’s active pants declined 20%, women’s active pants priced between $125 to $150 increased 19%, according to Circana.

Saunders notes that “price and quality aren’t always linked.” In fact, some retailers may be using any excuse to sell higher price goods. There’s also the timeliness of the fashion item to consider. Shoppers may think about longevity when they look for a coat but not for a skirt or a top.

“People like to refresh or their tastes change,” he said.

And cost-per-wear calculations don’t factor in weight loss or gain, Saunders added.

Welch said his wardrobe consists of mostly blacks, greys and blues and items that can carry through multiple seasons. Higher inflation has helped him better separate his needs and wants.

“I ask myself a little bit harder: ‘Is it something that I absolutely need?'” he said. “Consulting my spreadsheet, how many golf shorts do I really have?”

Welch noted that his formal wear and suits along with dress shirts are among the items that rank the highest in cost-per-wear. He chose a charcoal suit — not a tan version — for his wedding in 2018 that he bought for $480 at Bonobos. He has worn it 44 times, resulting in a cost-per-wear of $10.91. Not too bad but ideally he likes to get it down to 50 cents per wear, like the athletic shorts he bought at Outdoor Voices for $20 and has worn 434 times, according to his spreadsheet he shared.

Kohl’s said its marketing campaigns are showing different ways that items can be worn. For example, on the department store’s Instagram account, it pairs a white T-shirt and denim shirts in different ways, including a beachy take and a more stylish approach with hoop earrings. Untuckit’s fall campaign, “Made for the next journey,” focuses on the different ways customers can wear the shirt or the jacket — taking it from the office to night time events.

As for Welch, he said his wife is now staying away from fast-fashion and focusing on quality, though she’s not embracing the spreadsheets. And he’s delighted that his two girls, ages 3 and seven months, fit with the new math.

“With my first daughter, the cost for use on her dresses and stuff like that have decreased with having another girl, ” he said. “So if we have a boy, great. But if we have another girl, that’s just even more savings.”

By nearly every measure, Americans are financially strained. Yet, we’re coming up with new ways to justify expensive purchases.

The latest way, coined “girl math,” breaks down the price of an item by the cost per wear. If you use an expensive handbag every day for a year, for example, then it might only set you back a few bucks each time you wear it.

Alternatively, buying something on sale not only means you’ll spend less, but the difference can be considered “found money,” which can be put toward something else.

While the term originated from an unflattering view of women and their finances, TikTok’s latest trend aims to reframe the narrative around luxury indulgences.

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In addition to how these purchases are rationalized, there’s also a psychology to which payment method is used.

Buying big-ticket purchases in cash, for instance, makes them easier to forget because there’s no paper trail, according to a recent paper by Christopher Bechler and Szu-chi Huang at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

This works well for “an indulgent purchase that doesn’t feel super justifiable,” Bechler said.

Otherwise, consumers increasingly turn to buy now, pay later to spread out the cost of their “retail therapy” with small installments.

All this coincides with TikTok’s other recent trend, “treat” culture, which promotes spending money as a form of self-care, providing a temporary boost during stressful economic times.

By whatever means, “we are all vulnerable to destroying ourselves financially,” said Brad Klontz, a Boulder, Colorado-based psychologist and certified financial planner.

However, there are some benefits to this approach.

When ‘girl math’ works

Most experts recommend thinking about major purchases more carefully, and that’s where “girl math” can come in handy.

“Sometimes, ‘girl math’ is perfect math,” Klontz said. Factoring in how often you will use or wear an item helps “calm down the emotional part of the brain and turn on the rational part of your brain.”

When the math doesn’t add up

“The math often won’t end up in favor of splurging on luxury goods. Jewelry and watches may hold their value but most of the rest are depreciating assets,” said Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning.

That underscores the importance of weighing those types of purchases carefully, she added, and considering the trade-offs, especially if it comes at the expense of your economic standing.

“‘Girl math’ is just the latest iteration of us trying to rationalize financial behaviors that we know we shouldn’t be doing,” said Klontz, who is also managing principal of YMW Advisors and a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council.

“Why the need to justify it?” he added. “The answer to that is because you can’t afford it.”

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a spike in interest in luxury goods has also driven prices sky-high.

The “quiet luxury” trend is partly to blame, which glorifies the most high-end lifestyles even though most Americans are more likely to live paycheck to paycheck.

Just take the HBO series “Succession,” where the central characters travel by helicopter in $600 Loro Piana cashmere baseball hats and scoff at a Burberry tote bag that retails for $2,890.

Benz advises others to think broadly about luxury. Rather than an expensive bag, being financially healthy is a more valuable possession, she said.

“For me, financial well-being and security have evolved to be more important than luxury goods.”

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Which items are eligible during Tax-Free Week?

The Tax-Free Week includes certain clothing, footwear and accessories. Here are some items that won’t be taxed, according to a statement from the Comptroller of Maryland:

• Sweaters
• Shirt
• Slacks
• Jeans
• Dresses
• Robes
• Underwear
• Belts
• Shoes and boots

Diaper inserts cloth and disposable adult and baby diapers are also eligible for tax exemption during the holiday. Make sure to stock up!

Click here for a more detailed list of the items that qualify for Maryland’s Tax-Free Week.

Does the Sales Tax holiday include online sales?

Online shopping applies to the Sales Tax holiday when the eligible item is both paid for by the customer and delivered to the customer during the tax-free period and if the buyer orders and pays for the item and the retailer accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period, according to the Comptroller of Maryland.

Can I break down my purchase in $100 payments to qualify for the tax break?

Say you want to buy a dress for $180. Customers cannot ask the seller to pay the total price via two transactions, one of $80 and the other $100.

“Articles that are normally sold as a unit, such as a pair of shows or a suit normally prices on a single price tag can’t be priced separately during the tax-free period to avoid the sales tax,” informed the Comptroller.

Can I use coupons to lower prices and avoid taxes?

If you have a coupon that lowers the price of your purchase to $100 or less, the item does quality for the tax exemption.

For more information on this year’s tax-free period, go to the Comptroller of Maryland’s website.

It’s not your imagination: Companies are getting stingier with customer rewards.

Airlines are making it harder to earn elite status. Retailers have tightened return windows and tacked on fees. Dunkin’ and Sephora are even cracking down on birthday treats.

The shift shows companies are rethinking how to attract, retain and reward customers after the Covid pandemic as consumers change their spending priorities and businesses face pressure to control costs while increasing sales.

Companies have to be careful. If they slash benefits too severely, they risk losing customers, but being too generous comes with a cost.

“It’s not a simple math exercise to say letting few people into a particular group or offering fewer people a promotion just translates to a change in sales volume,” said David Garfield, global head of industries at consulting firm AlixPartners. “It also can change the way people feel about the company and influence others.”

Raising the bar

Some of the biggest shifts in customer perks have come in the airline industry.

During the pandemic, airlines allowed frequent flyers to hold on to their elite statuses. They ended that perk as travel rebounded, and customers racked up loyalty points on co-branded credit cards. Carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines also have raised the number of miles customers need to earn elite status as the ranks of those with the benefits swelled.

“When you have that many customers in the so-called premium tiers, it doesn’t feel that special anymore,” said Yuping Liu-Thompkins, a professor of marketing at Old Dominion University’s Strome School of Business who researches loyalty programs.

Delta has taken steps to try to reduce crowding at its popular airport lounges. It has largely barred staff when they’re flying standby and raised membership fees and entry requirements. In February, American Express Centurion Lounges started charging members $50 to bring in an adult guest and $30 for children between the ages of 2 and 17 for American Express Platinum cardholders. Previously, members could bring two guests for free. The fees are waived if a cardholder spends $75,000 on the card in a year.

Those changes come as airlines see a new trend: Many travelers are willing to pay more to sit in business class or for other roomier seats to make flying more comfortable.

United, Delta and American executives said on earnings calls last month that premium-seat revenue has increased , outpacing growth from the main cabin. Airlines are racing to add roomier seats to cater to those free-spending travelers.

Retail’s reality check

While the airline industry has turned profitable during the post-pandemic travel boom, retailers have faced a host of new challenges.

Inflation has squeezed consumer spending, said Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor for Circana, the market researcher formerly known as IRI and The NPD Group. As shoppers buy fewer discretionary and big ticket items, companies have taken a harder look at expenses, he said. If they can’t boost sales, they can try to impress investors with better margins.

“We are now living in an environment where growth isn’t going to happen by selling more product so easily and when you sell more product, it’s easier to cover the cost of getting those sales,” he said. “Retailers and brands have had to step back and look at all of their components of their business and decide which ones are working, which ones are not.”

At many retailers, customers must now pay a return fee if they want to ship back unwanted clothing, shoes or other items. Urban Outfitters, the company’s chain Anthropologie, Abercrombie & Fitch and J.Crew are among the businesses that charge for sending back a return. Nordstrom‘s off-price chain, Nordstrom Rack, also added a $9.95 fee to ship back products earlier this year.

Even Amazon, the retail giant that pressured the rest of the industry to offer free shipping, has attached more strings. Starting this spring, customers must pay a $1 fee if they return a package at a UPS store, instead of at an Amazon-related store. The fee applies if the package’s delivery address is near a Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh or Kohl’s. Amazon owns Whole Foods and has a partnership with Kohl’s for receiving returns.

Yet all of those retailers allow shoppers to return items for free at a company store rather than in the mail — a move that not only can reduce shipping costs but increase the chance that a shopper may buy something else. The extra step may also make a customer think twice and decide to keep the item instead.

Some retailers have tightened return policies, too. In March, Macy’s shortened its return window from 90 days to 30 days. By making the change, the company said it can get products back on shelves more quickly when they’re still in season. The move also reduces the odds that merchandise winds up on the clearance rack.

Amit Sharma, CEO of returns technology company Narvar, said retailers have started to retrain customers on how to return items, much like grocery stores have gradually taught shoppers to employ reusable bags. He added that after the pandemic created supply chain headaches, shoppers have a clearer understanding that shipping and returns come at a price.

“To drive that online demand, free shipping and free returns were put in place, but now we all know it costs significant money,” he said.

In some cases, retailers are calling return fees “restocking fees” to refer to the extra labor involved in processing the item, said Heidi Isern, the head of Narvar’s design and research.

In other cases, retailers are offering customers more choice, she said. For example, Levi Strauss, Ann Taylor, Crocs and Brooks Brothers have a home pickup program in some cities, powered by Narvar, where customers can pay about $5 to $9 for a delivery person to retrieve a package.

Porous entry

As retailers make shoppers think twice about returns, Netflix and Costco have also cracked down. Both companies aim to make sure membership isn’t shared with people who aren’t paying, particularly as the companies chase new avenues of growth.

For Netflix, subscriber growth has stagnated as customers spend less time on the couch and more time out in the world. The streaming service responded by reining in password sharing and introducing a lower priced, ad-supported option.

Costco also noticed a trend of people using membership cards that belong to someone else. It is now checking photo IDs, even in self-checkout lanes, to verify cardholders.

For both companies, the moves could nudge freeloading customers to become paying ones — or create a sense of fairness for members.

Chasing big spenders

Airlines and retailers alike have taken a harder look at the customers they will try hardest to keep.

Simeon Siegel, a retail analyst for BMO Capital Markets, said the sudden halt in sales for discretionary retailers when the Covid pandemic hit, then the stimulus-fueled spending, gave companies a moment to rethink how they cater to shoppers — and if they’re giving away dollars for little loyalty in return.

That led some companies to take a new approach to markdowns. Certain businesses also became confident that they could tack on a fee without losing their most valuable shoppers.

“It does seem like the companies are doing this because they’re able to, not because they have to,” Siegel said. “From 2008 to 2020, consumers felt they were entitled to whatever they wanted and corporations would wait on them hand and foot and that changed during the pandemic.”

More companies from Target to Walmart and Best Buy have decided to push loyalty programs and offer the best perks only to the customers who shell out. The members can skirt delivery and return fees — or earn extra privileges.

For example, Macy’s announced this week that it would charge shoppers at its namesake store $9.99 for shipping back returns. But it will waive that fee for members of Star Rewards, its free loyalty program.

At Best Buy, shoppers only have 15 days to return most products. But if they pay a subscription for the company’s membership program, they get a longer return window of 60 days. Best Buy rolled out the three-tiered membership program in late June.

Delta earlier this year started rolling out free Wi-Fi on board for members of its SkyMiles loyalty program.

Even birthday gifts now sometimes have caveats to cater to shoppers who are bigger spenders or more frequent customers. Dunkin’ got rid of its free birthday drink last fall and instead, it gives customers triple the loyalty points for purchases during their birthday. Sephora customers not only have to be in the company’s loyalty program, but also must now spend at least $25 online if they want to get a birthday treat. (The giveaway is available in store without a minimum.)

Sephora and Dunkin’ did not respond to requests asking for the reasoning behind the changes.

Garfield of AlixPartners said perks sometimes inspire a drive-by purchase rather than lasting customer loyalty. He said some shoppers take advantage of benefits like freebies but ultimately prove unprofitable for the companies.

It’s a delicate balance.

“If the company loses the customer entirely as a result of this switch it may not be worth it,” Garfield said. “The flip side of that coin is that clever companies actually fire some of their customers deliberately.”

First introduced in 2015 to celebrate Amazon’s 20th year in business, Amazon Prime Day has become a much-anticipated annual shopping event. Now spanning two days, it offers deep discounts on thousands of products in Amazon’s marketplace.

However, experts are warning consumers of scams, which often increase in frequency during significant sales events. Here’s what you need to know:

When Is Amazon Prime Day 2023?

Amazon Prime Day kicks off on Tuesday, July 11 at midnight Pacific time (3 a.m. ET) and runs through Wednesday July 12.

Do I Need a Prime Membership for Amazon Prime Day?

The short answer is yes. You must be an Amazon Prime member to participate in the sale. The cost of membership is $139 a year.

The membership comes with free one-day or two-day delivery, and customers in some locations can also access same-day delivery. In addition to the free Prime delivery, membership gives customers access to Amazon video, music, gaming, photo storage and more, including the a free one-year membership to Grubhub’s premium “Plus” delivery service and discounts on prescription drugs.

You can sign up for a free, 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, after which you’ll pay $14.99 per month or the full annual amount of $139 for the year (plus tax in some states). Prime accounts can be shared within a household, which includes up to two adults, four teens and four children.

Discounted memberships are available for students with a valid school email account at $69 a year and for those who received qualifying government assistance, like EBT or Medicaid, at $6.99 per month.

How to Shop Prime Day

Compare Prices

If you really have your eyes set on specific items, search for it online to cross-reference the prices. According to NBC’s Emilie Ikeda, recent analysis shows that the two-day savings event might not actually offer the best sale. “The 10 most popular items on Prime Day last year were sold for lower prices outside of those deal days,” she said.

Watch for Lightning Deals

One way to find the best sales on Amazon Prime Day is by taking advantage of “Lightning Deals,” which are short-lived discounts that last for short window of time — expiring when the item sells out or the timer runs out.

You can monitor Lightning Deals on the Amazon Prime Day page and they’ll be easy to spot since they display a countdown timer next to the item.

Ask Alexa

Amazon’s Alexa device can be used to notify you of deals on items in your wish list or products you have “saved for later” in your cart.

news Jun 21, 2023

Prime Day: Everything Amazon Sellers Need to Know About Making the Most From Deals

news Jul 6, 2023

Amazon Sellers Say They Were Kicked Off Site After Unknowingly Hawking Stolen Goods

Tips on Avoiding Amazon Prime Day Scams and Counterfeits

Amazon does sell many of its own goods and those by name brand companies, but the majority of their listings are from “third-party sellers.”

While many of those merchants are very reputable, some are peddling fake merchandise or advertising amazing deals on something you may want or need, but will result in you getting scammed. 

So, if you are planning to take advantage of Prime Day deals, here’s some tips to avoid getting scammed: 

• First, only “click” on the Amazon Prime box — that will limit your exposure online to phony or scam ads. 
• Avoid clicking on products with “no reviews.” Just about every item for sale will have reviews good or bad, if there are none, consider that your warning. 
• Don’t just research the product, research the seller. Google their name along with the word “scam” and see what the search could reveal about prior complaints about the product and the company selling it. 
• If there is odd spelling, poor descriptions or bad grammar, that’s another warning sign you could be dealing with a fraudster from overseas. 
• Lastly, if the price just seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do some comparison shopping for the same item and if there is a vast difference, you could be dealing with a seller that’s not legit. 

Consumers are also being warned about phishing scams targeting online shoppers — often by impersonating companies like Amazon and other major retailers — which increase amid significant sales events like Black Friday and Prime Day, according to the Better Business Bureau.

The Better Business Bureau reminded consumers to watch out for lookalike websites, too-good-to-be-true social media ads, unsolicited emails or calls and more near Prime Day and other sales events this month beyond Amazon’s.

Scott Knapp, director of worldwide buyer risk prevention at Amazon, identifies two scams that the company has seen in recent years around Prime Day: Prime membership and order confirmation hoaxes.

Last year, for example, people reported getting unsolicited calls or emails saying that there was something wrong with their Prime membership. Then, they were asked for payment information, like a credit card, and sometimes login credentials as well, Knapp explained — adding that Amazon “or any reputable business” wouldn’t ask for those details in that way.

Both the FTC and Better Business Bureau provide consumers with tips to avoid scams year-round. Guidance includes blocking unwanted messages, not giving financial information to unsolicited callers and checking links before clicking — secure websites, for example, will have “HTTPS” in the URL, Planos notes, never “HTTP.”

Competing Retailer Events and Price-Matching: Other Ways to Score Deals on Prime Day 2023

Some of the nation’s largest retailers are holding competing deal events, including Macy’s and Best Buy’s “Black Friday in July” events and Target’s Circle Week which kicked off on July 9 and lasts through July 15. Walmart is also offering week of Roll Back deals that kicked off early for Walmart+ members.

Wayfair is having a 72-hour clearout sale and Ulta’s Big Summer Beauty Sale event is going on now until July 15.

Another way to score some savings on Prime Day is to take advantage of price-matching policies offered at major chain retailers.

Target provides in-store price matches for 27 online competitors, including Amazon, Kohls.com and Walmart.com. You can also match prices when shopping at Target.com, but you must call a toll-free number (800-591-3869) to do so.

Best Buy matches prices for online stores that sell electronics, but is limited to five retailers: Amazon, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com and TigerDirect. However, Best Buy has a more generous price-matching policy for local brick-and-mortar retail stores. That includes all retailers within a 25-mile radius, not just those specializing in electronics. It even promises to match prices offered at warehouse clubs like Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club.

After all, it’s America’s big birthday and she’s blowing out 247 candles this year. That’s one epic cake if we do say so ourselves.

Whatever plans you’ve got on the docket to celebrate Independence Day this year, you might may be wondering what’s going to be open and closed on July Fourth.

It’s a great question considering the Fourth of July is one of 11 federal holidays observed annually, along with New Year’s, MLK’s birthday, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And like the other federal holidays, banks and post offices will be closed in observance of Independence Day.

If you’ve got the day off from work, you might be celebrating by spending the day at the beach or taking the family out to dinner. Or perhaps you’re in the mood for a bit of shopping. In which case, you might be curious to know which stores are open on the Fourth of July.

To help, we’ve rounded up a list of merchants staying open for business. Because who wants to spend the day tracking down store hours when there are so many other fun things to do on the Fourth of July? Exactly.

So, read on to find out if your favorites are open or not.

Retail stores open on the 4th of July

• Academy Sports + Outdoors: Stores are open during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Ace Hardware: Stores are independently owned and operated. Opening and closings vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Apple: Stores open at regular time with a majority closing early in observance of the holiday. Find local hours here.
• Barnes & Noble: Stores are open on the Fourth of July, but customers are advised to check the website for holiday hours. Find local hours here.
• Belk: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Best Buy: Most stores are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Big Lots: Stores are open during regular hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Burlington: Stores open at regular time with many locations closing early. Find local hours here.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods: Stores open at their regular time and most locations close at 7 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Dillards: Stores are open with a majority closing at 6 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Dollar General: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Dollar Tree: Most stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Family Dollar: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Hobby Lobby: Stores open during normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• HomeGoods: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Homesense: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• IKEA: Stores open at their normal time, but close early at 6 p.m. Find local hours here.
• JOANN Fabric and Craft Store: Stores are open, but close early at 7 p.m. Find local hours here.
• JCPenney: Stores are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Kohls: Stores are open during normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Lowe’s: Stores are open with normal hours. Find local hours here.
• Macy’s: Stores open at their normal time, but most close early at 7 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Marshalls: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Michaels: Stores are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Menards: Stores open at their regular time with a majority closing at 8 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Nordstrom: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Nordstrom Rack: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Petco: Stores open at their regular time with a majority of locations closing by 7 or 8 p.m. Find local hours here.
• PetSmart: Stores open at 9 a.m. with select locations closing early at 6 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Sephora: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Staples: Most stores are open with select locations closing early. Find local hours here.
• The Home Depot: Stores open at normal time, then close early at 8 p.m. Find local hours here.
• T.J. Maxx: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Ulta: Stores are open with a majority of locations closing early at 6 p.m. Find local hours here.

Grocery stores open on the 4th of July

• ACME: Stores are open, but customers are encouraged to check with local stores for pharmacy hours. Find local hours here.
• Albertsons: Stores are open with regular hours, but the pharmacy will be closed. Find local store hours here.
• Aldi: All stores close at 4 p.m. Find your local store hours here.
• Big Lots: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• Big Y: Stores are open during normal business hours, but pharmacies are only open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Find local store hours here.
• BJ’s Wholesale Club: Stores are open from 8 a.m to 9 p.m. Gas stations open at their normal time and will close at 7 p.m. Find local store hours here.
• Central Market: Stores are open during regular hours. The pharmacy is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Food Lion: Stores are open with during normal business hours. Find local store hours here.
• Fresco y Más: Store locations are open during regular hours. In-store pharmacy hours may be modified. Find local hours here.
• Giant Eagle: Stores are open during normal hours. The pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Giant Food: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• Hannaford: Stores are open, but customers are encouraged to call local stores for specific hours. Find local hours here.
• Harris Teeter: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• Harveys: Stores are open during regular hours, but in-store pharmacy hours may be modified. Find local hours here.
• H-E-B: Stores are open during regular hours. The pharmacy is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Hy-Vee: Stores are open. Find local hours here.
• Jewel-Osco: Stores are open, but customers are encouraged to check with local stores for pharmacy hours.Find local hours here.
• Kroger: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• Market District: Supermarkets are open during regular hours. The pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Meijer: Stores are open, but hours may vary. Find local hours here.
• Publix: Stores are open with regular hours, but pharmacies will be closed. Find local hours here.
• Safeway: Stores are open, but customers are encouraged to check with local stores for pharmacy hours. Find local hours here.
• Sam’s Club: Stores are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Plus members and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Club members. Find local store hours here.
• Save A Lot: Stores are open, but select locations may have abbreviated hours. Find local hours here.
• Shaw’s: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• ShopRite: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Sprouts Farmers Market: Stores are open, but hours may vary location. Find local hours here.
• Stop and Shop: Stores are open during regular hours, but they may vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Target: Stores are open during regular hours, which vary by location. Find local hours here.
• Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s opens at its normal time, but stores will close early at 5 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Tops Friendly Markets: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• The Fresh Market: Stores are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Vons: Stores are open, but customers are encouraged to check with local stores for pharmacy hours. Find local hours here.
• Walmart: Stores are open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Find local hours here.
• Wegmans: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• Whole Foods: Stores are open, but hours may be vary or be reduced by location. Find local hours here.
• WinCo Foods: Stores are open during regular hours. Find local hours here.
• Winn-Dixie: Stores are open during regular hours. In-store pharmacy hours may be modified. Find local hours here.

Convenience stores open on the 4th of July

• Casey’s: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Certified Oil: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Cumberland Farms: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• CVS: A majority of pharmacies are open. Customers are encouraged to call ahead or check local store hours here.
• Duane Reade: Stores are open with normal hours. Check local store hours here.
• GetGo: Stores are open with normal business hours. Check local hours here.
• Kwik Shop: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Loaf ‘N Jug: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Minit Mart: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Quik Stop: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Rite Aid: Stores are open with normal business hours, but some may be closed or have reduced hours. Find local hours here.
• Sprint: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Tom Thumb: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Turkey Hill: Stores are open with normal business hours. Find local hours here.
• Walgreens: Stores are open with normal business hours. For patient needs, 24-hour Walgreens pharmacies will be open and select non-24 hour pharmacies will be open with modified hours. Find local hours here.
• Wawa: Stores are open, but select stores may have modified hours. Find local hours here.
• 7-Eleven: Stores are open, but hours may vary by location. Find local hours here.

Stores closed on July 4th

• Costco

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• Cue the fireworks, these deals are worth shopping
• Save on North Face, Igloo and more at REI
• Check out Overstock’s 4th of July sale

When Is Amazon Prime Day 2023?

Amazon Prime Day is taking place officially on July 11 and 12, but the online market place tends to kick off some early deals a few days before the main event. Prime Day will last for 48 hours, beginning Tuesday, July 11 at midnight Pacific time (3 a.m. ET) and ending Wednesday, July 12.

Do I Need a Prime Membership for Amazon Prime Day?

The short answer is yes. You must be an Amazon Prime member to participate in the sale. The cost of membership is $139 a year.

The membership comes with free one-day or two-day delivery, and customers in some locations can also access same-day delivery. In addition to the free Prime delivery, membership gives customers access to Amazon video, music, gaming, photo storage and more, including the a free one-year membership to Grubhub’s premium “Plus” delivery service and discounts on prescription drugs.

You can sign up for a free, 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, after which you’ll pay $14.99 per month or the full annual amount of $139 for the year (plus tax in some states). Prime accounts can be shared within a household, which includes up to two adults, four teens and four children.

Discounted memberships are available for students with a valid school email account at $69 a year and for those who received qualifying government assistance, like EBT or Medicaid, at $6.99 per month.

How to Shop Prime Day

Compare Prices

If you really have your eyes set on specific items, search for it online to cross-reference the prices. According to NBC’s Emilie Ikeda, recent analysis shows that the two-day savings event might not actually offer the best sale. “The 10 most popular items on Prime Day last year were sold for lower prices outside of those deal days,” she said.

Watch for Lightning Deals

One way to find the best sales on Amazon Prime Day is by taking advantage of “Lightning Deals,” which are short-lived discounts that last for short window of time — expiring when the item sells out or the timer runs out.

You can monitor Lightning Deals on the Amazon Prime Day page and they’ll be easy to spot since they display a countdown timer next to the item.

Ask Alexa

Amazon’s Alexa device can be used to notify you of deals on items in your wish list or products you have “saved for later” in your cart.

Tips on Avoiding Amazon Prime Day Scams and Counterfeits

Amazon does sell many of its own goods and those by name brand companies, but the majority of their listings are from “third-party sellers.”

While many of those merchants are very reputable, some are peddling fake merchandise or advertising amazing deals on something you may want or need, but will result in you getting scammed. 

So, if you are planning to take advantage of Prime Day deals, here’s some tips to avoid getting scammed: 

• First, only “click” on the Amazon Prime box — that will limit your exposure online to phony or scam ads. 
• Avoid clicking on products with “no reviews.” Just about every item for sale will have reviews good or bad, if there are none, consider that your warning. 
• Don’t just research the product, research the seller. Google their name along with the word “scam” and see what the search could reveal about prior complaints about the product and the company selling it. 
• If there is odd spelling, poor descriptions or bad grammar, that’s another warning sign you could be dealing with a fraudster from overseas. 
• Lastly, if the price just seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do some comparison shopping for the same item and if there is a vast difference, you could be dealing with a seller that’s not legit. 

The latest episode of the popular supermarket’s in-house podcast, “Inside Trader Joe’s,” explains why the chain doesn’t offer online shopping like competitors Aldi, Publix and Kroger, and is instead happy to keep running its business the way it has since it was founded in 1967.

One reason is simple: money. Building out a robust delivery operation would involve creating a network of warehouses to store products, as well as a delivery system to get those products to customers’ doors.

For a brand that closely watches its bottom line to keep prices low, it’s a non-starter.

“We love being a real place for a whole bunch of reasons and not just because it’s where we started,” co-host Matt Sloan said. “It’s because we’re good at it, and it’s because we know how to go about it. And it’s because doing it allows us to keep doing it really well, without any of the distractions and all of the costs that ultimately might get passed onto those shopping with us.”

But an even more important factor is that for Trader Joe’s, the in-store experience is part of the draw for shoppers in the first place.

With a constantly rotating selection of products, Trader Joe’s has trained customers to come into the store expecting to find something new and exciting with each visit.

“That experience would not be the same if you were trying to order something from a website that just showed you the products you already know about,” co-host Tara Miller said on the podcast.

She added that with online shopping, customers “tend to have blinders on” because they are only looking for specific products.

“When you walk into a Trader Joe’s, you’re confronted with products you may not have ever seen before,” she said. “That’s part of the Trader Joe’s experience.”

The “treasure hunt” aspect of customers looking for fun new treats, coupled with the supermarket chain’s famously friendly employees, have combined to create a recipe for success that Trader Joe’s isn’t keen on messing with.

“There’s also a bunch of efficiencies that come with being an [brick and mortar] grocery store,” Sloan said. “Anything other than that, we’re neither set up to do, we’re not really interested in, we won’t be good at, and it would only just add cost.”

But that also means the school year is nearing an end and it’s time to show a little extra appreciation for educators. 

Teacher’s Appreciation Week is from May 8 to May 12, according to the National Education Association. That means major retailers, restaurants and other companies will be offering discounts and special perks to educators – some of which are actually available year-round.

Here are some of the freebies and deals teachers can receive as the country shows appreciation before school is out for summer.

1-800-Flowers: $15 off on select teacher appreciation flower arrangements and gifts

Adidas: Get 30% off

Amazon: The #FoundItOnAmazon Teacher Deals page compiles discounted teacher-related items

Apple: Save up to $200 on computers and accessories

Applebees: Free appetizer through May 13, 20% off from May 8 through May 12

Barnes and Noble: 25% off

Buffalo Wild Wings: 20% off dine-in or carry-out orders

Cole Haan: 20% off

Costco: $20 gift card with a new membership

Crayola: 20% off their Teacher Gifts section at Crayola.com with the code EDUCATORS

Crocs: 25% orders from Crocs.com through May

Dell: 10% off select computers and electronics

Firehouse Subs: Free medium sub with the purchase of another medium sub

Hanes: 10% off (also applies for retired educators)

Headspace: Free annual subscription

Insomnia Cookies: Free six-pack of cookies with any $5 purchase

J. Crew: 15% off in-store and online

Lenovo: 5% off

Office Depot: 30% back in bonus rewards on qualifying in-store purchases

Party City: Between 10% and 20% on qualifying purchases

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery: 20% off meals for teachers

Potbelly: Free cookie or fountain drink

Reebok: 50% off online purchases

Samsung: Up to 30% off through Education Offers Program

Sonic: Free cheeseburger with purchase through Sonic app

Staples: 5% back on purchases

Under Armour: 20% off

Vineyard Vines: 15% off

Whataburger: Free breakfast item

The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on manufacturers who boast an American connection even if there isn’t one.

For many people, tags that say Made in the USA, Filled and Finished in the USA and Ships From the USA mean something special. But deciphering labels can be a guessing game.

FTC attorney Julia Solomon Ensor works to make sure that manufacturers who boast their products are made in America have the proof to back it up.

“For most products to be advertised as made in the United States, they should be all or virtually all made in the United States, all the way back to raw materials,” she explained.

All significant parts, processing and labor that go into the product must be of U.S. origin, and products should not contain any, or only negligible, foreign content.

Here’s an example from the National Institute of Standards and Technology: If a gas grill had knobs that were imported but the rest of the grill’s components were made in the U.S., a made in the USA claim is not likely to be deceptive, because the knobs make up a negligible portion of the product’s total manufacturing costs and are insignificant parts of the final product.

When you see a product advertised online as “shipped from the USA” the FTS says the product more than likely was made overseas and sent to a U.S. distribution center.

In 2021, the FTC finalized a rule giving them the authority to fine and penalize companies falsely using the Made in the USA label. Since then, they’ve cracked down on several, including Instant Brands, the owner of Pyrex. During the pandemic, demand for baked goods created shortages, forcing the company to source some of their measuring cups from China. Even though the products themselves were correctly labeled, according to the FTC, the company failed to update its advertising to disclose that.

“The advertising on Amazon during that time continued to say things like ‘as American as apple pie’ and ‘made in the United States,’ when in fact the measuring cups, some of the measuring cups, advertised were imported,” Ensor said.

The FTC said the company agreed to a number of requirements about the claims they make going forward.

Here Are Tips If You Want to Buy American Products

• Read labels carefully
• Consult websites that name companies making products in the U.S.
• Contact a manufacturer directly

With the exception of automobiles, textiles, wool and fur products, there is no law requiring companies to disclose a made in the USA label. But for those that do want to boast their American heritage, they must comply with the FTC’s labeling rules.

If you find out that a product was mislabeled, the FTC wants to hear from you.

In response to many customers now left with seemingly worthless coupons, one competitor is taking advantage.

The Container Store announced on Wednesday that they will accept a “competitor’s blue coupon” to redeem 20% off any single item through the end of May.

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Memberships will be $40 for a limited time, beginning this Friday and running through April 19.

Both the Club and Plus memberships are discounted, bringing the price of a Club membership to $10 and a Plus membership to $70.

Additionally, some in-store perks will be offered to customers shopping at Sam’s Club stores this Saturday.

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While supplies last, members can enjoy a free fountain drink and a sweet treat from the food court while restocking on home necessities.

The food court is marking the anniversary all month long with a birthday cake sundae, with layers of frozen yogurt and birthday cake for just $1.58.

More information on the offers can be found here.

When it originally opened in April 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma, it was known as Sam’s Wholesale Club. Sam’s Club now has nearly 600 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Think $10 toothpastes and $90 creams on supermarket shelves.

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Retailers and consumer product companies felt justified in raising prices to offset higher costs from gnarled supply chains and Russia’s war in Ukraine last year. But as those financial pressures ease, some are looking for new ways to pump up sales and profits by focusing on premium items amid an overall sales slowdown.

“If you want to hedge against the economic challenges, you hedge your bets by chasing after the upper income,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry adviser at market research firm Circana.

Many companies that normally cater to middle-income shoppers are unleashing a bevy of premium items in an attempt to grab consumers with more money to spare. But that could leave fewer options for consumers with less money to spare.

Walmart, for instance, features high-end $90 creams in its beauty aisles at select stores. Ketchup maker Heinz released a line of chef-inspired condiments called Heinz 57, including a 11.25-ounce container of infused honey with black truffle that costs roughly $7. Last year, Colgate-Palmolive made some waves by announcing its $10 three-ounce stain remover toothpaste, its first in the U.S. at this price, noting that premium products were essential to raising prices.

Meanwhile, Five Below — a chain known for selling toys and other impulse items for $5 and below — is creating a new store-within-a-store prototype: Five Beyond, which sells items at $6 and higher. Last year, the Philadelphia chain converted 250 of its 1,300 stores to include its higher-priced section and plans to expand that conversion to another 400 stores this year.

Five Below CEO Joel Anderson told analysts on a call in January that those who buy Five Beyond items spend more than twice as much as those who buy only Five Below items.

Some like Chipolte Mexican Grill have even publicized they are not pursuing discount-loving shoppers. The restaurant chain has been frank over the past year about how its price increases have scared off lower-income consumers. Last fall, it introduced Garlic Guajillo Steak, a limited-time offering that was pricier than regular steak.

In a conference call with investors in February, Chipotle Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said the chain — which raised prices by 13.5% in its most recent quarter — is seeing higher-income customers visit more often.

“We made the decision not to go chasing people with discounts,” Niccol said. “That’s not what our brand is and that’s not what we’re going to do.”

Critics like Rakeen Mabud, chief economist at left-leaning The Groundwork Collaborative, believe such moves will only increasingly shut out the less economically fortunate.

“As products get more expensive and companies are focused more on the wealthier segments of our population or our consumers, everyday people are increasingly underserved and increasingly unable to afford the products they need,” Mabud said.

When AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest cinema chain, announced in February it was rolling out a new three-tier pricing system at all its locations by year end that would require customers to pay more for better seats, actor Elijah Wood — best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy — blasted the move on Twitter.

“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income,” he wrote.

The gap between the haves and have nots has only gotten wider during the pandemic.

Households with annual income of more than $156,000 make up 20.7% of the U.S. population, according to research firm GlobalData. However, they accounted for around 38.3% of all retail spending last year, up from 37.5% in 2021. Excluding food and other essentials, those shoppers in that bracket accounted for 41.7% of spending last year, up from 39.5% in 2021.

On the other end of the spectrum are lower-income households who are spending down the savings accumulated during the pandemic at a faster rate than anyone else. Households with incomes below $50,000 have depleted their savings by about half from a peak reached when the last stimulus check was sent in March 2021, according to data from the Bank of America Institute. Households with income above $250,000 have reduced their larger savings by just about 15%.

Low and middle-income shoppers have also been hurt by the Federal Reserve’s inflation-fighting campaign to hike interest rates that have made using a credit card or getting an auto loan more expensive. But the Fed’s efforts could be easing as its favored inflation gauge slowed sharply last month, while consumer spending rose modestly, according to reports by the Commerce Department released Friday.

Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus is doubling down with special services and exclusive offerings for its multi-millionaire shoppers who shop an average of 25 times a year and spend upwards of $27,000 annually. For example, the store recently teamed up with designer fashion brand Brunello Cucinelli to have a fashion show at a local ranch outside of Dallas for its top customer.

Neiman Marcus emphasized it’s hardly ignoring the rest of the customer spectrum, but it noted that given a volatile economic environment it pays to invest more in its most loyal shoppers, specifically the top 2% who drive roughly 40% of its total sales.

Chief Executive for American Express Stephen J. Squeri told analysts in an earnings call in January that the company is limiting its focus to wealthier applicants.

“That premium customer base, while not immune to economic downturn, certainly right now is spending on through,” he said.

___

Associated Press staff writers Chris Rugaber and Paul Wiseman in Washington and Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.

During the three days, the state will stop the 6% sales tax on select Energy Star products. Consumers can buy the products in person or online to receive the tax-free benefit.

Here are the products that are tax-free during the Shop Maryland Energy weekend:

• Air conditioners
• Washers and dryers
• Furnaces
• Heat pumps
• Boilers
• Solar water heaters (tax-exempt at all times now)
• Standard size refrigerators
• Dehumidifiers
• Programmable thermostats
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs

Energy Star’s products can be located using their product finder. Consumers can find more information on Shop Maryland Energy’s Frequently Asked Questions.

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“It is a little frustrating because it’s not as convenient as it used to be,” said Woodard, 54, who also does most of her shopping online these days instead of in person because of stores limiting their hours.

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Before the pandemic, consumers had gotten accustomed to instant gratification: packages and groceries delivered to their doorstep in less than an hour, stores that stayed open around the clock to serve their every need.

But more than two and a half years later in a world yearning for normalcy, many workers are fed up and don’t want to go back to the way things were. They are demanding better schedules, and sometimes even quitting their jobs altogether.

As a consequence, many businesses still haven’t been able to resume the same hours of operations or services as they continue to grapple with labor shortages. Others have made changes in the name of efficiency. For instance, Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer and private employer, announced this past summer it doesn’t have any plans for its supercenters to return to its pre-pandemic 24-hour daily operations.

IHOP says a vast majority of its locations have returned to their pre-pandemic hours and some have even expanded them. But others, like the Laurel location that Woodward used to frequent, have indeed cut back.

The changes are creating a disconnect between customers who want to shop and dine like they used to during pre-pandemic times and exhausted employees who no longer want to work those long hours — a push-pull that is only being heightened during the busy holiday shopping season.

“Nobody is winning,” said Sadie Cherney, a franchise owner with three resale Clothes Mentor boutiques in South Carolina. “It is so demoralizing to see that you are falling short on both ends.”

Across all industries, the average number of hours worked per week per worker totaled 34.4 hours in November, unchanged from February 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But for the retail industry, it slipped 1.6% to 30.2 hours per week during the same period. Hours worked at restaurants were down by similar amount in October, according to the most recent data.

Meanwhile, the National Restaurant Association’s most recent monthly survey of 4,200 restaurant operators conducted in early August found that 60% of restaurants reduced hours of operation on the days they were open, while 38% closed on the days they would normally be open compared to right before the pandemic. And a report published by food and beverage research firm Dataessential showed the average U.S. restaurant as of October was open around six fewer hours per week than in 2019 — a 7.5% decline.

Cherney noted her stores returned to pre-pandemic hours last year but with the worsening labor shortages and higher labor costs, she has struggled to keep those same hours this year.

Her store in Columbia is open one hour later, but she had to offer wage increases to her workers. For her two other locations in Greenville and Spartanburg, hours have been reduced for personal shopping appointments throughout the week, and no longer accept second-hand clothing from shoppers on Sundays.

Cherney noted customers often complain about long waits to process their second-hand offerings, while her staff is overextended because they’re working 20% more than what they would like. The end result: Cash flow and profitability have both taken a hit.

Mani Bhushan, owner of Taco Ocho, a taco restaurant with four locations in the Dallas area, still struggles to hire cooks at his McKinney location, which opened in July 2021. He said many workers can’t afford to live in this upscale suburb and have to travel from elsewhere. Several times a week he’s had to close the location early — something he has never had to do in the 40 years he has worked in the business.

Even when Bhushan is able to keep his normal hours of operation, he still has to cut off online orders earlier in the day and the service is not up to par with his other locations.

“I am a perfectionist,” he said. ”I am not happy. But I can’t fix it right now.”

The worker shortages should remain acute into next year even as several big tech companies have reduced staff or have frozen corporate hiring. The economy added 263,000 jobs while the unemployment rate remained at 3.7% in November, still near a 53-year low, according to the Labor Department. And while U.S. job openings dropped in October from September, the number ticked up 3% in retail.

For mall operator Taubman Centers, which manages or leases 24 premier centers in the U.S. and Asia, many stores are opening later than its centers to save on employee costs, according to Bill Taubman, president and chief operating officer. However, he said that causes frustration among customers who go to the mall thinking the store where they want to shop will be open.

Vicky Thai, a 27-year-old studying to be a physician’s assistant in West Hartford, Connecticut, said she’s often frustrated over the waits to get served at restaurants and stores. She recalled a recent restaurant experience where it took a long time just to get some water; at a local clothing store, she spent 30 minutes in line to buy an item because of staffing shortages.

But for every frustrated customer, there is a frustrated worker. Artavia Milliam, 39, of Brooklyn, New York, is a visual merchandiser at H&M in Times Square. She said she spends more of her time helping out on the sales floor than updating the mannequins because of the shortage of staff.

“It can get overwhelming,” she said. “Everyday, I encounter someone who is rude.”

__

Associated Press Business Writer Haleluya Hadero in New York contributed to this report.

Thanksgiving is a special time of year when loved ones gather and give thanks (and, ya know, have a few squabbles here and there). 

As with any holiday, the actual day is pretty hectic, especially when you have a turkey to thaw, pies to bake and family to welcome — all at the same time. 

So, it’s inevitable that you might forget an ingredient or two for one of the many side dishes you’re making. Maybe when the day comes you realize you need some party games to keep kids occupied while the adults whip up some mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Perhaps, you need more festive decor to jazz up your table. Or, worst of all, you forgot to pick up the main event: the turkey!

All of these call for a quick trip to Walmart.

But before you bundle up and hit the road, it’s important to confirm if Walmart is even open on Thanksgiving. Many major stores, including Target and Trader Joe’s, are opting to close their doors on Thanksgiving to give employees time to rest and recharge before the Black Friday madness sets in. Speaking of Black Friday, Walmart has some epic deals — but does that mean they’ll be closed on Thanksgiving to prepare? Keep reading to find out. 

What Are Walmart’s Thanksgiving Hours?

Sadly, Walmart will not be open on Thanksgiving. “All of our stores (Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets) will be closed on Nov. 24th, 2022, Thanksgiving Day,” a Walmart spokesperson tells TODAY.com.

In an interview with Savannah Guthrie on TODAY, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said being open on Thanksgiving is “a thing of the past.”That means one thing (and one thing only): You’ll have to go elsewhere to pick up last-minute Turkey Day essentials this year and all the years to follow.

Where Else Can You Shop on Thanksgiving Day?

Some good news for you: Not everyone is following Walmart’s lead. The following stores will be open on Thanksgiving, many of which with modified holiday hours.

• ACME: Stores are open with limited hours. Many are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find your local store hours here.
• Albertsons: Stores are open with limited hours. Most stores open at 6 a.m., but close early. Find your local store hours here.
• Food Lion: Stores will open at the normal time and close at 3 p.m. Find your local store hours here.
• The Fresh Market: Stores are open with limited hours. Find your local store hours here.
• Giant: Stores, including 24-hour stores, are open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. In-store pharmacies are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• H-E-B: Stores are open from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. In-store pharmacies will be closed.
• Kroger: Stores will close at 4 p.m. Find your local store hours here. 
• Meijer: Most stores are open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find your local store hours here.
• Ralphs: Stores will close at 10 p.m. In-store pharmacies will be closed.
• Safeway: Stores are open with limited hours. Find your local store hours here.
• Sprouts: Stores are open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Stop & Shop: Stores are open with limited hours. Find your local store hours here.
• Wegmans: Most stores will close at 4 p.m. Select locations, including Northborough, Chestnut Hill, Burlington, Westwood, and Medford, will be closed for the entire day. Find your local store hours here.
• Whole Foods Market: Most stores are open with modified hours, but select stores will close their doors. Find your local store hours here.

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Shoppers spent nearly $20 billion online between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2021, making the shopping weekend prime territory for internet scammers.

And with budget-conscious shoppers seeking holiday sales steep enough to beat inflation, scammers are highly likely to take advantage, according to Ariana Bago, a fraud analyst at proxy provider Proxyrack.

“It’s important to remain vigilant and aware of any potential scams that may come your way,” Bago said in a statement emailed to CNBC Make It.

Here is Proxyrack’s advice for avoiding five of the most common Black Friday scams you’ll see this weekend.

Suspicious links

Scammers will try anything to get you to click a malicious link.

The link could distribute malware to your device, or direct you to a fraudulent website that tricks you into giving up your personal information or passwords to your financial accounts. It could appear in an email, text message or targeted ad on social media.

Bottom line: Don’t click on a link unless you’re absolutely sure it’s legitimate.

“Never click a link and put your username and password in something that you didn’t initiate,” cybersecurity expert Kevin Mitnick told CNBC Make It last month. “That’s a simple rule set that people should have.”

If you do receive a message with a potentially suspicious link while shopping, double-check the message sender’s contact information to make sure it matches the company or financial institution they claim to represent, Proxyrack advised.

If you’re unsure, look for a legitimate phone number or email address and “contact the company or your bank directly to request more information on the issue,” Bago said.

Browser extensions

Especially during the holiday shopping season, you’re likely to see an uptick in offers to download “money-saving” browser extensions, Proxyrack’s report noted.

Some of these are legitimate, and can help you unlock discounts or cash-back offers you might otherwise have missed. But scammers can also seize on your eagerness to find big savings by releasing fraudulent browser extensions that contain malicious software and phish your personal data.

Most Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals will be advertised up front on retailer’s websites, Proxyrack said. If you do want to install a browser extension, research it on a reviews website like TrustPilot first to see if it’s suspicious.

Billing scams

The last thing you’ll want to hear is that some of your purchases didn’t go through and might be canceled.

That’s why scammers often pose as major retailers and contact you with an urgent message claiming an order didn’t go through, or your payment information needs updating. They could also pose as your bank, asking you to verify your information before allowing your payments to process.

Scammers typically try to create a “sense of urgency,” implying that if you don’t act immediately, there will be dire consequences — like a canceled shopping order or even a frozen bank account, Proxyrack noted.

Legitimate companies rarely use that sort of intense language. If you do wish to follow up, Proxyrack suggested reaching out to the company directly to ensure you aren’t sharing any valuable information with a third party.

Unfamiliar websites

If you’re tired of inflation-bloated prices, you’ll understandably be looking for the best shopping deals possible this weekend. That might lead you to fake websites offering deals that seem too good to be true, because they are.

As you’re scouring different websites, double-check each website’s URL to make sure it’s legitimate before entering any personal information, Proxyrack advised.

If the website is unfamiliar, and you can’t verify its legitimacy through research — again, sites like TrustPilot can help — play it safe and avoid it altogether.

Verification code scams

Multi-factor authentication is a relatively easy way to make it harder for hackers to crack your personal accounts.

But it’s not impenetrable, and scammers can get around it by sending you a phishing message posing as your bank or a major retailer and asking you to confirm a verification code to finalize your purchase.

In those cases, the scammer likely already has your log-in information and password — possibly from a data leak — and they need the verification code to access your online accounts.

That’s why banks and retailers typically remind you not to share your multi-factor authentication codes with anyone, and that they’ll never call you on the phone to ask for the code.

Only enter a verification code directly into a login page that you know and trust.

Playing it safe this shopping season might feel frustrating, but it’s far better than the alternative. “It’s best to miss out on a couple of deals than to be scammed out of a lot of money through bank fraud,” Bago said.

Want to earn more and work less? Register for the free CNBC Make It: Your Money virtual event on Dec. 13 at 12 p.m. ET to learn from money masters how you can increase your earning power.

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The iconic toy store chain that had to shut down all of its U.S. stores after filing bankruptcy in 2017 now has hundreds of small toy shops inside Macy’s stores throughout the country, including many locations in the Washington, D.C., region.

Here are the Macy’s locations where you can find the beloved toy store in D.C., Maryland and Virginia:

D.C.

Metro Center, 1201 G Street NW

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Maryland

Annapolis – Westfield Annapolis Mall, 1295 Annapolis Mall Rd

Baltimore – Security Square Mall,  6901 Security Boulevard Suite 871

Bel Air – Harford Mall, 600 Baltimore Pike

Bethesda – Montgomery Mall, 7125 Democracy Boulevard

Bowie Town Center, 15300 Emerald Way

Columbia – The Mall in Columbia, 10300 Little Patuxent Parkway

Frederick – Francis Scott Key Mall, 5500 Buckeystown Pike Suite 500

Gaithersburg – Lakeforest Mall, 701 Russell Avenue, Suite 5

Glen Burnie – Marley Station, 7900 Ritchie Highway Suite B1

Hyattsville – Mall At Prince George’s, 3500 East-West Highway Suite 1100

Nottingham – White Marsh Mall, 8200 Perry Hall Boulevard Suite 2300

Towson – Towson Town Center, 813 Dulaney Valley Road

Waldorf – St. Charles Towne Center, 11200 Mall Circle #6190

Wheaton – Westfield Wheaton, 11160 Veirs Mill Road

Virginia

Arlington – Ballston Quarter, 685 North Glebe Road

Arlington – Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, 1000 South Hayes Street

Chesapeake – Greenbrier Mall, 1401 Greenbrier Parkway Suite 1190

Colonial Heights – Southpark Mall, 170 Southpark Circle

Dulles – Dulles Town Center, 21060 Dulles Town Circle

Fairfax – Fair Oaks Mall, 11901L Fair Oaks Mall

Fredericksburg – Spotsylvania Towne Centre, 3102 Plank Road

McLean – Tysons Corner Center, 8000 Tysons Corner Center

Manassas – Manassas Mall, 8270 Sudley Road

Newport News – Patrick Henry Mall, 12300 Jefferson Avenue

North Chesterfield – Chesterfield Towne Center, 11500 Midlothian Turnpike Suit 820

Richmond – Short Pump Town Center, 11872 West Broad Street

Roanoke – Valley View Mall, 4841 Valley View Boulevard NW

Springfield – Springfield Town Center, 6400 Springfield Mall

Virginia Beach – Lynnhaven Mall, 701 Lynnhaven Parkway Suite M

Google recently announced a new feature in Gmail that lets you easily track packages for things you’ve ordered. And you don’t even have to open the email to see when the package will arrive.

It should add some convenience ahead of the busy holiday shopping season, since it makes it easier to see your orders without having to sift through all of your messages.

Gmail will, in the coming weeks, provide a small green indicator in your inbox that shows when a package has shipped and when it’s expected to arrive. If you tap the email, you’ll see more information like a link to track the package from the shipper and order details. It will also provide the package status with labels that say, for example, “arriving tomorrow” or “delivered today.” It’ll also tell you if there’s a delay.

The option won’t be on by default. Google will provide a pop-up that lets you choose to allow the status updates if you want them. And you can turn it off in settings if you decide you no longer need the notifications.

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. 

The nine-day event runs from Oct. 15 through Oct. 23, with a different theme taking over the pop-up for each day of the event.

A store scavenger hunt, giveaways and other activities for the kids are part of each pop-up, with the theme of each day providing a unique twist on the fun of the event.

The event began this past Saturday with “Barbie Day”, and was followed up by “Fisher-Price Day” and “Geoffrey’s Birthday.”

Tuesday marked National Geographic STEM Day at the Toys R Us pop-ups, which offer a mini Fools’ Gold Dig Kit for kids to excavate a gem to bring home.

The following themed days are scheduled for the remainder of the event:

• Wednesday, Oct. 19: Rainbow Loom Day
• Thursday, Oct. 20: Play-Doh Day
• Friday, Oct. 21: Pokémon Day
• Saturday, Oct. 22: Lego Day
• Sunday, Oct. 23: L.O.L. Surprise Day

A full list of the 15 Macy’s locations in Illinois can be found here.

Years ago retailers were met with a frenzy of shoppers looking to get the best deals during the holiday season, even if meant ditching Thanksgiving dinner early to get to the mall.

Things shifted during the pandemic, and the trend is continuing with some stores in 2022.

Here’s a look at what stores will be open and closed on Thanksgiving.

(This story will be updated as more retailers release holiday hours)

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Stores Closed on Thanksgiving in 2022

• Kohl’s
• Target
• Best Buy
• Walmart
• Costco
• Sam’s Club
• The Home Depot
• Lowe’s 
• Apple
• Trader Joe’s 
• ALDI
• BJ’s Wholesale Club
• Lidl
• Publix
• Winn-Dixie

Stores Open on Thanksgiving in 2022

• ACME
• CVS
• Rite Aid 
• Walgreens
• Wawa
• Dollar General
• Family Dollar
• Michaels
• Old Navy
• Albertsons
• Big Y
• Fairway Market
• Food Lion
• Giant Eagle
• H-E-B
• Kroger
• Meijer
• Ralphs
• Safeway
• Wegmans
• Whole Foods Market

Largely out of necessity, consumers are getting creative about stretching their dollars.

After inflation hit back-to-school budgets hard and as families are feeling the weight of holiday expectations, more are considering thrift shopping as a way to save.

Bargain hunting is certainly not new. But with the Covid pandemic came a surge in “thrifting” and secondhand shopping. Now the resale market is growing even faster than traditional retail.

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“Resale continues to provide value in these uncertain times,” said Brett Heffes, CEO of Winmark, the franchisor of stores like Plato’s Closet, Once Upon a Child and Play It Again Sports.

So called recommerce grew nearly 15% in 2021 — twice as fast as the broader retail market and notching the highest rate of growth in history for the industry, according to a 2022 recommerce report by OfferUp.

While dominated by clothing resale, 82% of Americans, or 272 million people, buy or sell pre-owned products, OfferUp found, including electronics, furniture, home goods and sporting equipment, as well as apparel.

Much of the growth has been driven by younger shoppers, particularly teenagers, Heffes said. “We sell a lot of sneakers.”

Thrift store shoppers save nearly $150 a month, or $1,760 a year, on average, by buying secondhand items, according to another report by CouponFollow.

Saving money, however, is not the only driver, CouponFollow found. Shoppers said they were motivated by other factors, as well, such as sustainability and the thrill of the hunt.

Because it is considered eco-friendly, it’s also become more socially acceptable, Heffes said. “When I started in this business, there was a stigma around purchasing previously owned items, and that stigma is gone.”

In fact, sometimes buying secondhand is the only way to score a limited-edition pair of Air Jordans or other highly coveted and exclusive items.

Now, part of the momentum fueling resale is the desire to gain access to a unique item, added Wells Fargo managing director Adam Davis, who works with recommerce retail businesses, whether that’s “a Chanel handbag or Nike sneakers” — even if you end up paying more than the original retail price.  

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But the 26-year-old social worker of Portland, Oregon, hasn’t skimped on her eye makeup — the mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow she typically wears to work just above her face mask.

“That’s something I can’t go without,” Maldonado said. And she doesn’t seem to be alone.

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Many major retailers slashed their financial outlooks for the year after seeing shoppers pull back on many discretionary items in the latest quarter. But among the notable exceptions: beauty.

Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom all highlighted strong sales of beauty items in their fiscal second-quarter earnings reports issued over the past few weeks. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, said that it’s seeing increased momentum in its beauty business, citing strong sales in cosmetics as well as skin and hair businesses. Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty, the largest beauty retailer in the country, said overall sales spiked nearly 17% in its most recent quarter, compared to the same period last year.

Americans, once stuck behind Zoom screens in the thick of the pandemic, are out and about and wanting to look their best. Co-workers — some of whom are meeting each other for the first time — are trying to make an impression. Meanwhile, people are going out on dates and getting together for summer parties and barbeques after months of pandemic-induced leisurewear and Netflix binges at home.

But another possible explanation for why beauty is thriving when consumers are more apprehensive about their spending is a long-held theory known as the “lipstick index,” which posits that lipstick sales rise during times of economic downturn.

The reasoning goes: When consumer sentiment declines, Americans seek escapism by looking for small ways to indulge themselves, such as by purchasing a new lipstick instead of pricier alternatives they can no longer afford. For others, their version of lipstick might be cheap beer or a $5 Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, which reported record revenue in August for its fiscal third quarter.

The lipstick theory has held, though not always. Makeup sales spiked during the Great Depression and the recession in the early 2000s. But sales declined during the 2008 economic collapse, according to market research firm NPD Group. The same happened during the early days of the pandemic as Americans stayed home — or behind masks — and shifted their interests towards wellness and skincare as stimulus payments flooded bank accounts, helping balloon the savings of consumers who were already spending less on traveling or eating out due to pandemic lockdowns.

Now, makeup is roaring back. Americans have bought more eye, face and lip makeup — roughly 2%, 5% and 12% respectively — in a year-over-year analysis of sales across stores, according to the market research firm IRI.

At Macy’s, CEO Jeff Gennette noted in an earnings call late last month that consumers have focused on deals and cut back on purchases amid high inflation. Still, they managed to buy beauty products as well as travel-related items like luggage, shoes and clothes to wear to the office, Gennette said.

Meanwhile, Kohl’s reported that shoppers were making fewer trips, spending less per transaction and shifting toward value-oriented store brands. But at its Sephora beauty shops, launched last year as part of a partnership with the beauty chain, shoppers are spending freely on skincare, makeup and fragrance.

“Customers are not willing to give up their beauty purchases,” Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass recently told The Associated Press. “People need to feel good at this time with so much pressure on them.”

The Sephora sales reflect broader findings released in July by NPD Group, which showed among 14 discretionary industries tracked by the group this year, beauty was the only category that saw a rise in sales. However, the persistence of beauty at more prestige markets — such as Macy’s, Sephora and Nordstrom — is primarily being driven by high-income earners, or those with an annual salary of $100,000 or more, according to Larissa Jensen, NPD’s beauty industry adviser.

“While we’re all feeling these inflationary pressures, it has less of an impact on a consumer earning six figures than it does on a lower income consumer,” Jensen said.

Elsewhere, however, strong sales show Americans of all income levels participating in the uptick. At Target, beauty enjoyed sales increases in the low single digits while home goods, clothing and electronics all suffered declines. As a result, for the winter holidays, Target said it will be more cautious with its orders for discretionary merchandise but will lean on beauty as well as necessities like groceries.

Its competitor Walmart launched higher-end beauty areas in March in collaboration with British retailer SpaceNK, and it says those sections have performed well. The retailer, which has been offering consumers select discounts, will hold a beauty event in September where customers can find deals at the store and online.

These wins, combined with low levels of price increases and supply chain issues, has made the beauty industry feel insulated from challenges in the wider economy, Jensen said.

“But there’s still so many things swirling around,” she warned. “And we need to be cognizant that things could change at any minute.”

Spending held steady for these evergreen items even after the Kent, Washington-based business was forced to pass along 15% price increases in January to its retail clients because of soaring transportation costs. But by May, as gas and food prices also surged, shoppers abruptly shifted away from the $35 higher-end rain boots to the no-frills versions that run $5 to $10 cheaper, its CEO Karl Moehring said.

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“We are seeing consumers shift down,” said Moehring, noting dramatic 20% sales swings in opposite directions for both types of products. “Wages are not keeping up with inflation.”

This back-to-school shopping season, parents — particularly in the low to middle income bracket — are focusing on the basics while also trading down to cheaper stores amid surging inflation, which hit a new 40-year high in June.

Last week, Walmart noted higher prices on gas and food are forcing shoppers to make fewer purchases of discretionary items, particularly clothing. Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, cited that inflation has dampened consumer spending on gadgets. Both companies cut their profit forecasts as a result.

Such financial struggles amid the industry’s second-most important shopping season behind the winter holidays mark a big difference from a year ago when many low-income shoppers, flush with government stimulus and buoyed by wage increases, spent freely.

Matt Priest, CEO of trade group Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America, noted that last year, the group’s retail members saw a noticeable uptick in online sales mid-month when shoppers received their monthly child tax credit checks that amounted to a couple of hundred dollars. This season, without that bump, he expects shoppers will buy fewer shoes for their children and rely on private label brands.

Inflation has squeezed household finances for Jessica Reyes, 34, who took her daughters Jalysa, 7, and Jenesis, 5, to a “Back to School Bash” event last month in the Chicago’s northside that offered free backpacks filled with supplies for students.

“I feel like everything is going up these days,” she said at the event. ”We’re a one-income household right now … so I think it’s greatly affected us in all areas, in bills and in house necessities and school necessities.”

Out shopping, her girls were drawn to the school supplies featuring TV characters and animals they love, but she’ll focus on the plain versions.

“They want the cute ones, you know, the kitty ones. And those are always more expensive than the simple ones. And same thing with folders, or notebooks, or pencils,” Reyes said.

Earlier, Manny Colon and his daughters Jubilee, 8, and Audrey, 5, stopped by the back-to-school event to pick out backpacks.

Colon, 38, works at his daughters’ elementary school. He said his spouse has had to pick up extra work because of high prices for school supplies, groceries and gas.

“I think it’s definitely impacted us,” he said.

Multiple forecasts point to a solid back-to-school shopping season.

Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks spending across all payment forms including cash, forecasts back-to-school spending will be up 7.5% from July 14 through Sept. 5 compared with the year-ago period when sales rose 11%. For the 2020 back-to-school period, sales fell 0.8% as the pandemic wreaked havoc on schools’ reopening plans and back-to-school shopping.

Still, higher prices are propping up much of the numbers.

A basket of roughly a dozen supply items showed a price increase of nearly 15% on average for this back-to-school season compared with a year ago, according to retail analytics firm DataWeave. The price of backpacks are up nearly 12% to an average of $70, for example.

Back 2 School America, an Illinois-based nonprofit that distributes back-to-school kits to kids from low-income families, has seen “a significant increase in costs of supplies,” including a 10% increase from their vendor with another possible mark-up on the way, said the organization’s CEO Matthew Kurtzman. And shipping costs have also gone up.

Thanks to increased support this year, Back 2 School America will be able to cover the new costs and is on track to distribute more kits than ever before — 12,000 so far, and more than 30,000 by the end of August, Kurtzman said. But the funding isn’t guaranteed in the future as worries about a recession increase.

Retailers face big challenges to get shoppers to spend, particularly on clothing.

Walmart said last week it was taking extra discounts on clothing to clear out inventory. Analysts believe those sales will exert more pressure on other rivals to discount more to stay competitive. However, Walmart said it’s encouraged by the early signs for sales of school supplies.

Meanwhile, Gap’s low-price Old Navy division is guaranteeing a price freeze on its denim from July 29 through the end of September.

As for Washington Shoe, Moehring said he’s shifting production away from higher priced children’s boots to more value-priced products in the months ahead. The company still sees annual sales ahead of last year, but he’s being cautious.

“I believe it is a muddy outlook, “ he said.

Claire Savage reported from Chicago and is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Amazon said Monday it’s adding a handful of brick-and-mortar retail brands to its same-day delivery offering for Prime members.

To start, Amazon is offering same-day delivery from apparel stores PacSun, Diesel and Superdry, as well as vitamin retailer GNC, in 10 cities across the U.S. The service is free for Prime members when they spend $25 or more, or $2.99 if they spend less than $25, Amazon said.

Some of the participating retailers also give shoppers the option to order items online and pick them up at the store.

CNBC previously reported Amazon was testing a similar model with its Flex delivery drivers, wherein they’d fetch packages from mall-based retailers and drop them off at customers’ doorsteps.

Amazon continues to invest heavily to make one-day and, in some areas, same-day, delivery the default for its Prime members. The company has expanded the number of one-day eligible products, and it now has “thousands” of items that can be delivered in a few hours.

Consumers are increasingly demanding faster delivery speeds from online retailers, as evidenced by the explosion of ultrafast grocery platforms in the last year. Retailers have also jumped on the trend by partnering with on-demand delivery providers such as DoorDash, Uber‘s Postmates, Instacart, UPS‘ Roadie, as well as Target‘s Shipt. The partnerships mean that consumers can often get a new t-shirt or dress in a matter of hours.

With the new partnership, retailers will fulfill orders from inventory in their stores, and a Flex delivery driver will pick them up from the retailer. Doing so allows Amazon to get online purchases to shoppers’ doorsteps even faster.

Amazon isn’t the only company looking beyond warehouses to fulfill e-commerce orders. Walmart and Target are tapping into their large brick-and-mortar footprints to speed deliveries with the hopes of expanding their e-commerce market share.

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When is Tax-Free Week in Maryland?

Maryland’s tax-free week is Aug. 14-20.

Maryland’s tax holiday includes in-store purchases and online sales that are paid for and delivered to the customer during the week. Purchases eligible to be tax-free include clothing and footwear priced at $100 or less, as well as the first $40 spent on backpacks.

“#ShopMDTaxFree Week isn’t just for back-to-school shopping, it’s a good time to shop for the whole family,” the comptroller of Maryland tweeted.

Which Items Are Eligible During the Sales Tax Holiday?

For more information on the Maryland Tax-Free Week, visit the FAQ page.

For a full list of items eligible during the Virginia Sales Tax Holiday, visit the Virginia Tax website.

If you’re wondering about D.C., it no longer holds a tax-free weekend. Legislation was enacted in 2019 that repealed the city’s sales tax holidays.

When is Tax-Free Weekend in Virginia?

Virginia’s three-day sales tax holiday has ended. It happened Aug. 5-7.

According to a Virginia Department of Taxation video, a sales tax holiday is “a period of time where you can buy certain products without paying any Virginia sales tax on those items.”

The Virginia holiday was available for in-store and online shopping. It can also save shoppers between 5.3% to 7% on purchases, according to the video.

During Virginia’s holiday, there are three categories of items that qualify: school supplies, clothing and footwear; hurricane and emergency preparedness products; and Energy Star and WaterSense products.

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When Is Amazon Prime Day 2022?

Amazon Prime Day is taking place officially on July 12th and 13th, but the online market place kicked off some early deals over the weekend. It will last for 48 hours, beginning Tuesday, July 12 at 3 a.m. ET and ending Wednesday, July 13.

Do I Need a Prime Membership for Amazon Prime Day?

The short answer is yes. You must be an Amazon Prime member to participate in the sale. The cost of membership is $139 a year.

The membership comes with free one-day or two-day delivery, and customers in some locations can also access same-day delivery. In addition to the free Prime delivery, membership gives customers access to Amazon video, music, gaming, photo storage and more, including the recently announced one-year membership to Grubhub’s premium “Plus” free delivery service.

You can sign up for a free, 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, after which you’ll pay $14.99 per month or the full annual amount of $139 for the year (plus tax in some states). Prime accounts can be shared within a household, which includes up to two adults, four teens and four children.

Discounted memberships are available for students with a valid school email account at $7.49 per month and for those who received qualifying government assistance at $6.99 per month.

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How to Shop Prime Day

Compare Prices

If you really have your eyes set on specific items, search for it online to cross-reference the prices. According to NBC’s Emilie Ikeda, recent analysis shows that the two-day savings event might not actually offer the best sale. “The 10 most popular items on Prime Day last year were sold for lower prices outside of those deal days,” she said.

Watch for Lightning Deals

One way to find the best sales on Amazon Prime Day is by taking advantage of “Lightning Deals,” which are short-lived discounts that last for short window of time — expiring when the item sells out or the timer runs out.

You can monitor Lightning Deals on the Amazon Prime Day page and they’ll be easy to spot since they display a countdown timer next to the item.

Ask Alexa

Amazon’s Alexa device can be used to notify you of deals on items in your wish list or products you have “saved for later” in your cart.

Tips on Avoiding Amazon Prime Day Scams and Counterfeits

Amazon does sell many of its own goods and those by name brand companies, but the majority of their listings are from “third-party sellers.”

While many of those merchants are very reputable, some are peddling fake merchandise or advertising amazing deals on something you may want or need, but will result in you getting scammed. 

So, if you are planning to take advantage of Prime Day deals, here’s some tips to avoid getting scammed: 

• First, only “click” on the Amazon Prime box — that will limit your exposure online to phony or scam ads. 
• Avoid clicking on products with “no reviews.” Just about every item for sale will have reviews good or bad, if there are none, consider that your warning. 
• Don’t just research the product, research the seller. Google their name along with the word “scam” and see what the search could reveal about prior complaints about the product and the company selling it. 
• If there is odd spelling, poor descriptions or bad grammar, that’s another warning sign you could be dealing with a fraudster from overseas. 
• Lastly, if the price just seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do some comparison shopping for the same item and if there is a vast difference, you could be dealing with a seller that’s not legit. 

Competing Retailer Events and Price-Matching: Other Ways to Score Deals on Prime Day 2022

Some of the nation’s largest retailers are holding competing deal events, including Macy’s and Best Buy’s “Black Friday in July” events and Target’s long-awaited Deal Days, which kicked off on July 11 and lasts through Wednesday, July 13. Walmart is also offering special “Rollback” deals.

Another way to score some savings on Prime Day is to take advantage of price-matching policies offered at major chain retailers.

Target provides in-store price matches for 25 online competitors, including Amazon, Kohls.com, Sears.com, and Walmart.com. You can also match prices when shopping at Target.com, but you must call a toll-free number (800-591-3869) to do so.

Best Buy matches prices for online stores that sell electronics, but is limited to five retailers: Amazon, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com and TigerDirect. However, Best Buy has a more generous price-matching policy for local brick-and-mortar retail stores. That includes all retailers within a 25-mile radius, not just those specializing in electronics. It even promises to match prices offered at warehouse clubs like Costco, BJ’s and Sam’s Club.

Staples goes one step beyond matching prices. Its price-match guarantee promises that if you find a lower price, Staples will give you that price plus a discount equal to 10% of the difference. However, the deal is only available in-store.

The Home Depot and Lowes also offer price-matching, in-store and online, on anything they sell.

As Amazon gears up for Prime Day on July 12 and 13, shoppers may be less enthusiastic this year about the big annual sale.

“The explosive sort of growth year over year that we’ve seen with Prime Day, we may not see that any longer,” said Nathan Burrow, senior deals editor at Wirecutter.

For starters, soaring inflation has led to higher prices across the board, causing consumers to cut back on spending and become more wary of the kind of impulse shopping those intermittent “Lightning Deals” are designed to encourage.

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In addition, as more competitors step up, Prime Day could lose its stranglehold on one of the most anticipated shopping events of the year.

Prime Day prices may not be Amazon’s best-ever offer

Just because something is discounted on Prime Day doesn’t mean it’s the best deal you’ll see anywhere, or even all year.

Naturally, Amazon will offer the best prices on its own gear like the Kindle, Fire TV streamer and private-label clothing. For example, the e-commerce giant is already advertising a 24-inch Fire TV for only $90, nearly half the retail price, while other early deals include up to 55% off the second-generation Echo Show, Kindle Paperwhite and Eero Mesh Wi-Fi routers.

Keep in mind that some items will be reduced further down the road. Prices on mattresses and outdoor furniture are likely to be lower around Labor Day, toys get marked down the most on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and TVs generally hit their lowest price point ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.

Even Amazon is looking beyond its own Prime Day with a second sales event now slated for the fall.

Competing sale events are upping the ante

Other bargains are not exclusive to Amazon at all. Walmart, Target and Best Buy, among others, are holding competing deals events — as they have in previous years — to coincide with Amazon Prime Day 2022.

This time, Target’s 72-hour “Deal Days” kicks off earlier and runs for longer, starting on July 11, one day ahead of Prime Day. Plus, Target will price match select Prime Day deals and take an additional 5% off for RedCard members.

“Every year, they become a little bit more competitive,” Burrow said.

Also expect to find equally worthwhile deals at Walmart on kitchen appliances, vacuums and Nintendo Switch accessories, he said, and count on Best Buy to compete on electronics and Apple devices.

Meanwhile, other retailers, including Bed, Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, Overstock, Samsung and Saks Fifth Avenue, will offer their own major markdowns, according to Rakuten’s retail and shopping expert Kristen Gall. 

How to make sure you’re getting the best deals

To find the lowest prices overall, start crunching the numbers now, advised Kristin McGrath, a shopping expert at RetailMeNot.

McGrath recommends a price-tracking browser extension like Camelcamelcamel or Keepa to keep an eye on price changes and get price-drop alerts. “Price trackers are the easiest way to monitor just how good a deal really is, especially for big-ticket items,” she said.

At some retailers, you can even stack deals by using a promo code or digital coupon and then pay with a rewards credit card for extra savings, said Rakuten’s Gall.

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