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Online Holiday Shopping Makes Sense

By Bobby George

Thanksgiving marks the official beginning of the holiday season and also the kickoff of the busiest shopping days of the entire year. Many people brave cold weather and long lines on what has become knows as "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving, to score some very large discounts on gifts for their family and friends. The thing is, most of these deals only apply for the first few hours of business. That means people will line up as early as the night before in order to have first pick of the merchandise. While this has become a tradition for some people, others find the hassles outweigh the savings and selection.

But there is an alternative that will save you time, money, and hassle during your holiday shopping season. All you have to do is shop online.

Shopping online simply makes the most sense during the holiday season. You can shop from the comfort of your own home and still enjoy steep savings on your favorite items. Most online retailers begin offering significant discounts around the beginning of the holiday season. That means you can go to website and shop with your mouse instead of going to the store in the middle of the night in the cold in order to receive comparable discounts. Plus, real-time stock status notifications on most websites take the guesswork out of shopping for a specific item which may be sold out by the time you find it in-store. And no one has ever been in a physical altercation over an item the see on a website, whereas every year there are stories of people fighting over that last must-have item.

Shopping online makes gift-giving a breeze. If you've ever had to send a gift to a friend or relative who lives far away, you know what a hassle and expense mailing a gift can be. However, most online retailers offer gift wrapping of their items, meaning you can buy, wrap, and ship a gift without leaving the website. This is so much simpler than buying the gift, bringing it home, packaging it up, taking the package to the post office, and paying for the appropriate shipping to the receiver. Again, it just makes sense.

Although the benefits of online shopping far outweigh any of its drawbacks, the fact remains that some people prefer to shop in a brick and mortar store. There's not problem with that. After all, if everyone shopped online, all the surrounding stores would go out of business. So, if you do find some great deals at your local store this holiday season, remember that accessories for that item may be less expensive online as well. Many times a discounted item comes "bare bones", meaning it is the introductory model with no upgrades included. So you may want to go online and search for available upgrades for a device, such as add-on devices, accessories, chargers, batteries, and cases, just to name a few. These make an excellent addition to a gift and shows thought on the part of the giver.

And as always we must include: Don't forget the batteries! Batteries make great gifts for anyone who uses a laptop, camcorder, digital camera, cell phone, or other electronic device. And with all of these batteries plus alkaline batteries and chargers for most devices, you can give the gift of power this holiday season.