Global 2011: 5 Things Not to Buy in a Supermarket

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We love grocery stores. Their stock and trade is food — fresh, frozen, canned or prepared — and kitchen staples like paper towels and laundry detergent. But there are a whole host of other items that cost a premium in grocery stores because of the “convenience” factor. You can get them cheaper at a discount department or hardware store, dollar store, or drug store so leave the following items off your shopping list:

1. Cookware and Kitchen Utensils

2. Cosmetics, toiletries, and personal care items

3. Small appliances

4. Party supplies

5. Batteries, light bulbs, extension cords

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/5-things-not-to-buy-in-a-supermarket-2444234/

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Global 2010: 4 Things Not to Buy at Costco

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You head to Costco (Nasdaq: COST - News) to stock up on staples -- say, paper towels and cleaning supplies -- but you walk out with three salmon filets, a tub of cream puffs, and a ream of printer paper. Why?

Most of us are notoriously poor at assessing a true bargain, says C.W. Park, professor of marketing at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, and editor of The Journal of Consumer Psychology. Seduced by the prospect of saving money, we give in to impulse buys. Eventually, we regret the purchase or throw much of a past-its-prime product away. It's called the Costco Effect, and it's actually part of the store's incredibly successful retail strategy. But the effect on your wallet is that you spent more than you would have if you'd never seen that "bargain."

1. Designer Clothes

2. Imported Shrimp

3. Sheets and Towels

4. 12-Pound Crates of Navel Oranges

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111341/things-not-to-buy-at-costco

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Global 2010: Electronics Shopping: Should you buy online or in a store?

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If you’re in the market to buy an electronics product this year—and our holiday shopping poll says 62 percent of you plan to give a gift from that category—it’s plenty early enough to think about buying online. For some products, that’s fine—but not for all. .

Regardless of what you’re buying, you can often find better selection and prices online. And many Web retailers scored very high in our recent Ratings of places to buy major electronics and computers. But the hottest products this year—tablets, smart phones, and 3D anything —are relatively unfamiliar. Many buyers will benefit from experiencing them first-hand. That’s where brick-and-mortar stores hold the advantage.

Cell phones: Try before you buy.

TVs: Online is fine.

Digital cameras: Try before you buy.

Blu-ray and DVD players: Online is fine.

Headphones: Try before you buy.

Computers: Online is fine.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/461/electronics-shopping-should-you-buy-online-or-in-a-store/

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