Times are tough these days. The economy is at its worst in a long time, and as a result, people are tightening their belts, spending less money on unnecessary items. People are trying really hard to find as many discounts as possible when purchasing items. I think that's why there is a plethora of discount websites that are popular these days. I've had to cut costs in many ways, and as a result have been shopping at these discount websites whenever it is possible. With two growing kids, I'm ever on the lookout for ways to get a good discount, so I've decided to compile some here for you in case you're not familiar with them.
Here are a few things to consider before shopping on these sites:
Some
of these sites, you can join instantly if you get an invite from a
friend. If you don't have an invite, you can still join on most of
them, but you may be put on a waitlist to be accepted. Also, a lot of
these websites will give you incentive/credit if you invite someone to
join and they make a purchase after joining through your link. Those
members only sites that usually feature multiple items per day don't
carry the merchandise. When the deal is over, they compile the order
and send to the manufacturer. Then they ship to the warehouse, and it
gets sent out, so you're looking at a LONG delivery time from payment.
Some don't charge until they ship out, but most seem to charge right
away. So keep that in mind. You're saving money, but you're also
letting them have it for almost a month before you get your items.
Baby/Kids Items:
1. Babysteals.com/Kidsteals.com: They
feature one company per day with several items for sale for 50% off the
retail price. Their internet doors open 9am Mountain Time. Once it's
gone, it's gone, so you need to get up and be AT your computer if you
know what's going to be featured. Items have been known to sell out in
less than 5 minutes, so when it's a popular item, it's a madhouse.
"Like" them on Facebook, and sometimes they will give hints as to
what's coming the next day. They carry the items in the warehouse
before the "steal" happens so items ship out very quickly. TIP:
they use Google checkout, so before you shop, make sure to log on to
the checkout a minute before 9am so when you check out, it doesn't sell
out while you're trying to log in. They also have surprise steals so
it's good to have them on your Facebook feed.
2. www.mamabargains.com: they sell multiple brands per day, but they only feature them as long as they have them in stock. Once the items sell out, then they move on to the next feature. Unlike Babysteals, they will have several items sold during the day. I've noticed that Mamabargains will tend to sell more discontinued and past season merchandise. So if you don't really care that the latest hot color is turquoise and what they're selling is red, then it's great to shop here. They also have a warehouse so items ship quickly. TIP: also "like" them on Facebook for updates on what is being sold.
3. www.greenbabybargains.com: they are like Babysteals in that they feature one brand per day, but they focus on eco-friendly items for babies/kids/mom. They don't seem to have as many selections as BS or MM, and they bring back items that they didn't sell out before. Items do ship out quickly.
4. www.theminisocial.com: it's a members only site, so you need to request membership or join through a friend's link in order to shop there. The mini social is a private members only on-line boutique, featuring up to 60% off designer clothing and accessories for mom, baby and child. Unlike the sites above, these members only sites can take a very long time to ship. So please be aware of that when you order. I ordered some Crocs for my nephew at a great price and free shipping code, but they didn't ship for 3-4 weeks after I purchased.
5. www.btrendie.com: they seem to be on hiatus right now. Let's see if they come back.
6. www.minibargainz.com: I've never shopped there but their feedback seem to be pretty good.
7. www.totsy.com: also another members only site. I haven't shopped there yet. Shipping seems to be average around a month or more.
Other Discount Sites (these sites focus more on items for adults but they do have kids & home items):
1. www.gilt.com
13. www.seenon.com
Written by: Michelle S.
Owner of: www.3treedesign.com | www.greenthumbfabrics.com
To be honest, reading this absolutely makes me want to cheer, because I honestly can't think of anyone I'd rather have doing reportage on Chanel. It's good to know they're actually pushing themselves to get to know the bloggers, instead of just going off ranting about them like H&M and lots of fashion publications do.
Posted by: Jordan 1 | August 26, 2010 at 11:01 PM