Don't You Deserve a (FREE) Facial?

Check their website for an Origins near you!

Free Portrait Package - Expires July 25th

I can't believe I almost missed this one!

This is a great summer promotion from Picture People for an entire package of pictures consisting of one 8X10, two 5X7s and 8 wallets for FREE.

Unfortunately I can't take advantage of it because they don't have a studio near me, but there is a studio located near my oldest son and his wife. (I sure would like to have some new pictures of my granddaughters....hint! hint!)

Check their website for a studio near you - there are locations in 35 states and Washington DC.

But hurry! This offer expires Saturday, July 25th.

Supermarket Speed Bumps That Get You To Spend More

In today’s tough economy many consumers are now shopping with a grocery list to help save money. They realize a list helps them focus on their shopping purchases, helping them avoid the ever present, but costly, impulse purchases.

Yet supermarkets realize that shoppers are increasingly entering their stores with a singular purpose in mind - to grab the items on their list and get out quickly. In effect, consumers have developed “tunnel vision” - traveling up and down supermarket aisles looking only for those groceries that are on their mental or physical shopping lists.

In response, grocery stores have placed “speed bumps” in their aisles - items that physically or psychologically interrupt a consumer’s tunnel vision and steer them toward impulse purchases. These “speed bumps” have become so prevalent that grocery store aisles frequently resemble obstacle courses making navigation with a large shopping cart difficult.

Let’s take a look at a few of these “speed bumps.”

Over-Sized Signs. How does a product attract the attention of a shopper who’s flying by to their intended purchase? - With a sign located right on the store shelf of course!

The bigger the better. The problem - in order to break our “tunnel vision” these signs have grown larger and larger. If you’re not careful it can be quite easy to actually side swap some of the larger grocery store shelf signs.

And if you thought that was bad enough, how about these mega-sized ceiling signs that seem to drop in front of your face from nowhere?

Floor Advertisements. What’s the best way to grab your attention? Place an advertisements where you’d least expect it. The supermarket floor has become the perfect spot and floor ads are popping up in supermarkets faster than weeds in a backyard garden.

Just be careful though. While you’re distracted looking at the floor you could get side-swapped or rear-ended by another shopper. (It nearly happened to me!)

As with the shelf signs, floor ads are meant to distract us from our true shopping targets and steer us toward impulse purchases.

Stand Alone Product Displays. Stand alone displays are perhaps the most annoying attempts to break shopper “tunnel vision” and get customers to notice products they might have otherwise sped right past. Its hard not to notice a display that juts right into your shopping path. Navigating large shopping carts with two or more people in the aisle becomes a little more challenging.

But perhaps more annoying, however, is how these displays lure you into thinking an item is on sale. Frequently the stand alone product display will have a large printed sign attached to it. Naturally, many assume this means the product is on sale when in fact it isn’t.

Warehouse Displays. The next “speed bump” is what I term the warehouse display in which a grocery store stacks items still in their shipping boxes on the store floor. This is similar to how many items are displays in a warehouse store like Sam’s. Like the stand alone display these are hard to miss - which I surmise is the intended purpose.

I secretly wonder if the store is trying to achieve what I call a “Costco effect”, trying to get you to equate the low warehouse store prices with the featured product. As with stand alone displays you have to be extra careful when you see a large printed price sign on the item and not naturally assume its on sale.

More and more shoppers understand how costly impulse buys can become. As a result, they frequently shop with a mental or physical shopping list.

Knowing this, grocery stores look to disrupt our tunnel vision for just a moment with “speed bumps.” They intend to grab our attention for just a second. In this split second they tempt us to make that impulse purchase - to deviate from our mental or physical shopping list.

The best advice - stick to your guns and your shopping list. Ignore the large shelf signs and navigate right around those stand alone product displays. Your wallet will love you for it.

More on Store Closing & Gift Cards

I found this article on the most recent issue of Red Plum online...

Red Plum is one of the major suppliers of coupons for the Sunday newspapers. They also have coupons and deals through their website at www.RedPlum.com.

Store Closings: What They Mean for Gift Cards, Warranties & Saving!

By Jessica Reinhart

You’ve likely noticed the hordes of “Going Out Of Business” signs posted along busy intersections and mall entryways across the country. Given current economic conditions, many popular stores are planning to close some or all of their doors forever in the coming months. Following these tips will ensure that you get what’s coming to you… and maybe even score some really great deals:

Know the lingo. “Bankruptcy” seems to be the newest buzzword. As far as retailers are concerned, Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy are the most common. Chapter 7 means they’re closing down permanently and liquidating assets to pay off creditors, while Chapter 11 means they plan to reorganize (i.e. make layoffs and close down some stores) but continue to stay in business.

Clean out your wallet. Dig out those pretty gift cards and store credits you’ve been saving for a rainy day. If any of them are on the list of doomed retailers call the store nearest you and ask about their policy. Retailers who have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy will often continue to redeem gift cards, while those who file for Chapter 7 may not make good on them. If this is the case, you have two options: 1. If you paid for that gift card with a credit card, you can dispute the charge directly with your card holder; or 2. If you paid with cold hard cash, check or a debit card, you can file a claim with the bankruptcy court administering the process within 90 days of the filing date. For more information on filing a claim, check out www.uscourts.gov. Bottom line – if your gift card is still valid, redeem it as soon as possible.

What about that warranty? It depends. Warranty validity will vary with each bankruptcy. Manufacturers warranties will not be affected because a retailer went out of business and extended warranties that are backed by a third party is usually not affected when a retailer closes shop.

Cash in on the savings. You can expect retailers who are in the black to slash prices 60-90% right down to the last day of business. Inventory is sure to dwindle, but you can expect prices to near rock bottom during the final weeks of operation. Our recommendation? Stake out your favorite stores early and often – especially if you have your eye on something special.

Beware of Gift Cards

If you haven't already heard, a lot of retail businesses will be closing by the first of the year. Some companies are going completely out of business. A lot of retailers are closing poor performing stores, or stores in more economically depressed areas throughout the country.

I have compiled a list of currently known chains that have announced that they will be going out of business and/or closing stores by the first of the year. This list will probably get bigger by the end of the year because some retailers are waiting to see how they do with holiday sales before making a decision to close.

The good news is that you can probably get some really good deals at the stores and/or chains that are closing.

The bad news is that you should probably reconsider purchasing gift cards for Christmas this year. And, if you currently have gift cards, it would probably be a good idea to use them as soon as possible.

Personally, I plan to use all of the gift cards that I have, regardless of the company that they are with, before the end of the year.

Going Out of Business/Bankruptcy

Circuit City

CompUSA

Friedman’s Jewelers

Goodbye Levitz

KB Toys

Lillian Vernon (catalog retailer)

Linens and Things

Pep Boys

Sharper Image

Value City Discount Department Stores

Whitehall Jewelers

Wickes Furniture

Store Closures

84 Lumber

Ann Taylor

Ann Taylor LOFT

Banana Republic

Bombay Company – (1 physical store & all online sales)

Cache

Catherines

Catherines Plus Sizes

Children’s Place

Dell

Dillard’s

Disney Stores

Eddie Bauer

Ethan Allan

Fashion Bug

Foot Locker

Gap

Gordon’s Jewelers

Hollywood Video

Home Depot

It’s Gotta Go

J. Jill

J.C. Penney

Kirklands

Lane Bryant

LOFT

LOFT Outlet Stores

Lonestar Steakhouse

Lowes

Macy’s

Mappins Jewelers

Movie Gallery

Office Depot

Old Navy

PacSun

People’s Jewelers

Pier 1 Imports

Piercing Pagoda

Rite Aid – (28 stores in Nevada)

Saks – (1 store in Ft. Lauderdale)

Sprint Nextel Corp

Starbucks

Steve and Barry’s

Talbots

The Charming Shoppes

Urban Interiors

Wilson’s Leather

Zales Jewelers

Zales Outlet

If you do get stuck with a gift card that you can’t use because the stores in your area have closed, you may not have a total loss. You may be able to sell or trade your unusable gift cards on eBay, Cardavenue, Gift Card Buy Back, Plastic Jungle or Swapagift.com. Be prepared to get less than the balance available with your sale or trade though. Or you may be able to get the full value of the card by using it for an online purchase with the company that issued it.

Christmas Shopping at Hamricks

I've already started my Christmas shopping. I usually shop early, but this year I'm extra motivated because my college finals are the second week of December. This seems to be a great time to do my shopping, too. Retail stores are having fabulous sales right now. One of my current favorite stores is Hamricks.

Hamricks, a Gaffney-based family clothing store, has 15 locations throughout North and South Carolina, as well as one store each in Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia; Kingsport, Tennessee; and Roanoke, Virginia. If you've never shopped at Hamricks, you need to check them out!

I've been shopping Hamricks sales for the past month, and I'm pleased to report that Ive almost completed my Christmas shopping at a fraction of what I've spent in past years.

I purchased Urban Frontier brand men's pullover fleece at $7.49 each. I generally think that suggested retail prices are overstated, so I don't really know how accurate this MSRP is. However, I do know that $7.49 is an excellent price for a fleece pullovers. I bought three!

I've also purchased several men's Basic Editions long-sleeved Henley's. I believe KMart sells this brand, so the suggested retail price of $12.99 should be pretty accurate. Hamricks had them on sale for $4.99 each. All of the men on my Christmas list are getting one. I also got up good quality men's embroidered sweatshirt with a suggested retail value of $38 for $9.99.

Just this week I took advantage of a sale on a women's winter jackets, and picked up another gift for only $9.99. Granted it's not on the cutting edge of winter wear fashion, but then my mother's not a diva either. (I just hope she's not reading this!)

Make sure you sign up for Hamricks "Preferred Customer" list. You will get a coupon for 25% Off your entire next shopping trip, whether or not the items are already on sale. Hamricks will also send you advance notices of upcoming sales.