BLACK FRIDAY

Whether you start your shopping by standing in line at 3:00 am, or like me, wait until Cyber Monday (11/26) to hit the computer and start shopping you can’t deny, that the holiday shopping season is just days away. While I love getting new things (and yes, I can be somewhat of a shop-a-holic), this time of year just EXHAUSTS the heck out of me. Even if I’m at home shopping I get exhausted.

Shopping can be a FULL TIME job for me (given the opportunity).

The words SALE or CLEARANCE in a store like Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus can make me lose complete control….and that’s not just at the holidays. I can RUN into a department yelling “CHARGE” with reckless abandon.

To ease the strain on my wallet

I try to shop online for those gifts that I hadn’t picked up when I’m traveling. Cyber Monday STILL means getting up early to grab the deals, but at least I can do it with a hot cup of coffee in my hand while I’m lounging in my pajamas.  This method of buying for the holidays has it’s own SPECIAL drawbacks, especially when I shopping at an online store that I’ve never visited before.

Here’s what I look for

When shopping online I like to be certain that the site has security. While I’ve seen that little lock in the corner of my screen, and I know that https (vs. http) means “secure” there are still things that I don’t know.

I learned by playing a game

That’s right. I learned about online security by playing the LifeLock for Life Sweepstakes game on Facebook. For example…

Did you know that

• Certain applications on Facebook can leave security holes which thieves can use to access your personal information such as your credit card number and passwords?
• Not even MACS can protect you against hackers?
• If a seller hasn’t shipped your package within 30 days or by the date promised, you can demand a refund.

Just in case

The questions is

Photo credit: Express Monorail / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND