In this Issue
	Product Highlight - Pumpkin Bear Shopping Tip of the Month - Join a shopping club Are you a victim of relabeling? Monthly Contest Update Share your shopping experiences!

Shopping Tip of the Month - Join a shopping club

Have you noticed that a lot of the same Internet stores show up everwhere? Do you know why so many websites link to them? It's because these stores share the profits! This includes stores like 1-800-Flowers, Amazon, and Walmart. What they do is offer webmasters a percentage of every sale referred through their website. These are "affiliate programs", and the referring webmasters are called "affiliates". In fact, some people have built entire careers out of being affiliates! The problem for you, the customer, is that the commission is going to someone else, when it could just as easily be going to you! One way is to join affiliate services like LinkShare and Commission Junction. Join the affiliate programs, and then use you're own affiliate links to go shopping. You can think of your commission as a rebate on your purchases. However, that's a lot of work. Another approach is to join a shopping a club. Shopping clubs have been popping up all over the place, and I've checked out several. Generally, they join all the affiliate programs offered by Commission Junction and LinkShare, and then give you a portion of their commission when you shop. Your effective discount is not as much as if you'd joined the affiliate programs yourself, but the time saved is worth the difference. Just join the club, and go shopping! Now, the problem with these clubs is that they almost all have membership dues, and they inundate you with email urging you to make it a business. (Every shopping club I've found doubles as a business opportunity. "Sign people up, and get a percentage of what they pay!") Unless you're looking for a business opportunity, this gets old fast. However, I've found one that never has any dues, and won't send you any email if you don't want it. You really can just join and shop. Now, you can try making it a business if you want, because they give you a small commission on the purchases of people you sign up. However, there's no pressure. The shopping club I'm recommending is called "Big Coop". Click on the link below and look at the list of stores you can shop at. They even have non-web stores participating! If you already shop at them, then join... you'll save money. Check out BigCoop and save money when you shop! »

Are you a victim of relabeling?

How often have you gone into a store, picked your size off the rack, and it was too big? Or you ordered something from a catalog or the Internet and it was too small? You could be a victim of relabeling. Because this happens more often with merchandise purchased on the web, we thought it was important to make you aware of why this happens and what you can do about it. Garment manufacturers often struggle to meet their quotas, especially when it comes to dyed garments, trademark items, and garments with special specs. Because different sizes of garments may have different blends or different "hands" (i.e., thickness), the coloring process may take full effect with one size and not with another. In addition, garments with special specs or trademarks may be difficult or time consuming to duplicate when damage occurs. As a result, deadlines may not be met, causing a type of breach of contract. Stores have the option of not purchasing merchandise when quotas aren't met, but manufacturers don't want to be stuck with the flawed merchandise. So, they will usually grant a discount. However, what manufacturers will often do instead is relabel the garments. Having been in the garment industry myself, I have seen quite a bit of this. Lets say, for example, that a store ordered ty-dyed shirts. Suppose the dying process takes correctly to three of the four sizes that were dyed, but the thickness (or hand) for the large shirts was different than the other sizes. Fortunately let's say, they over dyed the XL shirts so they have extra. They might take these extra XL shirts and change the labels in them so they read "large". Manufacturers usually label from larger to smaller. On very rare occasions, garments are labeled from smaller to larger, but this usually happens to children's clothing. If you suspect that you're the victim of relabeling, keep in mind that the store you bought it from may not even know. The shirt said Large, so the clerk put it there. Many stores would be quite upset to find out they've been had, and you might the only one willing to say something.

Monthly Contest Update

Our winner for this month is Mary Jo Martin. She's chosen to receive the "Munchies and More" gift basket. When asked what she was going to do with it, she said, "I will be giving this to my brother who loves birds and enjoys feeding them and watching them at his home. I will give this to him for Christmas!". Please note that Mary Jo's "business can be seen listed on www.bestof.com under Landscape Designers (MJ Martin, Landscape Designer)." Congratulations on winning the gift basket Mary Jo. We hope your brother will enjoy his gift basket! Click here to enter the next contest »

Share your shopping experiences!

If you have a shopping tips or experience that others would benefit from hearing, then share it with our readers! If we use your tip or your review, you'll be entitled to a 5% rebate on any purchase at http://gift- baskets-and-more.com or http://outdoor-patio- furniture.biz. Click here to submit tip or review to Shopping Around »

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