December is a month when you almost can't avoid shopping.
You may have skipped Black Friday — overwhelmed by the offers, hype, and crowds — but the holiday season is a different beast all together, with gifts from loved ones, friends, and people you barely know, coming at you from all angles.
Maintain lots of holiday cheer by shopping wisely with our December buying guide. We've pored over the extensive dealnews archives of sales, coupons, and daily deals from years past to guide you in your quest for the most savvy purchases in December.
Get Good Deals on Toys ... By Still Waiting
Finally, it's the best time to buy holiday toys! Almost.
In 2011, many of the year's top toys hit their lowest prices of the season in the two weeks before Christmas.
In fact, that middle week of December specifically saw a staggering number of Editors' Choice toy deals.
Keep in mind, however, that shopping mere days before Christmas is probably not wise; retailers realize last-minute shoppers are desperate and less able to effectively comparison shop, so prices often reflect that.
Put Off Buying a 2013 Wall Calendar
You may see some modest discounts this month and early in 2013 that will entice you to purchase a calendar, but the first significant sales we'll see on these items come at the end of January and beginning of February.
(You can of course see even bigger discounts the longer you put it off, but you actually want to use the calendar, right?)
Keep an Eye Out for Gift Card Freebies
A popular promotion throughout the month of December, especially amongst restaurants, is to offer a free gift card to shoppers who purchase one as a gift.
For example, last year California Pizza Kitchen offered a $40 gift card to anyone who purchased $100 or more in gift cards.
However, retailers are more like to offer a gift card with purchases that reach a certain threshold: L.L.Bean offered a free $10 gift card to any customer that spent $50 or more.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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