Holiday Shopping: Comparing Retailers' In-Store and Online Discounts

'Tis the season...for shopping, that is. With Black Friday behind us, I decided to take the time to re-evaluate my shopping strategy. I did some shopping on-line, and some in-store; but did I make the right choices?

Aeropostle. Aeropostle was offering 50% off everything in the store on Black Friday (and Saturday, too.) You can't beat that! Since the sale went for two days, there was no hurry to get there, and little chance of sell-outs; so we went to the store on this one. The selection was great, with the racks and shelves being packed with merchandise. They had four check-outs open, and the line moved quickly. When I checked on-line, I found that Aeropostle offered the same 50% off deal on their website, plus additional web-only discounts. I didn't see that they had free shipping, though, and that can get expensive. I would recommend going to the store for Aeropostle.

The BonTon. The BonTon had a "door-buster" special of diamond accent earrings, available in-store only for $12.97. The sale went until 1 pm, and at 11 am there was still a huge selection left. The earrings are quite attractive, and not at all chintzy looking. I bought four pairs, and stood in the check-out line for 55 minutes. Was it worth it? You bet. They're a great gift at a great price, and the people on my list wouldn't be getting them if I had to pay full price for them. I definitely recommend going to the store for BonTon.

Walgreen's. I can't believe I did Christmas shopping at Walgreen's, but they had a buy-one-get-two-free special on jar candles. Candles make a good gift year-round, so I took advantage and stocked up. The store wasn't crowded and the check-out line moved quickly. The candle deal was not available on-line, and since they're pretty heavy, shipping would have been a fortune. A thumbs-up on going to the Walgreen's store to shop.