If you were a guest for thanksgving, walk the talk on this holiday by
sending a thank you card or note. Do it now!

And remember, you get five times the credit if you do it in the days
immediately following the event.

----------------------------

So sayeth the Holiday Tipster.

Save money for your next post-Black Friday purchase by picking the Turkey
clean. Make broth. Or whatever. Eat at home, save for gifts.

----------------------

So sayeth the Holiday Tipster.

The Holiday Tipster salutes the muppet king for some recent Haiku that
captures the "raw" and honest spirit of Black Friday. Do you Haiku?

http://www.planetfeedback.com/index.php?level2=blog_viewpost&topic_id=29322
6&reply_id=73852#anchor73852

Arriving at the store.
Parking lot is overfilled.
Urge to flee is great.

Throngs of shoppers here.
Pushing, shoving, violent threats.
Santa, help me please.

Child throws a tantrum.
Screams and yells and kicks his feet.
So glad he's not mine.

Shopping cart strikes me.
Driver curses, hurries off.
Joy to the world, my butt.

Waiting to check out.
Please stop breathing on my neck.
Obey the five-foot rule.

Tinsel scans a buck.
The sign had said fifty cents.
Cashier could care less.

Retreat to my car.
Cram the bags into my trunk.
Off to the next store.

Remember: just about every temporary worker at Best Buy and Circuit City
wil do jobs on the side to help you, say, install a large screen TV, so
think twice before you mortgage your house to layer on an "install" fee.

They cannot "officially" admit this, but if you pull them aside, offer them
some candy, and tell them how great they are, and inquire about their
lifelong aspiration -- e.g. going to college, becoming a computer
consultant - they will ultimately strike a deal with you.

-------------------------------

So sayeth the Holiday Tipster

Any gift you give to a loved one that was acquired on Black Friday should
be accompanied with documentation of the pain and suffering -- even
humiliation - you experienced in pursuit of that gift.

-- A photo.

-- A tape recording.

-- A video-phone video-capture

-- A bruise or scar

-- A newspaper clip of hundreds of crazy shoppers (including you) lined up
to by that gift.

Put context behind your gift and you'll get triple the credit.

Oh, yes, future generations will look to you and say "he who bequeathed
this gift suffered at great expense that my joy of receiving this great
present. Let us celebrate such heroics."

---------------------

So sayeth the Holiday Tipster

If you are feeling pain right now, remember....

Others feel your pain.

Just look around. Read the letters. Absorb the blog posts.

You are not alone.

Strength in numbers.

--------------------

So sayeth the Holiday Tipster

If you are sixth in line, and the magic asterick says "only five
available," assume everyone ahead of you wants the same thing.

-----------

So sayeth the Holiday Tipster.

Heed the good lessons of Black Friday.

They will most assuredly come in handy in the next rush.

Heed the smart and savvy bloggers out there.

If you are a mom, check out www.bloggingbaby.com

If you are a gadget freak, check out Gizmodo or Engadget.

Shop smart by drawing from the wisdom of others.

What savvy blogs or sites do you lean on?

Leave nothing to chance

Jot down the name of the store workers who sell you things

This will drive more accountability, especially if you return with an
"issue"

If you "search" before you buy
You are far less likely to cry

It's not about the glasses or how they look. Some people actualy look
better in glasses. The problem is I'm in denial about needing them, which
I know is dumb. If I didn't need them at my age, I'd be the bionic woman!

I should be grateful that I at least don't need glasses for driving and
give in to the fact that I can no longer read the fine print, or even the
not so fine print... haha!

of dollar store magnifier glasses that help me out with a few close up
things. It was the lasik that brought on the early farsightedness and they
warn you when you get the surgery that it would happen and you will need
reading glasses in your 40's. But for me it was a no brainer, because my
eyes were so bad, even in the shower not to be able to see the walls or
know if you are using shampoo or conditioner, but you go by the color of
the bottle! The first shower I took after my lasik was a memorable one. I
could read it all! I could also see how much better I needed to scrub that
grout LOL.

Deck the halls with no more folly
protect thy privacy and remain fun and jolly

In the malls you will see those who ring-ring the bell

Pay them heed and you'll feel, we assure you, better and well

Heed the wise, smart, seasoned advice of Mr. Helpful before you set foot
shopping. He's been there, and he's been reading your letters for many,
many years. He feels your pain, but through his advice you will gain.

Type the following terms into the PlanetFeedback search engine, and learn
from experience, pain, battle scars or others less fortunate:

PFB Search: Holiday
PFB Search: Christmas
PFB Google Search: Holiday Refund
PFB Google Search: Santa Claus
PFB Google Search: Holiday Hell
PFB Google Search: Holiday Refund
PFB Google Search: Holiday Sale
PFB Google Search: Holiday Warranty

Heed the good and wise (and undoubtedly seasoned) advice of one PFB
commenter named "Redhead With Glasses" who dutifully writes: "Be sure to
find out store's return policy for the item you're buying. Electronics,
eletronic media, seasonal items, and other items often have a return policy
that's more strict than the store's general return policy. Buying gifts
early can mean that the recipient may be out of luck when they want to
return the gift in early January."

All hail to the "RedHead with Glasses."

Woe to the holiday shopper who fails to research products before he or she
buys. Print product descriptions and reviews from the web before you enter
the store. Use your research as leverage. Embrace the tools of
empowerment.

Careful about asking for unwarranted or excessive "compensation" in your
holiday related PlanetFeedback letters...for the hyper attentive commenters
will dissect your request with the unrepentant zeal of political bloggers
on steroids. Seek justice and fairness, not excess.

Giving is always important, but be weary of the pseudo "charities" out
there. Give to charities that are known and proven, and assume the ones you
haven't heard of are "fly by night" operations. Yes to "Goodwill" but no
to the "Sons of the Goodwill."

Use your camera phone to record any special advertisements or guarantees
around products you buy. It always helps to have tangible evidence if you
get into a sticky situation about a product that doesn't work, or a
mismanaged promise.

Keep your cool when dealing with store representatives. Most of them are
"part time" workers brought on board to satisfy extra demand during the
holiday season. Show compassion, and they'll probably reciprocate.

The price always plummets on December 26th.

When in doubt, read the early reviews by other consumers about product
quality, customer service, and warranty protection. Try to avoid being
"first to know." PlanetFeedback is a good place to get smart, but there
are many other excellent venues for assessing other consumers' experiences.

Save your damn receipts. Trust us, some of your gift recipients will want
to exchange your "perfect gift." Don't take it personally!

Be wary of offers that look too good to be true. They probably aren't!

Visit PlanetFeedback everyday to ensure you are properly empowered to
manage through the upcoming holiday season.