PFB-Holiday-Tipster

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=
293226&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

Though you may need to squint
Do heed the fine print


- so sayeth the PFB Holiday Tipster

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."

You also want to research what your recipients would like to avoid the
need for returns or exchanges.

* Make notations of sizes, favorite colors, styles.

Ex. Cousin Joe wears flannel shirts and jeans wherever he goes. What
makes you think he wants a cream-colored dress shirt or a Ralph Lauren
tie?

Ex. Aunt Jane's bathroom is decked out in purple. Emerald bathtowels
are not likely to match.

* Check for what they already have.

Ex. College-aged nephew Jason loves "Star Wars". Isn't it likely
that he already has the film on DVD?

Additionally, this doesn't necessarily mean he wants a set of 20
generic Sci-fi B-Movies from the 1950's.

* If provided with a list, there's a reason. Use it.

Ex. Your grandmother gives you several specific suggestions along
with notations on where they can be bought and the prices. You pick
up the first perfume package you find at the drug store.

Ex. Brother-In-Law Ralph loves the Dallas Cowboys. You can't find a
Cowboys jersey, so you get him a Miami Dolphins cap instead.

Lesson for both examples - no substitutions.

* Be considerate of parents.

1) Buy age-appropriate gifts that aren't messy or make a lot of
noise.

Ex. 2-year old Sara doesn't need poster paints or a package of
Play-Doh. 5-year old Seth has no business with a skateboard.

2) Don't obligate a child (and, by extention, their family) with a
heavy-maintenence gift.

Don't buy pets for children without first discussing it with their
parents and receiving permission. Research the temperaments of
animals and constrast them with the personality of the child. Don't
allow a popular film determine the animal. The Humane Society sees a
surge in this type of activity whenever Disney re-releases "101
Dalmations"

When you purhase a puppy for a small child, you are obligating the
child (and, more likely, the parents) to provide food, veterinary
care, and kennel expenses during vacations. You are obligating the
family to house-train the animal. Some families are simply not able to
handle the responsibility. The puppy is cute on Christmas Day.
Several weeks later, the holiday is over.

Don't sign a child up for a book or video club (Dr. Suess books or the
Disney Video Club, for example) even if you intend to be responsible
for the payments.

When you sign up a child for mail-order materials, you are adding
their names to mailing lists that will increase the amount of junk
mail sent to their homes. Most of these clubs require the return of a
card in order to prevent a video or book from being sent and billed.
This is simply too much for the child and parents to deal with.

* Avoid frustration and order early.

Most merchants extend their return policy around the holidays. If you
are ordering online or through the mail, allow extra time. Now is the
time to order. Too many variables could prevent a last-minute order
from reaching its recipient by Christmas Day.

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.