5 ways to not be a victim of BOMO

Rebecca Gramuglia

Special to the Village News

With inventories running low and holiday gifts in more demand than ever, waiting 22 more days until Black Friday may not be the most cost-effective option in 2021.

And according to a recent survey conducted by TopCashback.com, the USA’s most generous cash back site, at least 35% of Americans have already started their holiday shopping.

Here are five tips to escape “Buy Or Miss Out” this season:

Pre-order now. If you’re eyeing an item for the holidays and it’s on pre-order, don’t wait to buy it. Pre-orders can have limited inventory (that you may not be aware of) so the earlier you purchase the item and get your name on that list, the better.

Pro-tip #1: While an item may look like it’s in stock when you’re scanning through the site, make sure to actually click on the product and act as if you’re adding it to your cart. Sometimes pre-orders, delayed delivery dates or out-of-stock sizes aren’t immediately advertised until you actually view the item’s page.

Pro-tip #2: Don’t let BOMO break your budget! If you know it’s the best time to get an item but you don’t have the means to spend the money on it, see if the retailer has a “buy now, pay later” program – like Afterpay or Klarna. These programs will automatically deduct money from your preferred payment method on a set schedule, typically once or twice a month until you pay off the item. It’s basically a loan without the pesky interest rate. Be sure to always read the fine print with these programs and consult your budget before finalizing a purchase.

Price match. Some retailers offer price matching so buying early may save you both time and money. However, don’t assume you’ll have an endless time period to score a price match. Read the retailer’s terms on their website to know how it works so you’ll know what to expect.

Know the sales. When you’re shopping at your go-to retailers, you typically know which promotions are better than others. If you’re shopping at a new store, look to see when they had sales last year to get an idea of what to expect in the coming weeks. However, if you’re shopping at a store that typically doesn’t have sales and you see a one-time-only sale, buy it now. If a store is always running sales and promotions, buy when the discount is a seemingly good deal.

Find additional savings. While we know that holiday sales can yield some higher discounts, don’t assume that there aren’t any other saving opportunities for that item you’ve had your eye on. Find the lowest price for the item and layer on applicable coupons and credit card rewards. Plus, you can shop through a cash back site, like TopCashback.com, to earn a percentage of your money back on all qualifying purchases from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Sephora and more.

Size matters. If you’re giving the gift of clothing or shoes this holiday season, make sure the size you need is in stock. Have you noticed only a few sizes are left? This could be a sign that the item is popular and may sell out soon so you’ll want to purchase the product earlier rather than later.

Pro-tip: Some websites say when an item has limited stock left, so if that’s the case, be sure to grab the size you need ASAP.

Rebecca Gramuglia is a consumer expert at TopCashback.com.