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Our Favorite Shopping Sites:
Since the urban legend is that all women like to shop we thought we would play along and tell you what online stores are making us happy right now.
Jen: My favorite site right now is www.myluckyrewards.com. This is a discount portal offered to subscribers of Lucky magazine (fittingly a magazine about shopping). When I feel like shopping I go to this site and can get cash back when I shop at some of my favorite stores. All I do is click on a link and it takes me to my store’s site and just by shopping I get a percentage of my purchase back in cash and often free shipping as a bonus. The cash comes quarterly in the form of a cash card and I have collected more than $500 back since I joined a few years ago. My everyday shopping really adds up and I get deals like 7% back at drugstore.com, 5% at Target and Barnes & Noble and even higher paybacks from smaller, specialty retailers. I’ve also found that retailers that don’t normally offer coupons like William Sonoma Home or Land of Nod participate in these programs which motivates me to buy from them. Other magazines have similar programs and I also use Parenting Magazine’s site www.parentingprivileges.com and Allure’s www.myallurerewards.com.
Mary Lou: Ruelala.com is like having a friend who’s a fashion insider who takes you to secret pop up sample sale boutiques without leaving your desk and if you don’t buy, no one’s offended. As much we are curtailing our shopping this season (and forever, if this economic nightmare keeps up—or down), I’m lured in to their revolving, virtual ‘boutiques’ from James Perse to Lululemon, because they are only open for 48 hours. The pressure of a ticking clock and the “just two left” banners get my adrenaline pumping, plus I can tell what’s hot by which items sell first, so I’m clued in to scoop the best deals even in a backup color. And Ruelala.com celebrates your retail ‘victory’ with a big graphic hurrah and they score some great brands at decent discounts, even if a $1000 Judith Lieber bag is an expensive “bargain” for someone just needing a little retail therapy. I feel like a smart insider, even if I’m only a desktop voyeur in the sample sale world.
Tracy: My favorite site right now is oldnavy.com. While there is a store right down the block from us, I love the fact that online I can get out-of-season clothing any time of year. As my holiday vacation to Hawaii quickly approaches, OldNavy was the perfect, inexpensive place to look for new bathing suits. And with free shipping and free returns (pays to have a luxe card!) I don’t have to worry about not trying them on before I buy. This has taken the pressure off of buying in season. I love the flexibility… And speaking of flexibility, one of the new features on the website allows you to not only shop at OldNavy but also at The Gap, Banana Republic, and Piperlime – 4 stores, 1 check-out and 1 flat shipping rate (and again, luxe is free!) Because they’ve made it so easy I have definitely found myself wandering onto the other store’s pages.
Jean: Not since my custom fit Levi’s jeans (which I still wish would comeback) have I had such a made-just-for-me shopping experience until www.shopittome.com . As a weary internet consumer I almost passed up the opportunity to sign up for the glory that is true personalized online shopping-because you create the content. While making my profile I chose which specific designers I wanted to see deals from and any clothing needs I had as well as my size details (pant length, shoe width, bra size, etc.). Every morning I receive an e-mail presenting the best deals organized by shopping site. It takes my favorites such as shopbop.com , nordstrom.com, endless.com and bluefly.com and does all the leg work for me to find the best deals on pieces I’m guaranteed to like.
Amy: When buying shoes or boots, I always check out Zappos. For me it comes down to a very large choice of styles and brands in one place that I can’t find at my neighborhood store. And, most importantly, FREE shipping and FREE returns. Plus they are FAST which fulfills my desire for immediate shopping gratification (They recently ended free overnight shipping which is a bummer but you still get the merchandise within just a couple of days). Shopping for shoes can be a real hit or miss proposition but I have my system for success. I usually have them send a size up and a size down as well as few different styles/colors/brands. I get them really fast, keep what works for me and return everything else, no problem, no hassles, no extra costs. And I check their sale selection first as I can often find the brand and style I want with only a minor variation from the full price item– like last season’s color or a small style difference. Also, their peer reviews are excellent. Other shoppers give really honest feedback on the shoes and help steer me in the right direction.
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