Trap #2

Phony sales

Many highly promoted "door buster" sales, particularly ones that take place on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) and the following Cyber Monday, offer deep discounts on hot-ticket items. Black Friday has earned the reputation as a bargain-hunter's dream because retailers feature a limited quantity of high-profile, attention-grabbing toys or electronic items at or below cost to draw you in, hoping you'll also purchase lots of full-price merchandise. There's a more deceptive version of deep-discount sales, though: An item is advertised at a superlow price on a Web site, but it's a phony come-on. The goal is to get you to buy something else and spend much more. If you try to buy just the sale item, you'll often find that the retailer cancels the sale, claims the product has been back-ordered for months, or sends you lower-quality merchandise or items that you never ordered. Returns can be difficult, if not impossible.

Dodge it! To protect yourself when you're shopping online, be wary of unrealistically low prices. Don't make a purchase if you're pressured to buy additional products or services. To be supersafe, stick with merchants you know. Also, follow these other tips:

• If you go to a door-buster sale, don't buy other items in the store unless you have done the research ahead of time and know they're a good deal.
• Don't worry about missing a one-day sale. It's very likely that another supersale will come along. Last year we found plenty of so-called one-day sales that were extended.
• If someone on your list wants this year's hot item, hit the stores as soon as you can. Go early to beat the crowds or try online. Last year we found that online retailers sometimes offered special savings early in the morning.

This article appeared in Consumer Reports Shopsmart Magazine.