Six Gift Shopping Tips to Keep Your Personal Information Safe

Tips for Gift Shopping Online

1. It's always safer to use your home computer. Just be a little wary of computers in public areas. There could be spyware on them that gives other users access to your financial information.

2. Type in the retailer's online web address rather than clicking through a link in an e-mail from the retailer. This will prevent you from being reeled in by a "phisher". A "phisher" uses a fake Web address and e-mail that pretends to be a real site. What may happen is, if you click "reply" on one of these phony e-mail messages, you are sent to the phony site where crooks can steal your passwords and financial information.

3. Always look for the padlock or a color bar at the bottom of an online retailer's Web site. This way you know that the information you enter is encrypted so no one can copy it.

4. Use more complex passwords and save them in a password manager. Using this software makes it easy to store multiple passwords. With it you only have to remember only one master password. How does a password manager work? You download it and it sits safe and secure on your browser along with the web address of your login pages. The first time you sign into an account of any kind the password manager asks if you want to save your username and password. You then give the username/password combination a name so you can locate it in the password manager.

5. You can use a single use credit card number. This is an excellent idea. Citibank, Bank of America, and Discover offer these numbers to cardholders. It's called the ShopSafe program. How it works is that you receive a number that is linked to your account but is not your actual credit card number. It keeps your true account number off the Web and out of merchant databases by generating a random, substitute number in its place.

6. Top search engine results are much more secure sites than those further down the list. If you're doing searches on the internet it's better to select sites higher up the list as possible on the first page of results.

Gift shopping is definitely a pleasure and convenience. If you follow these few tips, you'll have extra peace of mind knowing that your personal information is safe and secure.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Theresa_Kruger

Gift Ideas for the Family on Christmas

By: Azlan

For the Men – Buying gifts for your favorite man doesn’t have to be a chore when you understand the game. Always remember one basic rule, and that is to follow his interests. For instance, does he like to play golf? There are plenty of gorgeous gifts with a golfing theme. Or perhaps he is more of the outdoors type? You will not be wanting for gifts in this category also. Lapel pins, lanterns, lures, knives, plaques and sculptures are all available, just to name a few.

Men go nuts over sports, don’t forget that! You can discover limitless gift ideas from his love for sports. And have you forgotten gadgets? Just ask yourself what he likes, and you’re set. With this knowledge, you can get him any gift for as little or expensive as you can afford, and he’ll always like it!

For the Women – Finding a good Christmas gift for a woman can be a bit complicated, especially if she is the lady in your life. This will help you find great gifts for teenagers, too, so pay attention.

First of all, try to notice what she usually wears. Observe the colors she wears most frequently. Does she have a favorite designer? What styles does she like to wear most often? What is her size? You might need to take a peek inside her closet, but it will pay off in the end.

Her hobbies and interests matter, too. If she loves gardening, cooking, cross-stitch, or photography, for example, then you’ll get a good idea what to get for her on Christmas Day. Look at her tastes in home décor. If you’re observant, these items can give you a lot of information about what she’s into. If all else fails, just talk to her friends. It’s the easiest way to find out what a woman wants for Christmas.

Try Gift Baskets – Stop thinking that gift baskets are only for people who don’t have a clue what to give to their loved ones for Christmas. Although a gift basket can be a good answer to that particular problem, it’s more than just a stopgap measure for being clueless. Giving a gift basket for Christmas can be one of the nicest experiences for you and the recipient. The truth is, some of these gifts are really terrific. Sometimes you also get a basket that is so beautiful, it can be a gift in itself!

There are gift baskets for men, women, and children. You can select something for a handyman, a fisherman, or a golfer. For the women, lots of absolutely lovely gift baskets are readily available, such as elegant spa gifts for pampering and relaxing the body, and heavenly scented gifts containing candles, potpourri, lotions, oils or flowers. You can even find romantic gift baskets designed with couples in mind. Elegant champagne and wine baskets with delicious accompanying snacks are excellent selections for personal friends and are also favorites as corporate gifts.

Article Source: http://www.articlestoreprint.com

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Benefits of Online Shopping

By: Jamie Jefferson


When it comes to shopping, more and more of us are letting our fingers (and our mice) do the walking.

Online sales are expected to hit $211 billion this year. That is a rise of 20 percent over last year and comes just three years after the industry hit the $100 billion milestone, according to the 2006 State of Retailing Online report from Shop.org and Forrester Research.

Here are seven reasons it makes sense to shop online:

1. Lower prices. Online shopping can reduce overhead costs in a variety of ways, which can translate to lower prices for you. In fact, one 2004 study found online prices to be 6 to 16 percent lower than offline prices.

2. More savings with online coupons. Many times, shoppers can save even further with an online coupon or coupon code. According to a 2005 Bizrate/Shopzilla report, 71 percent of online shoppers said they were able to find better discount offers and sales online, as compared to shopping through a catalog or traditional retail merchant. Online retailers may issue a button or text link that will apply an automatic savings to your order, or they may issue a specific coupon code to be entered at checkout.

3. Research capabilities. The Internet allows you to easily compare products and prices, so you can be sure that the item you purchase is the exact item you want. Online merchants can publish much more information about their product on a website than they could affordably publish in a print catalog. And online stores give you the ability to share information and reviews with other shoppers who have firsthand experience with a product or retailer. As Internet connection speeds continue to increase for larger segments of the population, these types of interactive features will become even more important. Zappos.com, a leading shoe retailer, for example, allows you to view most shoes from as many as eight different angles, including a close up.

4. Increased selection. Warehousing logistics can be much simpler for an online retailer, and many of the online superstores have a staggering inventory to choose from. Plus, as a consumer, you can avoid the inconvenience of physically traveling among online stores to comparison shop. A simple online search can lead you to the right product at the right price, fast.

5. Convenience. An online store allows you to shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So you can shop at your leisure, regardless of your time zone. This is particularly important for those of us who are limited in our ability to get to a brick and mortar store. The elderly, as well as parents of young children, for example, may have a more relaxed shopping experience in front of the computer screen.

6. Saves time. So much of the vast variety of products and product information is easily searchable. Plus, there is no traveling, parking, and walking involved.

7. Environmental Benefits. Recent studies are showing that shopping online leads to reduced fuel consumption and air pollution, because so much of our car travel is dedicated to shopping. Plus, shopping online reduces the need for print catalogs and excess packaging. And downloadable items purchased online eliminate the need for any kind of material goods at all.

Article Source: http://ar.ticul.us