Z Gamblin Man Dot Com

When buying gift cards make sure you don’t fall prey to gift card scams. Never buy gift cards that are on a display rack in a store. Crooks can copy the card number and pin in the back of the card. They wait a few days and check to see if the card has been activated. When it has, they go online and deplete the account. Crooks can also scan the cards with a mini scanner and follow the above mentioned procedure. If you must buy a card on a display rack, be sure that there is a pin associated with the card and that it can’t be seen. You must scratch the card to reveal the pin number. If they are technically savy, crooks can charge a small amount to a card then reprogram the card with a stolen ID number. Thieves can also open the packaging of new cards and replace the new cards with used cards.

Be very careful when buying gift cards on online sites such as eBay. Look at the seller’s rating to see what others are writing about this person. It’s no secret that many counterfeit cards end up on online auction sites. Sellers have been known to overstate the value of the cards. You can’t physically look at the gift card until after you have paid the seller.

You should only buy gift cards directly from the store or a secure website. If buying in store, ask the salesperson to scan it in front of you to check the amount on the card. This will also insure that the card is valid and ready for use. Always keep a receipt of your gift card purchase in case it is lost or stolen. This will help you replace the card if the card issuer gives you a replacement option. Never give out personal information such as social security number, driver’s licence number or date of birth. No reputable card company will ask you for that information.

Before you buy that gift card, be sure to read my post on gift cards so you get the maximum use of that card. Please click here to read the post.

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If you decide to offer a gift card or receive one this holiday season, make sure you know the conditions associated with the card. Gift cards are a financial bonanza for the retailers. They get to keep the money and earn interest on that money until you start using the card.

There are several types of gift cards. The store specific card and the general purpose card. As its name implies, the store card can only be used at a specific store or through the store’s website. A general-purpose gift card from Visa, MasterCard or American Express may be used almost anywhere those cards are accepted. Most likely a store specific card will have less fees than a general purpose card. Please check the following items in order to maximize your use of the card:

• Do check for the expiration date on the card. Be sure to use your card before the expiration date or you may be out of luck. If it can be renewed, you may be charged a renewal fee.
• You may be charged with a shipping and handling fee when ordering online.
• In addition to the above mentioned fees, you may have to pay a service fee for the “priviledge” of ordering the card online.
• Will there be a monthly maintenance fee? If there is, you better use the card right away.
• Can you check easily your card balance? Is there a toll free number? Make sure to keep all receipts associated with the card as a backup.
• Is the card replaced if lost or stolen? Will there be a replacement fee?
• Can you transfer the card to another person or apply the balance as payment to a credit card balance?

Most gift cards are not redeemable for cash. If you ask the credit card company to send you by check the rest of the balance, you can be sure you will be charged another fee for that. Should you want to pay for an item worth more than the remaining balance on the gift card, you will need to bring cash or a check. For an online purchase, most internet merchants do not accept two forms of payment for just one purchase.  Be sure to check where you can shop with the gift card. Some cards can only be used in-store and not online or vice versa.

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Good service is hard to find these days. Whether you shop at a big department stores or a small convenience store, service is almost non-existent. Ever found yourself in a store all by yourself except for the cashier? Forget about getting some help or answers to your questions. Retailers have done a very poor job educating their staff on the fine etiquette of customer relations. When there are salespeople around they tend to ignore you. Sometimes you wonder if you have just become invisible. How many of you are greeted by someone when you enter the store? You’re about to pay for the item and the phone rings. The salespeople ignore you and start talking to the person on the phone for what seems an eternity. The correct procedure is to ask the person on the phone to hold on until the client in the store has finished his/her transaction.

Ever been waiting in line at the pharmacy and no one acknowledges you. How hard is it to say “Hi, I will be right with you after helping this customer. The opposite of being ignored is just as bad. You have a salesperson jumping on you the minute you enter the store. They don’t leave you alone the whole time you’re in the store. Wouldn’t it be nice if instead of following you around the salesperson simply said: “Hi, let me know if you need any help” said with a smile and just leave me alone but discreetly check from time to time if I need any help. I am sure we all have a favorite story about incompetent salesperson. The worse one I witnessed told a woman who was buying a dress “You really can’t afford this”

It’s no wonder that internet sales are skyrocketing. No need to deal with surly salesperson and you can shop from the comfort of your home or office. Perhaps brick and mortar stores are doomed to extinction. The lack of good service will no doubt hasten this trend.

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This is not the title of a bad horror movie. All those people running into stores are not really zombies although some do look in a trance.

As everyone knows, Black Friday is the first day of the Christmas holiday shopping season. It is the day when shoppers go in search of those great bargains. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is also the day retailers try to get rid of old and/or outdated inventory. It’s a yearly ritual. Some camp out days in advance in front of stores. I suppose you must have some training in guerrilla warfare and be in tip top shape.  In order to be successful you must do the following:

The week before Black Friday, you will have drawn a map of the store and studied the fastest way to get to the item(s). Time is money, especially today. One step in the wrong direction and you could lose the battle. You will have studied a worst case scenario and come up with several different options to reach your destination should your original route be blocked by other shoppers.  You must only think of reaching your item. No time to stop for fallen shoppers. Trample them if you must but keep your eyes on the prize. Just make sure to apologize if you can find them once you have your item(s) safely in your possession. In case you reach the prized item at the same time as another shopper, size up the opponent and determine whether that item is worth a black eye, a broken nose, etc… for you or your competitor. Once the item is safely in your grasp and paid for, you can walk around the store with a smug look on your face. Yes, you are a winner. At least until you get home and wonder if you really need that item after all.

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