TwelpForce

Best Buy’s TwelpForce is a great example of using Twitter for profit. Just like Best Buy created the Geek Squad to respond to your hardware and software issues on your home PC’s; they’ve created the equivalent online with TwelpForce .

if you are experiencing an issue with your personal computer, you can Tweet your question to Twelpforce for a quick reply. Your question will be answered and for the most part Best Buy provides simple answers. However I have noticed that you may get the common response, “An issue like this may not be easily solved over Twitter. We offer in-home and in-store services, if you would like. via (fill-in associates name).” Thus, Best Buy is answering “soft” questions online and pushing “hard” questions to their in-store technicians, the Geek Squad.

See for yourself the power of Twelpforce…
http://twitter.com/twelpforce

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How Do You Recognize Legit Internet Coupons?

The other day as I stood in line with my 12 items and more, I wandered past the tabloids, assortment of flavored low- calorie gum, and landed on photocopy nestled between the cashier and my groceries. The sheet listed tips for the cashier to recognize a legitimate Internet coupon. I immediately had a Family Guy flash forward; it featured me holding up the line with a phony coupon and an angry mob chasing me down in the parking lot, flipping my car over and taking my Twinkie box. Thus, I read on and decided to share the information with you!

How to Identify A Legit Internet Coupon:
1. No Free / High Value Coupons - Does the offer looks to good to be true?
2. Customer Identifiers - Asks you enter in a Pin code from a website
3. Expiration Date - Is there a date, if so is it within a few months?
4. Legal Language - Is there legal language (fine print)?
5. Easily Scannable Barcode - Does the bar code code look clear?
6. Color or Black & White - It doesn’t matter
7. Multiple Coupon Prints - There should be a limit, if not probably not real
8. Obvious Alteration - Common sense goes a long way

This information is courtesy of the Association of Coupon Professionals. Would knew there was organization devoted to coupons, now that’s cool!

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What’s the Dealio? Coupons!

Before you buy anything online, you have to first check Dealio. Why? The reason is that with one singular search, you may find an online coupon code that could save you hundreds.

At Dealio search online coupon codes from Nordstrom, Buy.com, Barnes and Noble, Macy’s, Target, Sephora, Apple, Babies “r” Us, Best Buy, Walmart and many more! I was skeptical at first, but every website before checkout has a field where they ask if you have an online promotion code. Why not save some money?

http://www.dealio.com/

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Reset Your Credit Card at Point of Purchase

The other day I was standing in line and the credit card machine wasn’t working. The guy standing in front of me was trying to get his Master Card to slide through the unit twenty different ways. After about ten minutes, the line behind me starting slowly growing and the crowd was getting restless. Like Superman, the store manager swooshed-in, wrapped a plastic shopping bag around the card and ran the it through the machine. Presto! The credit card terminal was reset at the point of purchase.  

The next time you are stuck in a line and your Visa or Discover card isn’t working, try the plastic bag trick. I also have been told that a thin piece of paper, like a receipt, can be held over the credit card’s magnetic stripe to make the transaction go through.

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Need Software, No Cash?

Before making the next big software purchase, check out Source Forge.

You just might be surprised what you don’t have to pay for.

My Home Computers run Win XP, at work its Mac OSX. I even run Ubuntu at times. Sourceforge has software for everybody.

I needed to convert some video files and then make a DVD. At Work the Mac has built in options. At Home I needed solutions. I was able to find open source software at http://sourceforge.net/ for converting my video files and make the DVD with menus.

Everything was found, installed and going within a half hour.

George Jetson here I come.

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Swoopo - Internet auction gone wild!

Are you looking for that last minute gift? Have you tried Swoopo? A friend of mine told me about it, but I actually had to see it to believe it.

If you are a fan of eBay, then move over bacon because now there is something meatier with Swoopo. The shopping site claims that they allow users to purchase items at about 35 percent of the retail price. After watching the site for a few days, I must say that this is true.

Here’s how Swoopo works:
1) Register for free
2) You bid on items that Swoopo has in stock
3) There is no reserve
4) It costs 1 dollar to bid
5) You can increase your bid by 15 cent increments (proxy bidding)
6) When the timer is up, the highest bid wins

I recently saw a high-end flat screen TV go for $350 US dollars. All I can say is, “Swoop, I’m Yours!”

Have you tried Swoopo? What do you think of it?
http://www.swoopo.com

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Get Ready for Cyber Monday!

Black Friday is upon us and everyone is out scurrying for deals in local stores. However this upcoming Monday all major department stores and online retailers will release Internet only bargains. This event has been deemed Cyber Monday.

With the economy about to hit rock bottom, the search for the ultimate bargain is even more pressing. If you are among the faint of heart and didn’t feel like camping out to get your hands on a deal, then set your alarm to wake up early on Monday and shop from the comfort of your home.

http://www.cybermonday.com/

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Amazon’s WindowShop

If you own an iPod or iPhone then you’ll be familiar with the feature called cover flow, even though you may not even know it. Cover flow is classified as the 3-D feature of “flipping” through album covers with the flick of your finger to easily navigate to your selection. All you have to do is touch the item to select and to listen to it. Now Amazon presents new DVD and MP3 releases using the same technology with Windowshop.

Buy that new movie or new album by “flipping” through each release as samples load in real time. I was amazed at how fast the media loaded and how easy it was to move through the titles. Amazon has infused their gigantic inventory of products with the popular feature cover flow from Apple to introduce something completely different for your shopping experience.

What do you think of Windowshop? Do you think other websites will start using this feature to showcase and sell their products?

http://www.windowshop.com/

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Save Money on Groceries

As the economy continues to slide, everyone is looking for ways to save a few bucks. I heard about this website called Grocery Game that matches your coupons to store with the lowest price. The reason it’s called a “game” because the system keeps track of the lowest prices in your area and tells you when to make the sale.

There website says, “For example, just because an item is on sale doesn’t mean its time to play your coupon. Our databases track the sales history on nearly every item in the supermarket, waiting to use a coupon on rock-bottom sales. Now, the best possible savings are quickly accessible to busy professionals, overworked moms, single adults or anyone who wants to cut their grocery bill by 50% or even more.”

How much does it cost?
A monthly trial of their services costs $1 and you do have to spend a second registering on their website. After that it’s $10 every eight weeks for one store.

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

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Upromise Toolbar

Do you have a AAA card–or an Entertainment Book?  I’ve got one of each and between the two of them, I could be getting discounts all over town.  But for some reason, I don’t take advantage of them anywhere near as much as I could.  My habits are no different online.  That’s why I give the Upromise toolbar two thumbs up.  It makes sure that you take advantage of any available savings whenever you happen upon one of their affiliated shopping sites.  (Not familiar with Upromise?)

If you or someone you know is using Upromise to save money for their kids’ college education, you’ll appreciate the value in this toolbar.  Of course you could go shopping through the Upromise shopping site directly—but who bothers to think of that?  Not me.  Just install the toolbar in your browser and you will be prompted whenever you reach a shopping site affiliated with Upromise.  Their site claims that members who use the toolbar save more than 5x more than members who don’t.

If you shop online—and you use Upromise, this free tool is a must.

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