Holiday Shopping Without the Runaround

(ARA) - Last year you raced around to find the Nintendo Wii, Ugg Boots, and Guitar Hero III your family wanted. This year your are seeking the Elmo Live doll, silver Converse shoes, and anything related to Disney's High School Musical. Why is it they always want the most popular products, sending you scurrying from store to store only to find them sold out?

Reports suggest that shopping may be even more difficult this year, with cautious retailers reducing inventory levels to all-time lows. Online retailers may provide some relief, but only with additional shipping costs and the risk that it may not show up in time. Is there an easier way to shop locally and get those last-minute gifts under the tree in time?

NearbyNow thinks so. This new online service allows you to browse local stores for hot products, and even put them on hold in the desired size and color with just a few clicks. Just go to www.nearbynow.com and enter your location, choose your product, and a NearbyNow concierge will call and reserve the item for you. Best of all, the service is absolutely free.

"Online shopping is convenient, but you have to wait for the item to arrive and shipping and return costs add up fast," says Scott Dunlap, chief executive officer of NearbyNow, Inc. "We knew there had to be a way to combine the best of both worlds. Search online, then let us find it close to you to pick up right away. It's cheaper, convenient, and you have the product in hand."

Experts are reporting online or discount retail shopping may be at an all-time high this year. According to a TNS Retail Forward survey, 75 percent of consumers are consciously saving on gas by planning errands differently. Included in those figures are 55 percent of consumers looking to shop closer to either home or work and 26 percent using the Internet to check off their holiday gift lists.

NearbyNow not only allows you to find a specific item, but also to search generically, say for children's toys or what's new in cashmere sweaters. Once you instruct NearbyNow to find you an item, the concierge service will send you an e-mail or text message letting you know what store has it, if there is a sale price, and even the name of the salesperson to ask for when you pick it up. You could even potentially receive related sale coupons or specials for nearby stores exclusive only to NearbyNow.

Courtesy of ARAcontent