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I've been noticing lately that a good way to save some money is to look at the store's website before you go in.
Last winter when I bought some appliances, Best Buy's website was 20% cheaper than the store price. I asked the store to give me the same price as the website, and saved a couple hundred dollars.
Today I was looking at some electronics in Wal-Mart and used their website to look up some details on the different models I was considering. The web price was 15% cheaper after shipping, and the store wouldn't match their price on the web, I made my choice I ordered it online.
Ordering on line often avoids sales tax and B&M store cost overhead that adds big bucks to any
price.
Ordering online only avoids sales tax if you commit tax fraud. If you don't pay sales tax on an item you are suppose to pay use tax on it with your state's return. Now of course, most people don't pay it and its hard to show, but its tax fraud nonetheless.
I've been noticing lately that a good way to save some money is to look at the store's website before you go in.
Last winter when I bought some appliances, Best Buy's website was 20% cheaper than the store price. I asked the store to give me the same price as the website, and saved a couple hundred dollars.
Today I was looking at some electronics in Wal-Mart and used their website to look up some details on the different models I was considering. The web price was 15% cheaper after shipping, and the store wouldn't match their price on the web, I made my choice I ordered it online.
Try it out sometime.
I have ran into this too. Some stores will not match their own online prices. I wonder what the reasoning is for this. Can anybody in the industry answer this question please?
Much on-line pricing is lower that in-store pricing, not only because of the sales tax, but sometimes they make allowances for the shipping costs to better compete with the stores.
Even when the total price is higher because of shipping costs, when you factor in the gas, the time, and the nuisance factor of shopping in the stores, the convenience of having it delivered right to your door usually wins hands down.
But, buying on line can be hit and miss. Sometimes clothes and shoes have to be tried on to insure a good fit, and you just can't do that on-line. Returning and exchanging on-line purchases are a real pain.
And then there's "browsing" and "window shopping" and the on-line experience doesn't come anywhere near the real thing.
Ordering online only avoids sales tax if you commit tax fraud. If you don't pay sales tax on an item you are suppose to pay use tax on it with your state's return. Now of course, most people don't pay it and its hard to show, but its tax fraud nonetheless.
How is it fraud? There is no sales tax due by law unless the business has
a brick & mortor store in the state where the item is sold to.
How is it fraud? There is no sales tax due by law unless the business has
a brick & mortor store in the state where the item is sold to.
If the business has no presence in the state than it does not have to collect sales tax, instead it is your responsibility to pay the tax and such is called "use tax". You are suppose to pay it with your state return.
If the business has no presence in the state than it does not have to collect sales tax, instead it is your responsibility to pay the tax and such is called "use tax". You are suppose to pay it with your state return.
We don't have a state return in Texas... So I guess we can go in under the radar...
Ordering online only avoids sales tax if you commit tax fraud. If you don't pay sales tax on an item you are suppose to pay use tax on it with your state's return. Now of course, most people don't pay it and its hard to show, but its tax fraud nonetheless.
Oh for God's sake! I am not going to keep track of everything I buy from an online retailer in some other state and turn in the tax money to my state. I don't think so. We'd have to pay sales tax on everything we buy on vacation too! Too much paperwork if you ask me.
I'd like to see that enforced, anyway, how the hell would they do it?
In any event, I no longer have children in diapers, but I did just notice when I was shopping online at BJ's and Costco, that the diaper prices looked pretty cheap, $10 off a case, and you NEVER see a discount like that at the store, and that included shipping. I didn't fully research the prices, but it looked like there was money to be saved, at least on diapers (and no need to take a newborn out shopping)
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