The Science Of Shopping

In an effort to determine why people buy, Paco Underhill and his detailed-oriented band of retail researchers have camped out in stores over the course of 20 years, dedicating their lives to the "science of shopping." Armed with an array of video equipment, store maps, and customer-profile sheets, Underhill and his consulting firm, Envirosell, have observed over 900 aspects of interaction between shopper and store. They've discovered that men who take jeans into fitting rooms are more likely to buy than females (65 percent vs. 25 percent). They've learned how the "butt-brush factor" (bumped from behind, shoppers become irritated and move elsewhere) makes women avoid narrow aisles. They've quantified the importance of shopping baskets; contact between employees and shoppers; the "transition zone" (the area just inside the store's entrance); and "circulation patterns" (how shoppers move throughout a store). And they've explored the relationship between a customer's amenability and profitability, learning how good stores capitalize on a shopper's unspoken inclinations and desires. Underhill, whose clients include McDonald's, Starbucks, Estée Lauder, and Blockbuster, stocks Why We Buy with a wealth of retail insights, showing how men are beginning to shop like women, and how women have changed the way supermarkets are laid out. He also looks to the future, projecting massive retail opportunities with an aging baby-boom population and predicting how online retailing will affect shopping malls. This lighthearted look at shopping is highly recommended to anyone who buys or sells. --Rob McDonald --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

What are you buying?

Updates - Have you checked for updates?
If you frequently access a web page, you may be seeing outdated pricing or old inventory information. The reason: Some Internet browsers, that is, a program such as Netscape Navigator™ or Microsoft Internet Explorer®, save frequently-accessed pages. Check whether the seller indicates when the information was last updated. To insure you’re seeing the latest version, use your browser’s "reload" and "refresh" capabilities available under the "View" menu to update the page you’re viewing.

The Product - What are you buying?
Be aware that some claims are just someone’s opinion and the consumer has no legal claim if it is not true. For example, if the seller claims: "This is the best book ever written on this topic," that is merely an opinion. However, you may have a legal case if an item that you buy does not conform to the seller’s specific description. For example, if the seller’s e-mail or web page states that the book is 1,000 pages long and published last year, you may have a legal claim if the book that's delivered is half that long and ten years old.

Double Check The Price - Does the price of the product seem reasonable to you?
Whether the product is being sold as new or used, be suspicious of prices that are too good to be true. Also, consider carefully whether you may be paying too much for an item, particularly if you’re bidding through an auction site. You may want to comparison-shop, online or offline, before you buy.

Authenticity - How do you know your product is authentic?
Is the seller offering a real brand-name item, or just a replica? Review the site for a guarantee of the product’s authenticity.

Check Your Order - Have you checked the item number and amount?
After typing in your order, double check the online form. It’s easy to order "22" rather than "2" of an item if your finger stays on the keyboard a little too long.

Many electronic order forms will tell you the total price of your order before you buy. Pay attention to that total price so you can crosscheck the items and quantity. Also, check any confirmation e-mail that you receive from the seller. If it doesn’t agree with what you wanted, immediately notify the seller by e-mail or telephone.

Tips by http://www.bbbonline.org/

How are you paying for the item?

How are you paying for the item?

1. Safest Way to Pay
   Why is paying by credit card safer than paying by check, cash, or debit card?
   If you have an unauthorized charge on your credit card, under federal law your liability is limited to $50. In fact, some credit card issuers and web site operators say that under certain circumstances they will even pay this amount for you.

Can paying by credit card help in a dispute?
You may be able to dispute the seller’s charges if the goods don’t arrive or if you aren’t satisfied with them and return them. However, under the federal Fair Credit Billing Act, you can only effectively dispute charges billed to your credit card (but that you have not yet paid) if ALL of the following are true:

1. You have made a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute with the seller;
2. The dispute involves the amount of $50 or more; and
3. The dispute arose within the state of your credit card billing address, or within 100 miles of your address; AND
4. The seller of the goods (for example, a department store) has not issued the credit card that you used to pay.
5. If the seller of the goods has issued the credit card you used to pay, as when you use a department store credit card, you may be able to dispute the seller's charges as long as you have first made a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute. The $50, 100-mile requirements do not apply where the seller and card issuer are the same company.

Be aware that if you buy goods or services from a seller through a web site, there may be some legal uncertainty about where a dispute arose.

What are other reasons to pay by credit card?
You may save money by using a credit card if you pay it off in full when the bill arrives. Payments made by credit card allow you to keep the payment amount in your bank account, earning interest, until your credit card bill for those payments comes due.

In addition, some credit card issuers grant you extended warranties or other advantages for purchases made with the card.

2. Credit Card Account Protection
   How can you protect against unauthorized use of your credit card account number?
   Carefully and promptly check your credit card statements when they arrive. If you identify any irregularities, you should immediately bring these to the attention of the issuer of the credit card by telephone and in writing.

Do you need a separate credit card?
Consider dedicating a single credit card for online purchases. It will be easier for you to review your records. Also, should the security of this number be compromised, you’ll still be able to use your other credit cards.

3. Payment Options
   Do other payment options offer as much protection as a credit card?
   When it comes to other types of payment options such as debit cards, money orders, cashier’s checks, certified checks, teller’s checks, and cash on delivery (C.O.D.), you’ll find the level of protection isn’t as high as with credit cards. Although there are pros and cons to these other payment options, using a credit card is still your best bet for safety.

Tips by http://www.bbbonline.org/

shopping tips

How secure is your transaction?

1. Secure Internet Connections
   How do you tell if the Internet connections are secure?
   Many web sites use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the credit card information that you send over the Internet. These sites usually inform you they are using this technology. Or, check if the web address on the page that asks for your credit card information begins with "https:" instead of "http:"; if so, this technology is in place.

A different security technology, which works on different principles, is Secure Electronic Transaction, or SET, technology. SET or SSL technology are designed to make your connection secure.

Other ways to tell whether a web site uses security software:

• Your browser displays the icon of a locked padlock at the bottom of the screen (Netscape Navigator™; - versions 4.0 and higher);
• You see the icon of an unbroken key at the bottom of the screen (earlier versions of Netscape Navigator™);
• You see the icon of a lock on the status bar (Microsoft Internet Explorer®).
1. Phone-In Option
   Would you rather give your credit card information over the phone?
   Many web merchants allow you to order online and give your credit card information over the phone. If you’re more comfortable with this option, make a note of the phone number, company, the date and time of your call, and the name of the person who recorded your credit card number.

You should only give your password and credit card number in a secure connection on a web site, not in ordinary e-mail. "Theft of identity," in which someone gets access to your bank account or gets credit cards or loans in your name, is a growing problem, and you should carefully guard personal information that might allow a thief to impersonate you.

3. Passwords Do you use different passwords?
   If you use a password to log on to your network or computer, use a different password for orders. Some web sites may require you to create a password for future orders. You may want to create a special password for particularly sensitive sites, such as your home banking site.

How did you choose your password?
The best passwords are not your address, birth date, phone number, or recognizable words. Choose a string of at least five letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. One easy way to create a memorable password is to take the first letter of each word in an expression or song lyric, and add some numbers and punctuation marks. For example, "tmottobg!5" is derived in part from "Take Me Out To The Old Ball Game."

How should you record your password?
Don’t write down any password near your computer where someone could see it. If you do record it somewhere, reverse the order of the characters or transpose some letters or numbers. That way, someone finding it won’t have discovered your true password.

Who wants to know your password or other identifying information?
Be very careful about responding to an e-mail, phone call, fax, or letter from anyone who asks for your password(s), social security number, birth date, bank account, credit card number, mother’s maiden name, or other personal information. To verify that the person contacting you really does work for the seller, call and request to speak to that person directly. Except for your password and credit card number, you should never have to give any other information to place an order online.

And you should only give your password and credit card number in a secure connection on a web site, not in ordinary e-mail. "Theft of identity," in which someone gets access to your bank account or gets credit cards or loans in your name, is a growing problem, and you should carefully guard personal information that might allow a thief to impersonate you.

4. Viruses
   How can you avoid viruses?
   If you receive an unsolicited commercial message, you should not open any attached file whose name ends in ".exe." Clicking on such files could activate a computer virus that might affect the operation of your computer and/or damage the information stored on your computer. You can also protect yourself against viruses carried by e-mail or by computer files that you’ve received on a floppy disk, by purchasing and installing on your computer or network a virus-protection program.

Tips by http://www.bbbonline.org/