FReeper Canteen ~ Online Shopping 101 ~ November 22, 2005

22-NOV-05 | Gummy News

[GummyIII]

Gummy Style!

Newsflash:  Gummy Hates to Shop November 22, 2005 I hate to shop.  I know. You are thinking, "She's not normal."  Perhaps I should clarify.  I hate to drive to a busy mall or store, get out, fight the crowds, look in umpteen stores for the best bargain, and come home with nothing but achy feet and head.  When Al Gore invented the internet, he did it for me.  Honest. (Psssst....He would have told you that, but he's afraid you wouldn't believe him.) OK,  you've guessed it...I do all my shopping online.  Below are my best tips for online shopping. Oh, there is ONE drawback, gentlemen...you can't wait until Christmas Eve to shop.  It's a good thing I believe in Santa Claus! He brings me my present EVERY year. (Hint:  if the animated background bugs you, hit the "stop" button on your browser.)

We Support Our Troops!!!!  Thank you for your service!!!

Shop Online Safely Use credit cards. The big three credit card issuers, American Express, MasterCard and Visa, have a zero liability policy. You pay nothing for unauthorized transactions if you notify your financial institution. For extra fraud protection, sign up for MasterCard's SecureCode or Visa's Verified by Visa. These are password challenge programs for online shopping. Look for signs that online purchases are secure. At the point that you are providing your payment information, the beginning of the Web site address should change from http to shttp or https, indicating the information is being encrypted. Your browser may also signal that the information is secure with a symbol, such as a broken key that becomes whole or a padlock that closes. Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen. When you visit a company's Web site, an unauthorized pop-up screen created by an identity thief could appear with blanks for you to provide your personal information. Legitimate companies don't ask for personal information via pop-up screens.  Keep your computer secure for safe shopping and other online activities. Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, pop-up blockers and a firewall, and keep them up to date. Go to http://www.staysafeonline.org and http://www.onguardonline.gov to learn more about how to keep your computer secure. Or use El Gran's wonderful site:  Canteen Resource Center. Disclaimer: Not suitable for Grinches or Scrooges. Santa reads this news, too!!

Tips for Saving Money and Sanity Try online coupons. Many online stores provide regular customers with promotional codes. These codes are entered during the online checkout process. They save you money, just like a traditional coupon. Coupon Cabin, Current Codes and Naughty Codes are three websites that list promotional codes for online stores. (Google "promotional code" and the name of the store from which you are purchasing.  Others may show up.) Promotional codes usually offer free shipping or a reduced price. Often, online stores offer multiple codes, but you'll probably have to use one or the other.  Use disposable e-mail. You must register an e-mail address with stores when you purchase online.  The store e-mails a confirmation of your purchase and, often, tracking information. Additionally, it may send you promotional codes. But it may also send you unwanted e-mail.There are a couple ways to handle this. You could create a new e-mail address. A number of sites offer free e-mail, including Hotmail (www.msn.com), Yahoo (mail.yahoo.com), Techemail (www.techemail.com) and Netscape (www.netscape.com). Or, sign up for a disposable e-mail address. Free services such as spamgourmet and Sneakemail allow you to create a temporary e-mail address. They forward mail to your "real" one. Sign up for a temporary address before making a purchase. When you've received your purchases and are satisfied with them, you can eliminate the temporary address. COMING NEXT WEEK:   All I want for Christmas is.......... Gummy News is produced  as a service to our troops.  Volume 1, Number 1.

Comparision Shopping 101 Yahoo, Inc., Shopzilla, Shopping.com,  Google Inc.'s Froogle.com, PriceWatch, PriceGrabber, NexTag and ShopLocal are a few of the top contenders for online comparison shopping.  Take the time to see how each one works.  Most will sort by price, look for items within a price range, and look for specific brand items which you specify.  Many of the above sites have ratings for you to check the product.  Other sites are cnet.com, zdnet.com, consumersearch.com, epinions.com, PCMagazine, BusinessWeekOnline, ConsumerGuide, and many others.  Also, many of the consumer online sites offer customer reviews.  Use those in conjunction with other reviews. For example, Amazon.com and Circuit City's online store are two sites with customer reviews. Best viewed at 1024x768,  medium text size

[luvie]

[Colonel_Flagg]

Yes, we're hosting the family. Should be a fun day. I hope. :)

Glad you're watching the game. We're presently showing the world that our offense is utterly incompetent. :)

[Kathy in Alaska]

From Arrowhead..............

;

[luvie]

Still not doing well, I take it?

[luvie]

LOL!...and the list goes on!

Thanks Kathy...we miss you Arrow! ;o(

See you are now part of the weather crew, biglook! Hi!

[tomkow6]

Hi, Ma! Still lost?

[Colonel_Flagg]

If it weren't for our defense we would never score. They're embarrassing. Thankfully it's only a game.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Is it my turn yet?

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Is it my turn yet?

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Is it my turn yet?

[tomkow6]

Well?

[luvie]

Yeah.....right......only a game........sure......yew betcha.....:o)

[laurenmarlowe]

Thank you for the great thread Gummy! Lot's of good information. I am a big fan of online shopping, and have always had good experiences!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Happy BIRTHday to your teacher's baby. What a BIG boy!!

[Calpernia]

WWII color footage of P-47s.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=75277905547951258

[luvie]

Well....WHAT!!!???

[Radix]

 

Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division joke with a group of Iraqi children during a patrol near the Tigers River in central Baghdad on Sunday.

 

According to Amnesty International, US military forces lead the world in cases  concerning tickling and somersaults with children artound the world.

 

 

An Iraqi farmer (right) and soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division drink traditional Arabic tea inside an Iraqi house as the troops take a break from a patrol near the Tigers River in central Baghdad on Sunday.

 

Sixty Minutes is planning a special expose' program demonstrating that the US Military is drinking an excess amount of tea in the homes of Iraqi civilians.

 

 

Members of Company G., 2d Battalion, 6th Marines, search a small shack looking for hidden weapons during Operation Trifecta, in Saqlawiyah, Iraq, on Saturday.

 

Dear Mom. everything is OK in Iraq except for the latrine facilities. Please send paper, quick.  Love, your son the Marine.

 

 

President Bush reaches in to shake hands after speaking before American troops stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea, on Saturday. Bush said in his speech that there would be no early troop withdrawal from Iraq because “sober judgment” must prevail over emotional calls to end the military mission before the country is stabilized. The stop was en route from a three-day stay here to China for the most closely watched segment of the president’s weeklong Asian swing.

 

"Hey Bill Clinton, How do you like me now?"

 

 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, poses for photos with American troops at Osan Air Base, South Korea, after President Bush spoke on Saturday.

 

A recent poll among US Troops found that the Troops found Condoleeza the sexiest Secretary of State ever, and that includes (get this) Madeline Albright.

 

 

Cadets at the United States Military Academy carry one of the goal posts off the field after their 38-10 win over Arkansas State on Saturday at West Point, N.Y.

 

Gosh, when I was in the Army we only had to paint the goal posts, not capture them.

 

 

Air Force Staff Sgt. John Waters of the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron practices evasion maneuvers during a combat survival training course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on Thursday.

 

Dear Mom, wish you were here, send soap!

 

Just another day at the office for our Troops.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thank you, Jay, (on the left) for helping keep us free.
Prayers for your safety and success of mission, and extra as you are short.

[Kathy in Alaska]

And we thank our veterans for their service to America.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi, tom......still searching.