GeekSugar

Going, Going, Gone! A Mom's Guide to the Best Flash Sale Sites For Kiddie Gear

Lisa Horten — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:17:56 PDT

For online shoppers, the flash sale is the ultimate guilty pleasure, and as many of us know (guilty as charged!), the promise of a limited-time bargain can be extremely alluring and even downright addicting. Instead of allowing your in-box to tempt you with unnecessary emails, we suggest you choose your memberships wisely. In this mom's guide to flash sales, you'll find the inside scoop on what's actually in-store at each of these kid-friendly sites. Limit your load (and your email in-box) and shop smarter. Your credit card will thank you!

10 Online Boutiques You Should Know About - and Shop

Marisa Tom — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:57:51 PST

The World Wide Web can be a daunting place and with so much clicking at our fingertips, it's easy to overlook some pretty amazing e-finds. After a bit of cyber roaming and unearthing a whole lot of covet-worthy designer lineups, we've got 10 ultracool online boutiques you may not know about and most definitely should be shopping at already. From a one-of-a-kind curation site and a chic jewelry resource, to a superluxe London-based shopping destination and a Japanese designer-filled mecca, there's an online outlet for every kind of trend and fashion fancy. Click through to see our latest online boutique obsessions - and if you have an under-the-radar favorite to share, leave a comment below!

Will You Still Use Amazon Mom Under Its New Terms?

Kate Stahl — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:12:20 PST

Amazon Mom launched shortly before I had my daughter, and every mom I knew told me I had to sign up! A whopping 30 percent off diapers and wipes made it a no-brainer, and I've been happily stocking up using the site's Subscribe and Save option ever since. So I was incredibly bummed when I got an email from Amazon a few days ago, detailing Amazon Mom's new terms of use, going into effect next week.

Starting Jan. 24, the maximum discount available on diapers and wipes subscriptions will be 20 percent, which isn't so bad, except that 15 of that 20 percent is only available to Amazon Mom members who are earning free shipping benefits because they signed up in the last three months, or because they have an active Amazon Prime membership (which comes with a $79 per year price tag). The site still has some good deals, but I'm not sure I'll take the time to go through them now that I can probably get my diapers and wipes cheaper somewhere else. And frankly, it annoys me when companies give new members incentives that they don't also offer to loyal customers. So what about you? Will you still be stocking up on Amazon Mom, or have the new terms turned you off? Weigh in below!

Sci-Fi Movies to Rent With Your iTunes Gift Card

Kelly Schwarze — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:11:36 PST

Have a pile of post-holiday cards now lining stocking after stocking? With a long weekend ahead of us, there's plenty of time to make use of the stack of $25 iTunes gift cards. Fill your downtime with an impromptu 2011 cinematic retrospective, by renting these six movies (all $4 per rental) that debuted this year.

Apollo 18 - Why didn't NASA send more astronauts to the moon? The found footage-style film explores what really exists on our satellite.
Super 8 - The charming tale of budding kid filmmakers in a 1970s small town takes a sci-fi twist with a crop of disappearances.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - The modern prequel to the classic film may have you wondering whose side you'd be on: human or ape.
X-Men: First Class - The precursor to the X-Men saga reveals the creation and early days of our favorite superheroes.
Cowboys & Aliens - Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford team up as fearsome cowboys to protect Earth and the Old West from alien takeover.
Thor - By the hammer of Thor, this was one of the year's better superhero movies. Dazzling action scenes perfect for a comic book junkie.

Now consider yourself caught up on the year's sci-fi and superhero movies, with $1 to spare!

Source: Apple

Online Shopping During Happy Hour

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:06:27 PST

Coming off the most frenzied shopping season of the year, we know how easy purchasing online is compared to wading through mall crowds. But are there times when it's too easy, say, after happy hour when the evening's web deals begin to land in your email?

Online retailers, it seems, are grateful for a new customer profile - the digital tipsy shopper. Web-based stores are seeing an uptick in late-night purchases, which could just be explained as the time when customers are home and online browsing, but anecdotal evidence from The New York Times suggests there are other factors - like a postwork cocktail - at play. With many customers keeping credit card information on file, shopping is easy as two clicks on a smartphone app while still at the office's favorite wine bar or an "Add to Cart" selection from the comfort of home without the real-life interference of taking out a wallet.

Of course, making purchases not remembered the next day can have dangerous repercussions on finances, so drinking and shopping isn't something retailers are claiming to support. Since it is so easy to shop on the cab ride back from drinks or while watching TV with glass of wine in hand, has your happy hour euphoria ever resulted in online shopping under the influence?

Best of 2011: Vote on Your Favorite Online Shopping Destination

Hannah Weil — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:30:00 PST

This year's growing presence of online retailers only furthered our shopping obsession with a bevy of options to peruse around the clock. Net-A-Porter supplied a luxe assortment of our favorite designer finds - if you loved it on the runway, look for it here. Kate Bosworth and her team at JewelMint gave us a whole new way to shop jewelry with personalized picks matched to fit our very own fashion aesthetic. Zara fed our fashion addiction by putting their irresistibly on-trend selection online, and Shopbop maintained its favored status in our toolbar with its covetable collection of cool-girl designer gear. Meanwhile, ASOS upped the ante with free shipping on its limitless variety of high-low goodies. It's a tough call, but we're turning it over to you - which online retailer had you hooked this year?

Download of the Day: Poshmark

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:08:40 PST

Shopping is quickly moving to the mobile world, with stores offering deals on the go and only accessible via mobile devices. Now, consumers can get in on the draw of selling their own goods to a mobile world with the new shopping app Poshmark.

Forget the old days of dragging bags of unused clothes to thrift stores hoping your trash becomes someone else's treasure (and let's face it, those buyers are so picky); Poshmark turns the hassle of fashion resale into an easy digital experience all within the comfortable confines of an iPhone. Created by the same brains behind social fashion website Kaboodle, Poshmark came to life "so that anyone can easily convert their closet into a stylish boutique with their phones," according to founder and CEO Manish Chandra.

Based on virtual events called Posh Parties, app users can enter a specific party - designer accessories, for example - browse goods, interact with other guests, and list items from their own closets for sale. The experience gets even more social by sharing listings on Facebook and inviting friends to future Posh Parties.

Of course, the employees of the Poshmark marketplace are always on hand ensuring that transactions go smoothly, and that all home sellers and customers keep coming back to the app to score fellow fashionistas' finds.

3 Ways to Hide Your Online Shopping From the Boss on Cyber Monday

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:21:55 PST

Black Friday is a thing of the past - today is all about finding your holiday deals and savings online with Cyber Monday! Over half of Americans will be secretly shopping online at work today and throughout the holiday season, which puts you at risk for being reprimanded for browsing the virtual racks, or in some cases (seven percent according to a new study), even fired for holiday shopping at work. If you must hit the Cyber Monday sales on the boss' dime today, do so with caution. Here, a few tips to keep your online shopping habit a secret from the higher ups in your office.

Toggle screens - Quickly toggle between open applications with the Alt + Tab (for PC) or Open Apple + Tab (for Mac) keystrokes. This will allow you to quickly switch from your open web browser and work applications when you hear the boss tromping down your aisle.
Use your desktop wallpaper - Take a screenshot of an important spreadsheet, document, or collection of open applications and set it as your desktop wallpaper. Commence shopping. If someone approaches, use the keystroke of Windows + D on your PC or F11 on your Mac to switch focus to your desktop, which will conveniently be populated with your busywork instead of a photo of your boyfriend, dog, and/or kids.
Fake an Excel spreadsheet - If you're tweeting or Facebooking your finds, don't forget to keep that on the down low too. Applications like Spreadtweet and ExcellBook keep your social networking under wraps by disguising your feed as an excel spreadsheet.

Count Down to Black Friday Shopping on Amazon

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:38:01 PDT

Are visions of online shopping carts and free shipping coupons already dancing in your head? The advent of this year's holiday shopping spree is already on many retailers minds now that November is in full swing, and Amazon is enticing customers to get a jump start on the madness with their Black Friday Deals page.

Though Black Friday isn't until the day after Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday follows the holiday weekend, Amazon's Black Friday Deals page is now hosting a countdown to Black Friday daily deals page. A little bit of everything from the retailer is on sale including electronics (of course), DVDs, video games, toys, magazines, and books. Select "lightning deals" are also being revealed throughout the day, and are up for grabs only for a limited time.

If you want to check off items on your holiday gift list early, stay up to date on each day's Black Friday deals through the iPhone app, Twitter, and Facebook.

Savvy Tip: Sell Your Unused Coupons on CoupRecoup

Emily Co — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:15:19 PDT

We've given you a few tips on how to prevent yourself from going coupon-crazy, but I recently used one of the coupon resell sites for myself and to great success! For people who have a stash of old coupons from sites like PopSugar City, Groupon, and LivingSocial - CoupRecoup will be your new best friend. The site is pretty much the Craigslist for online coupons, and I actually managed to sell two coupons that were going to expire soon.

To hear how my transactions went, read on.