Excerpt: Tips From 'The Shopping Bags'

July 31, 2006 — -- Want to learn how to be an effective shopper? In their tell-all book "The Shopping Bag: Tips, Tricks, and Inside Information to Make You a Savvy Shopper," authors Anna Wallner and Kristina Matistic share secrets on how to find the best deals.

No matter what you're looking for, this shopping survival guide will be sure to get you through the long lines and dealing with frustrating sales employees.

Read an excerpt from Wallner and Matistic's book below.

THE SHOPPING BAGS: Tips, Tricks, and Inside Information to Make You a Savvy Shopper

Introduction

Have you ever had buyer's remorse? Surrendered to an impulse purchase at the mall? Did you shell out big bucks for that antiwrinkle cream only to find your wrinkles stayed put? And remember that pair of designer jeans that stretched all out of shape? (C'mon, 'fess up.) Do you always reach for the same brand-name glass cleaner even though the generic brand is half the price? (And is the glass in your home really so much cleaner as a result?) Don't even get us started on the grocery store, where brilliantly veiled marketing tricks have you at the checkout counter with a cartful of food when all you came in for was a loaf of bread. And what about that video camera you bought just last year? Do you really need the "optical image stabilizer"? (Actually, that is a good thing to have.) Or do you simply wonder if you can get that car, that sofa, the shoes, or the lightbulbs for less?

We can relate. The retail world is complicated - - there are too many options, too much fine print, too many marketing ploys. If you're going to survive out there, you need to study up. You need a shopping encyclopedia. We are The Shopping Bags, and it's our mission to provide you with that reference and to make shopping easier for you.

Several years ago we were just like you: We hated buying a T-shirt only to have it fall apart in the wash. A bad warranty meant we were stuck with a blender that conked out after three milk shakes. Fed up with wasted money and wasted time, we decided to do something drastic. We set out to research everything before we bought it - and never get ripped off again.

We started calling professionals from every walk of life -- aestheticians, race car drivers, doctors, dentists, gardeners, even dog walkers -- to ask questions about the products we buy. After all, who better to tell you which brand of garbage bag is best than a garbage man? And then we started testing the products ourselves -- from lip gloss to lawn furniture to luggage. Soon we had a stockpile of information, things that other shoppers might just want to know about.

Ten o'clock on weekday mornings is the best time to shop -- especially if you're making a return -- as crowds are low.

Many afternoons of shoe shopping and brainstorming later, we came up with the concept for The Shopping Bags. We quit our day jobs as journalists at a local TV station and committed ourselves to researching consumer products and providing shoppers with tips, tricks, and inside information on everything they buy. For the past five years, the results of our findings have been airing on our hit TV show. Then it was time to put pen to paper and give you a fun, fact-filled shopping guide you can carry with you to the store.

Today's shopper is hungry for the information we offer. Yes, we all want to make the right shopping choice -- but no, we don't all want to spend two months researching the matter. (After all, it's only a lightbulb!) With this book, you'll gain the upper hand. You can look up products before you buy them, and see where the pitfalls are. You can have the results of our tests and research right at your fingertips.

As far as we're concerned, shopping is not just a way to get the stuff you need and want; it's also a sport. And we play to win!

Basically, we do your homework for you. It's a rigorous five-step process:

Step one involves analyzing the information -- all the information -- on each and every product we cover. Books, articles, lab reports, research data, instructional booklets, and advertising material -- you name it, we sift through it.

Step two involves picking up the phone and dialing up the world's most reputable and well-known experts. We've interviewed fashionistas like Diane von Furstenberg and Lars Nilsson, domestic divas like Martha Stewart, Olympic athletes like Picabo Street, and some of the best-known personalities in the world of cars, gardens, and beauty.

But we go way beyond the bigwigs and celebrities. Step three involves hitting the front lines and grilling the people who use and abuse the products we're investigating. We talk to dog walkers about the personalities of different breeds; we chat with garbage men about which bags really make it to the curb; we question day-care workers about the safest and most user-friendly high chairs; and we spy on hairdressers to see what kinds of hair products they use on themselves.

Step four involves personally testing every product and taking our tests to the extreme. We ride roller coasters to test hair spray, rock-climb to test nail polish, and who can forget the time Anna put the condom over her head to prove that a regular-size rubber can fit most men! Products take over every available closet, counter, and square inch of flooring in our homes. At any one time, we're testing half a dozen different things: exercise gizmos litter the living room; blush, hair mousse, and face moisturizers battle each other for space on the bathroom counter; and jars of peanut butter, cans of tomato sauce, and boxes of frozen pizza squeeze out anything resembling real food in the fridge. It's safe to say we take a hands-on approach to our business. We want to know how each and every product stands up to - well - us! And we want to pass that information on to you.

But we're not done there. Step five involves making sure each product and service suits each person's individual needs and styles. Deciding on the right product depends on your requirements, your desires, and your budget. We arm you with the questions you need to ask and the things you need to look for to determine which makes and models are right for you.

Having logged many hours at the stores, we've learned a few simple truths. We call them the Ten Shopping Commandments -- ten rules we apply to each and every shopping experience. These guidelines help us get what we want, get it for less, and be more informed about the stuff we buy.