Apps ease the strain of shopping

ByABC News
November 23, 2011, 12:10 PM

— -- Trying to avoid the holiday crowds —or at least navigate them more easily? Here are some handy resources to make the season's shopping as painless as possible.

Parking in Motion

Don't expect to find any a parking spot during prime shopping season until you've circled the lot for at least 20 minutes.

But now you can know exactly what the parking situation is like before you arrive: Parking in Motion is an iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch app that shows nearby parking structures and information such as entrance location, occupancy, rates and hours. The app also extends to on-street meter parking, even highlighting parking restrictions. Parking in Motion has data in more than 500 cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe, and coverage includes more than 26,000 parking locations.

Next time you pass by the same row of cars in a desperate attempt to find an opening, whip out your smartphone instead. An Android app in the works.

Black FlyDay

Iconosys' Black FlyDay app for Android devices lets you team up with Facebook friends to bargain hunt with efficiency. The app helps locate the best deals within a certain radius, and teams of shoppers can collaborate using the real-time bulletin board to share locations and deals.

The app is good all year 'round, so if you notice a great deal on groceries, gas or something else, you can always use Black FlyDay to get the word out to your friends. If you want to submit a deal, the app posts the details on your Facebook wall, and if you're looking for deals, the app pulls information from friends and other users. The app is free until Black Friday and $9.99 after.

Camelcamelcamel

This website is chock full of pricing data and charts from Amazon and third-party vendors. It searches new and used items, displaying current and past prices. Camelcamelcamel.com will also keep tabs on items you've got your eye on. Figure out how much you're willing to pay for a camera, for instance, and the site will email or tweet you when the camera reaches your desired price range. And unlike other pesky websites, you don't need to give Camelcamelcamel any personal data. You do get a few perks from registering, including access to a single RSS feed for tracked products' alerts. But the best features are available to everyone.

Savvy

After snagging what you thought was a great deal, it's irritating to see the price drop even more. The old-fashioned way to get that money back: Drive to the store with receipt in tow or spend a lifetime on hold with customer support. No more. Instead, be the savviest shopper around with Savvy. The app streamlines the process to get your price adjustment. All you have to do is send in a photo of the receipt — no driving, waiting or even talking involved.

Currently in open beta testing, Savvy has on board more than 40 retailers, including Best Buy, Urban Outfitters and Zappos. Available only on Apple iOS devices, with an Android app in the works.

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