People wanting to spend less on the holidays can use the internet to find deals instead of department store shopping. “Everythings taking a back seat to price. Retailers are very conscious of what consumers are going through,” said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for Shop.org, the online unit of the National Retail Federation.

Getting the most out of sales will mean knowing your options, however. So before you embark on your holiday shopping, keep these five points in mind.

1. GET IN ON THE DEAL

Dealnews.com publishes an annual Black Friday Guide, a roundup of price-checked deals, promotions and online specials. The guide covers categories including electronics, toys and apparel.

CyberMonday.com, a unit of Shop.org, aggregates online holiday sales from 600 companies. Shop.org gets a percentage of sales made through the site.

Another way to find out about deals? Try opening those pesky e-mails from retailers. They often include coupon codes and alerts to online-only deals, said Kurt Peters, publisher of Internet Retailer.

The trade publications recent survey of 174 Web retailers, including those that operate stores, found nearly half were boosting the number of monthly e-mails they send compared to a year ago.

2. WHEN & WHERE TO BUY

Major retailers generally post all in-store holiday deals online as well, said Dan de Grandpre, founder and editor-in-chief of dealnews.com.

Some retailers even post Black Friday sales online a day early on Thanksgiving, he said. And the biggest discounts may be available yet sooner.

Once brick-and-mortar stores advertise their Black Friday deals in newspaper circulars in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, online-only stores such as Amazon.com immediately start trying to beat the offers, de Grandpre said.

If you still have shopping to do after Black Friday, many retailers have online sales on the “Cyber Monday” after Thanksgiving weekend.

Cyber Monday sales vary. Some may last a week, others may feature a different item or category each day for a week and yet others might have deep discounts on items for just a few hours. Last year, 28 percent of online retailers had partial day sales, according to Shop.org.

3. ONLINE-ONLY STORES

Before buying gifts at major chains, check online retailers such as Overstock.com, Amazon.com and Buy.com, which often offer the same or similar products for cheaper.

Some lesser-known online retailers de Grandpre suggests: NewEgg.com, 6pm.com and SmartBargains.com.

Source: iades