MONTREAL- Shopping for holiday bargains this year may be harder than expected.
Many retailers were planning to stock fewer items than normal this year in hopes of avoiding having excess stock sitting on store shelves.
But with most Canadians planning to limit their Christmas spending, there are ways to get deals on big-ticket items.
One tip is to go online and search several stores before clicking "Add to cart."
Shoppers who don't have time to browse online can save time and money by looking at what bargain hunters have already found.
"There are online communities, online forums of dedicated shopaholics that always want the best deal," said technology consultant Elias Makos.
"It's never one website. Great deals change from site to site."
Red Flag Deals has a Canadian section to its website where coupon-clipping, tight-fisted, deal-spotting shoppers constantly post the best deals of the day or week on every item under the sun.
"If you're looking for a hot deal that's always my first stop because it's amazing how many people are searching for the exact same thing that I am," said Makos.
Some people post links to coupons you can use to further reduce your costs.
Shopping online does come with one hazard: making sure your purchase arrives before Christmas, and that shipping fees will not be excessive.
Ordering from the United States comes with two additional hiccups: duties payable to Customs, and the warranty.
"I wouldn't buy a $2000 TV set from the States because if that thing stops working after 45 days, it's going to be very difficult to get service," said Makos.
Those who don't an item by the 25th have one advantage -- anything still on shelves at the end of December is likely to have its price slashed.
