Better Business Bureau provides tips to shop smart this holiday season

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Better Business Bureau provides tips to shop smart this holiday season

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For many, it could be hard to resist the image of a puppy under the tree this Christmas, but officials from the Better Business Bureau say would-be pet owners should beware of falling victim to an online pet scam. Such scams, they say, could cause a buyer to lose thousands of dollars and wind up with nothing to show for it.

The BBB reports that over the past two years online pet scams have more than doubled, thanks in part to an increased demand for pets during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 pet scams made up 35% of reports to the BBB’s Scam Tracker.

More than a dozen northern Nevada residents have fallen prey to pet scammers based on reports in the BBB’s Scam Tracker, each with a similar story.

Sparks resident Lee McDowell-Orozco tried to purchase a puppy in August of this year and lost nearly $4,000 to scammers.

BBB offers tips on buying, using gift cards safely at Christmas

Gift cards are a popular and easy holiday gift available off the rack at retail stores or bought with a few clicks online.

Recipients love them, too. Better Business Bureau recently reported that according to the National Retail Federation, gift cards are the top-ranking item on many wish lists, with nearly 60 percent of consumers surveyed in a 2019 poll saying they would request gift cards.

Gift cards carry risks, too, and can be exploited by fraudsters, the BBB said. From January to September 2021, nearly 40,000 people reported $148 million stolen using gift cards, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The nonprofit watchdog’s regional offices warn that those who give and receive gift cards need to check the legal fine print that comes with the card. Gift card recipients may be on the hook for unwanted fees over time.

You can find some great deals on gift cards right before the holidays, but the Better Business Bureau has tips on using them safely. Read the fine print before you buy, and prevent theft by not reading the card number to anyone over the phone.

More:BBB warns that online purchase scams, especially for puppies,

Better Business Bureau offers tips to skip stress, avoid holiday shopping scams

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The Better Business Bureau (BBB) this week is advising shoppers—both online and in-person—to be aware of scams and plan ahead to make the most of Black Friday shopping.

As with last year, the BBB expects more people to avoid crowds by shopping online. Some big box stores, including Target, have cut their weekend hours by closing their doors altogether on Thanksgiving Day.

Meanwhile, online retailers have been ramping up for brisk business. Many have launched early Black Friday sales.

Shoppers may find, however, that this year isn’t quite the same as holiday shopping seasons of yore.

While supply chain snags and slow-downs have decreased, they’re still a factor in the quantity and types of goods in stores. It’s also a factor in the higher prices for some of those must-have gifts.

According to a recent analysis, “the holiday shopping season is predicted to have 4.7 million packages a day

10 Tips to Stimulate More Product or service Revenue on Amazon

As a behemoth of the retail environment, Amazon is a purely natural place for businesses of all kinds to offer their goods. But with hundreds of thousands of sellers competing for shopper focus, companies have to be intentional about their tactic if they genuinely want to improve their Amazon sales. If your organization is not gaining more than enough traction, take into account these pro-advisable recommendations for standing out in the group.

What would you say is the “secret sauce” to encouraging a lot more revenue on Amazon? What can businesses do to make improvements to their odds of finding recognized?

1. Include Up-to-Date Shots

To enhance product sales on Amazon, you need to have to update your merchandise pics. When prospects shop on the web, they rely on illustrations or photos and films to identify whether or not they’ll acquire. If your visual content material does not search desirable

Come across a reputable electrician with these BBB tips

Marjorie Stephens writes the "Consumer Advocate"

When working on substantial assignments this kind of as residence remodels and making development, several customers glance for trustworthy electricians to help full the work. Electrical perform involves special information, coaching and applications. Not everybody understands the correct way to handle broken circuit breakers, flickering lights or nonworking electrical power stores, which is why it’s important to employ the service of an professional that can be reliable.

There are two varieties of electricians — journeyman and grasp. Even though the two forms are proficient, journeymen usually get the job done together with a master electrician’s supervision and route. Master electricians entire two further a long time of instruction and can operate their own firm or get the job done as an unbiased contractor, and are also generally demanded by regulation to carry their have insurance coverage protection. Master electricians can also lay out wiring systems and layout the routing of