![\"ShopSmart](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/ShopSmart-logo.jpg\" "\\"ShopSmart"){kind=logo}
Yonkers, NY<\/strong> – Finding the perfect purse can be tricky. According to a new national poll from ShopSmart, roughly half of women said they had a hard time shopping for a handbag. But that doesn\u2019t stop them from stocking up\u2014women said they owned 10 bags on average, and one in 10 fessed up to having more than 20.<\/p>\nOn \u201csplurge\u201d bags, women spend an average of $148.00. And names matter?about a quarter of respondents said they bought a bag because it was a certain brand.<\/p>\n
\u201cFalling in love with a bag doesn\u2019t always end well. If you love it, but you don\u2019t love using it\u2014you can end up carrying around that mistake for months,\u201d said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. \u201cWe have some tips that can help you avoid some common bag blunders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The October 2012 issue of ShopSmart, from Consumer Reports, shares secrets to smart handbag shopping including where to snag the best deals, must-have features, tips for keeping bags looking new and four things to never put in a handbag.<\/p>\n
Where to Shop for Handbags<\/h3>\n
Zappos, eBags, 6PM, Piperlime, and Overstock are great for selection, deals, shipping and returns. Popular retailers like Macy\u2019s, Coach, Banana Republic and Cole Haan have great go-to-sites for classic styles at occasionally impossible-to-resist sale prices. Here are some other great sites for snagging bag deals:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Handbagheaven.com<\/strong> is best for bargains. Shoppers will find more than 500 bags priced at $10.00 to $85.00 here. Shipping is free on orders of $50.00 and up.<\/li>\n
- Shopstyle.com<\/strong> is a great site for tracking sales. This fashion search engine does a sweep of the Web\u2019s biggest retailers, making it easy to find the bag of your dreams at the right price. ShopSmart found a $69.00 Limited shoulder bag marked down to $16.00 and a $1,485 Jil Sander bag reduced to $297.00.<\/li>\n
- Yoox.com<\/strong> offers a huge selection of discounted high-end bags. Act fast on this site because the inventory changes fast. Hit the sale section for the deepest discounts (up to 70 percent off) on names like Marni and Marc Jacobs. ShopSmart spotted Diesel fabric and leather bags marked down to less than $100.00 and a $450.00 Moschino for $270.00.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Four Things to Never Put in a Handbag<\/h3>\n
To preserve the condition of your handbag, ShopSmart has identified four things to avoid putting in your bag as they can cause some serious damage.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Sharp objects.<\/strong> Nail files, scissors, or uncapped pens can tear a lining.<\/li>\n
- Loose makeup and liquids, including hand sanitizer.<\/strong> Keep them in a separate plastic bag to prevent leaks.<\/li>\n
- Anything smelly (gym clothes, a sandwich).<\/strong> Odors can linger.<\/li>\n
- Spare flats.<\/strong> They should always be kept in a shoe bag to protect the rest of the contents from their dirty soles.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
About Consumer Reports<\/h3>\n
<\/strong>
![\"Consumer](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/consumerreports-200x76.jpg\" "\\"Consumer")
Consumer Reports is the world\u2019s largest independent product-testing organization. Using its more than 50 labs, auto test center, and survey research center, the nonprofit rates thousands of products and services annually. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has over 8 million subscribers to its magazine, website, and other publications. Its advocacy division, Consumers Union, works for health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other consumer issues in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace.<\/p>\nAbout ShopSmart Magazine<\/h3>\n
![\"ShopSmart\"](\"http:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/ShopSmart-logo-200x37.jpg\" "\\"ShopSmart\\"")
Launched in Fall 2006 by Consumer Reports, ShopSmart draws upon the publication\u2019s celebrated tradition of accepting no advertisements and providing unbiased product reviews. ShopSmart features product reviews, shopping tips on how to get the most out of products and \u201cbest of the best\u201d lists. It\u2019s ideal for busy shoppers who place a premium on time. ShopSmart has a newsstand price of $4.99 and is available nationwide at major retailers including Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Borders, Kroger, Safeway and Publix. ShopSmart is available by subscription at www.ShopSmartmag.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New poll finds half of American women have a hard time shopping for bags Yonkers, NY – Finding the perfect purse can be tricky. According to a new national poll from ShopSmart, roughly half of women said they had a hard time shopping for a handbag. But that doesn\u2019t stop them from stocking up\u2014women said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[7280,5172,5171,7281,678,7279,7278,687,5224,7251,1925,2495,3365,2565],"class_list":["post-6024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","tag-4pm","tag-banana-republic","tag-coach","tag-cole-haan","tag-consumer-reports","tag-ebags","tag-handbag","tag-macys","tag-overstock","tag-piperlime","tag-shopping","tag-shopsmart","tag-yonkers-ny","tag-zappos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6024"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6026,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6024\/revisions\/6026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Loose makeup and liquids, including hand sanitizer.<\/strong> Keep them in a separate plastic bag to prevent leaks.<\/li>\n
- Shopstyle.com<\/strong> is a great site for tracking sales. This fashion search engine does a sweep of the Web\u2019s biggest retailers, making it easy to find the bag of your dreams at the right price. ShopSmart found a $69.00 Limited shoulder bag marked down to $16.00 and a $1,485 Jil Sander bag reduced to $297.00.<\/li>\n