Are you ready to begin your holiday shopping? One thing is for sure — mass retailers are. I have been keeping my eyes and ears open lately in hopes of hearing buzz about the latest and greatest products new to the market for the many someone specials on my holiday 2007 shopping list; however, it looks like I may stand alone.

According to a recent article, The National Retail Federation is predicting an all time low in sales since 2002. Due to the weak housing market, consumers are forced to cut back on holiday spending. Lucky for me I am an anal retentive planner who has learned to save for a rainy day. Have you ever put yourself on a savings plan a few months before the holidays?

If you are trying to save on gifts this year, keep your eye out for beauty related marketing tricks and ploys such as:

  • Resist the allure of celebrities, especially the vast amount of celebrity fragrances available and set to launch. Beware of all the glossy posters that are set to appear everywhere this season.
  • Just when you think you've walked off of the cosmetics floor scot free, products may appear again in holiday packaged gift sets in another department. Beauty products appear to cost less in sets, however, this is not always the case.
  • While additional staff is recruited to facilitate lines and crowds, they are also there to aggressively push sales. Don't let their powers of persistence sway you.

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