Shop Smart for Halloween With These Online Tips
Each year Halloween gets more popular and is now widely embraced and celebrated in other countries. But nowhere is Halloween more celebrated than in the U.S., especially on college campuses like Stanford University, where special events are planned well in advance to give students more than their fair share of activities to indulge in aside from trick-or-treating.
College students in particular have always enjoyed upping the ante when it comes to throwing parties and showing off unique, creative and trendy costumes. From ghoulish and grisly to the grown and sexy, the options to choose from are endless.
Of course shopping for anything on a student budget can be challenging. The run-of-the-mill costume stores that set up shop in cities all over prior to Halloween have the most popular costumes but the price tag can run up as high as $50-70. Add in accessories and a student could easily end up spending $100 or more. Because these costume stores are only in business temporarily, they often have strict return policies or may only allow exchanges or store credit.
Taking the costume search online is one of the most effective and affordable options available to college students who don’t have a lot of money to spend. Online retailers like www.halloweencostumedepot.com offer a huge range of selections at competitive prices. With the tips below, any student can enjoy Halloween without worrying about how much they spent on their costume:
Security First
Popular holidays like Halloween are a time when many people jump online to do shopping, which is great but can also make students an unsuspecting target for hackers trying to steal or access financial information during the payment process.
When looking for an online Halloween costume store, search for signs that the website is committed to protecting customer information. Examples include a VeriSign Trusted seal/logo displayed on the website and the “https” prefix in the address bar when it comes time to make a purchase. These are good signs that any personal and financial info entered on the site will be protected and encrypted.
Stick to websites that have been in business for a while and have an established online presence, such as a blog, social media profiles, etc.
Look for Sale Items
Not all Halloween costumes online are cheap. But the best way to find something within a student’s price range is to search on the site for any sales or special discounts. Most online retailers have an entire section devoted to the items currently on sale.
It also helps to find out which costumes offer free shipping or other perks for first time shoppers.
Read the Fine Print
Before paying for a costume online, browse through the website and read through the company’s policy related to returns, exchanges and refunds. If they offer several contact methods (i.e. toll free number, live chat, email address) that is also a good sign in the event that there is a problem with an order that needs to be addressed.