As a busy mom who is smart with her money, you never want to feel like you are throwing away your hard-earned dollars on products that break after one use or don’t do what they claim to in commercials.
From a new car or TV to clothes, toys and health and beauty items, you understand that it is important to look beyond the ads and find a variety of reviews and information to be sure that what you are buying is exactly what you need.
Fortunately, there are a number of clever ways to find customer product reviews. For example, check out the following tips on finding helpful reviews:
Social Media is a Rich Source of Reviews
Many consumers are not shy about voicing their honest opinions—both good and bad—on social media about different companies and products. If you have never been to a local pizza place and want to see what people are saying, try looking the business up on Facebook to see what customers are saying about the prices, delivery service, and that cauliflower crust option. Twitter is also a great place to see what people are saying. If you're interested in a new beauty brand, follow it on Twitter but then also search related hashtags. For example, Amway's Twitter page includes information about the company's products and direct-selling business; the hashtags #AmwayBeauty and #ArtistryBeauty show the company's products in action through the lens of actual buyers.
Movie, Game and App Reviews for Parents, by Parents
If your 13-year-old son is begging you to rent “Deadpool 2” and you are not sure if this Rated R movie would be appropriate, visit Common Sense Media. This site offers honest reviews and tips about current movies that are in the theater, as well as those on DVD. The site also includes reviews of video games and apps. The “What Parents Need to Know” section on every movie offers honest and seemingly unbiased information about the movie—including what types of violence they will see, any drug use, swearing, and positive messages. If you watch a lot of movies both in the theater and on streaming or rental services, bookmarking this site and referring to it often will help you find great stuff to watch and avoid wasting your money on bad movies that you turn off after about 20 minutes.
Check out Amazon
Let’s say that you need a new printer for your home office. You know that there are dozens of choices, and you want to not only find one that is budget-friendly but also has stood the test of time with consumers. Amazon is a terrific place to find all sorts of information about zillions (well, maybe more like well over 100,000) of printers. By searching “printers” you will see pages of available printers as well as their ratings on a scale of 5 stars and now many reviews each printer has so far. Of course, you can narrow down your search by a specific company or style of printer, but to start your research you might want to click on printers that have a decent number of reviews and avoid those with low ratings. As you read the reviews, mentally toss those that complain about the size of the packing box—unless that is important to you—and hone in on the reviews that offer information on the device's compatibility, reliability, shape and size, etc.
It is reassuring to know that there are a number of useful and effective ways to find reviews of all sorts of products, and that you don’t have to spend hours searching and reading for information. With the help of social media and consumer review sites, you can rest assured that you are doing adequate research before purchasing and are spending your money on the cream of the crop.
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