Emily Living Focus SARAH SIEGEL Clarion Co. Extension Agent Secure Online Shopping The online auction site has a used saxophone that is just right for your teenager playing in the high school jazz band. You want to order a sweater from a company that doesn’t have a store in your area but has a website? You want a book that is not available in your local bookstore but you can get it from an Internet site? How do you know if this is really a good way to shop? A December 30, 1999 article in The New York Times re ported that Internet holiday sales increased 300 percent from the year before. Total online sales for 1999 are estimated to total nearly $4O billion. You can see that this type of shopping -i >i 'lf You Can't Find Won't Find It! RECLINER ' L ' 7 Reg. Ret. PtTTTm 1 f I m 749-9 . f 1 >fA A™* MOVES’- I N° rmal| y B»P' I 5M9-** l SfWVH' 3 - * Closeout C]_44 t Ll4J| Available. 7 ' I .M 79 04 / BOOKCASE/ , , ' CHEST | J -W I Reg. Ret. $299.95 1 ] 1 Our Price $159.95 ,• ' | Closeout , 'SJ I $ 89 95 , fiV'i; if /SECTIONAL SLEEPER \ Loveseat, i Center Console, Side by Side I k Reclmers, Sola . I Factory Liquidation w/Hide-a-Bed [ Reg. Ret. $2,589.95 Special I | Our Cash Price )QAQSB . > 4 DRAWER CHEST ' Pine Finish and Brass Hardware Reg. Ret. $149.95 OUR CASH PRICE HM$ WITH COUPON #2 S 39 04 f BEDROOM SET \ (Bleached Oak) Plus Chest . Reg Ret With Jewelry Case Top 1 IS- s AJEJ' Closeout *B99 9 i CHEST Richly embossed cherry with brsss Reg. Ret. $499.95 fipK Our Price $241.95 ■jsSiy Closeout < 5 129 95 L. * Wsv under wholesaler \ BEDROOM SET [ Reg. Retail $1229.95 I Our Price $449.95 [ _ Cash $399.95 I I'* I ITT Closeout has become a significant pari of our retail environment. How does the consumer pro tect himself or herself in the ab sence of face-to-face contact with the seller? Know the Seller There are a number of issues to consider here. First, what do you know about the seller? Do you have prior experience with the company through in-store purchases or telephone orders? Ask your friends about experi ences they may have had. The Federal Trade Commis sion and The American Bar As sociation suggest that you be sure the seller has a street ad dress (not just a post office box) and a phone number on the web site. A web address can disap- SOFA AND LOVESEAT SET SA/ W y Reg. Ret. $2109.05 Price $809.95 Cash $749.95 Closeout $ 489 M _ „ GLIDER ROCKER Available In Blue, ‘ f \ Beige, Green t- ? • lu Rag. Retail $149.95 nS Cash Price $129.86 JJJui?* tv With Coupon IS- OM . 04 mT* w/Cherry Finished i Panels and Matte Sllver_ Frame Reg. Ret. $529.95! | Our Price $379.95 Closeout $ 189* 5 K^ii ,'armoire 1 Light Oak Finish | Southern Hardw> ■ Reg. Ret. $1029.. Our Price SS49iO& ! Closeout l‘2B9 M ' "lu ■ HOT ITEM! ~ \ I 5 Bedroom In A Boxl. SS i I I _ I iSy _Jr, ■ . =>g ’Sr ! I r~; , i s ' --* l l r 1 Reg. Ret. $969.95 1 ' 1 I I Our Price $499.95 t,| A 4595 i Closeout 19Sl" ; THREE PIECE N END TABLE SET ■ I Special ** ' > 79 » DESK ' Reg. Ret.5229.95 ■ Our Price $129.95 | Closeout I * 1 • I . *49 88 , U | Futon Closeout • In Black & White I • Comes w/ 8” Futon Mattress ■ Reg. Retail 1 $639.95 Cash Price $259.95 I !TMy $ 139 9 S CLOTHES ORGANIZER , Reg. Ret. $459.95 1 ' Our Price $249.95 ! 1 I Closeout i ‘ r S PIECE DINETTE SET CLOSEOUT Solid Oak Table Reg. Price $889.95 OUR PRICE $24995 STYLISH SOFA AND LOVESEAT SET Closeout Reg. Ret.52,239.95 sama9s , Pur Price $949.95 *049 / ' FIVE PIECE DINETTE GREEN/OAK Re^.Ret. Closeout h9P $9995 rh JNDREDS OF OTHER ITEMS! impland Road. Lancaster 397-6241 3019 We are a four store chain not affiliated with any other stores.' Stores In; LANCASTER •YORK • CARLISLE, PA • ELKTDN, MD. STORE HOURS: Mon.-Frl. 9-9 • Sat. 9-6; Sunday 12 to 5 PM •Noßafunda *No Exchange For purchaaat with a chaclt, bring FINANCING #B3BC *NoExchangaa drlvara llcanaa and phooa numbara AVAILABLE • CaahACarry V Not mponwWa ta typographical atrora. Wa raaarva t» riflW to aubaMfcita git Hima pear into cyberspace and leave you with no alternative way of contacting the company. Beware of dealing with compa nies in other countries. You may not have the same rights as you would with a domestic com pany. The website, Bizßate.com, rates e-businesses by asking tens of thousands of customers about their experiences. Questions cover product selection and quality, delivery experience, and privacy policies. The Bizßa te.com service is free to the con sumer, and retailers do not pay to be rated. It is a good way to check out small retailers. Many online auction sites have “feedback” areas where you can find other customers’ experiences with a seller. Gener ally these “feedback” areas are reliable. The Federal Trade Commission has experienced an increase in complaints about online auction fraud. The most common complaint is non-delivery of items pur chased. Other scams include sellers bidding up their own products and fabricating “feed back” information. The FTC is working with auction sites to improve consumer protection. I $9988 Available in Natural Pay Safely Before placing an order, check the security on the seller’s website. Many websites use Secure Sockets Layer technol ogy to encrypt credit card infor mation. If the web address begins with “https” rather than “http,” this technology is in place. A website is also secure if it displays a locked padlock, an unbroken key (Netscape Navi gator), or the icon of a lock on the status bar (Microsoft Inter net Explorer). Buy only from vendors that protect your finan cial information. Paying by credit card is the safest way. Ac cording to federal law, if you have an unauthorized charge on your card, your maximum liabil ity is $5O. If you have used a credit card, you may be able to dispute a seller’s charge if your order does not arrive or if you return an item. Cathy Bowen, Penn State Co operative Extension Professor of Consumer Issues Programming, suggests having a credit card to use exclusively for online shop ping. Should the security of this card be compromised, your other cards will still be available for your use. Having a low credit limit for this card would further reduce your exposure in case of fraudulent use. It is still a hassle to straighten up a credit card mess even if your liability is lim ited to $5O. Protect Your Privacy Consumer Reports magazine advises consumers to check out the web seller’s privacy policy. Web sellers are not currently re quired by law to respect the pri vacy of people who order from their sites. The seller may collect data on the site pages you visit, the products you buy, when you buy them and where you ship them. The seller may then pro vide this information to other marketers. You may then get more junk mail and junk phone calls. If you don’t find a satisfactory pri vacy policy, you might prefer to take your business elsewhere. Keep your personal informa- Wh«re's your mustache? “ TT / —CLOSED SUNDAYS, NEW YEAR, EASTER MONDAY, ASCENSION DAY, WHfT MONDAY, OCT. 11, THANKSGIVING, FH 8 MITVI f CHRISTMAS & DECEMBER 26TH FISHER’S FURNITURE, INC. NEW AND USED FURMTURE USED COAL & WOOD HEATERS COUNTRY FURMTURE & ANTIQUES BUS. HRS. BOX 57 MON.-THURS.&6 1129 GEORGETOWN RD. FW, 96, SAT. 8-12 BAHT, PA 17503 Cut Your Heating Costs With Our • Standard Model Burns Wood, Coal or Wood by-products • Multi-Fuel Model Burns Wood, Coal, Oil or Gas Adapis to any existing heat system Installation & Accessories Available Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 11, 2000-B7 tion private. Don’t disclose your address, phone number, Social Security number, or e-mail ad dress unless you know who is collecting the information, why they are collecting it, and what they plan to do with it. Be espe cially cautious about giving out your Social Security number. There is no reason for a retailer to have this information and you could be exposing yourself to identity theft. If you need to create a pass word to order online, come up with a new one just for that site. Don’t use a password that is the same as the one tied to your bank accounts or credit cards. Make something up; don’t use something that can be reason ably guessed at, such as your birthday or street number. It is best to have a different pass word for every online site. Keep a record of the passwords away from your computer and in somewhat cryptic form. Keep Track of Your Purchases Online shopping is just like any other way of shopping; it in volves real money. Set a budget and stick to it. The lower limit credit card suggested above would have the additional bene fit of keeping you from over spending. Research an item before you buy. Comparison-shop between sites. Remember that shipping and handling are additional costs of buying online and are often substantial. Choose the shipping method that best suits you. Understand the seller’s pro cedures for returns and refunds. Keep printouts of the web pages indicating the seller’s name, postal address, and tele phone number. Also keep prin touts of the item ordered, any confirmation messages, and any other pertinent information. Online shopping appears to be here to stay and probably will become more popular. These tips may seem like a lot to re member, but if you choose to shop online, practice will make them second nature. You’ll be saving yourself time and money while protecting yourself from fraud. MILK Outdoor, Furnace (C (ET vO O &
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers