Savings guru shares advice for shopping online vs in store

(WFSB) - Do you think it is cheaper to shop online, or do you think you save more money going to a store?

Eyewitness News spoke to Clark Howard himself, the savings guru and what he has to say might surprise you.

“So, retailers are facing really high shipping costs this year. Behind the curtain, what they’re having to pay UPS and FedEx is up so much that you’re going to find, if you’re willing to do it, that you’re generally going to find better deals picking them up in person, even if you placed the order online,” said Clark, of Clark.com.

Clark said many people don’t realize stores will make it worth your while to come inside.

“Retailers are going to offer a number of incentives to try to get you to do what the British call ‘click and collect’, where you order online and pickup in person, because then you cut out all that enormous shipping cost that the retailers have. They may call it free shipping, there’s nothing free about it,” said Clark.

“A lot of people will tell me that they feel that they’re spending so much money on their cable and their internet and their phone and their this and their that and some people are cord-cutting. And I’m interested to hear your thoughts on all that,” Eyewitness News said.

“You might be subscribed to this so it’ll get you that for free or at half price or whatever. I’ve switched our streaming services to ad-supported ones. So yeah, my eyeballs have to watch the ads, but all I think about is how much more money is now back in my wallet,” said Clark.

What tips does Clark have for saving at the pump amidst these high gas prices?

“Most people react to gasoline and start looking to fill up when they’re down to a quarter of a tank or less. I want you to become conscientious. When your tank hits half, I want you watching the prices as you drive around. And use the gas price apps, like Gas Buddy and Gas Price Watch,” said Clark.

“And when you are driving around below that half a tank, you see a deal, you stop and that’s when you fill up. You don’t wait until you’re on fumes to fill up because that’s when you’re going to pay too much money for that gas you need that’s so expensive right now,” Clark said.

Clark has some unusual tips on holiday shopping, grocery purchasing, and saving on your cell phone bill. He’ll go in depth on each of these topics in the coming weeks.