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FIRST-TIME USERS
1. Getting Familiar with WhenUShop
1. Getting Familiar with WhenUShop
You should see the WhenUShop toolbar to the left of your browser. (If it does not open, contact us.) The WhenUShop tool bar is divided into several sections. The two most important for now are the Site Info phone pad and the Find a Site box. Let us first explore the Site Info phone pad. [ back to top ]
2. The Site Info Phone Pad
Each of the buttons in the pad deals with a specific topic: contact, coupons, shipping, returns, etc. Move your cursor over the buttons. The text in the Info Window changes as you move from button to button. This is the Barnes & Noble summary information for each topic.
Sometimes you want more than a summary. To get the full details about any topic for Barnes & Noble, click on the button for that topic. For example, let's check out how much Barnes & Noble charges for shipping—just click the Shipping button. This will take you to a new page in the WhenUShop tool, where you will find everything you need to know about Barnes & Noble's shipping pricing and policy.
When you're done reading the shipping information, use the WhenUShop Back button to get back to the main page of the tool bar. It's the button at the very top of the WhenUShop tool with the blue arrow pointing to the left, marked "Bk". Click it.
You should now be back at the main phone pad page. For practice, try clicking some of the other buttons. Remember to click the "Bk" back button to get back to the main WhenUShop page.
Select button topics:
– Contact: gives you the email address, phone number, customer service hours, average response time for email and phone calls. – Sales Tax: shows where the site charges tax, and the %. You can customize this feature to your state by clicking the Sales Tax button, then clicking the customize link and selecting your state. – Gift Services: describes gift certificate and gift-wrapping options on the site. – Returns: explains the site's return policy, how to make a return, and who pays return shipping. – Privacy & Security: summarizes the site's privacy and security policies. Tells you whether or not a site will share your personal information with others, and gives you a phone number to call if you would rather buy by phone if the site allows. – Site Ratings: tells you how a site fares on Customer Service and On-time Delivery, "thumb's up" or "thumb's down." [ back to top ]
3. Coupons
If you have never used an online coupon before, welcome to a world of unbelievable savings. Click the Coupon button on the main WhenUShop page and you'll see a list of coupons you can use at the shopping site you're visiting.
Some online coupons use special codes, which you'll find listed on the WhenUShop Coupons page. These codes usually consist of letters or numbers, like MVXCSD or HOLIDAY2.
It's very easy to use a coupon code. You just do your shopping as usual, then when you get to the checkout page, there will be a space where you can enter the coupon code. You should see the price of your items automatically adjusted to reflect your discount.
Make sure that you read the terms and conditions of the code before using it or the shopping site will reject the coupon. For example, if the coupon says $20 off a $100 purchase and your purchase is only $90, the coupon will be rejected. Sometimes the coupon also applies to only certain items so please read the code carefully.
A second type of online coupon uses a clickable link instead of a code. To use a clickable coupon, go to the shopping site first (if you're looking at the coupon in the WhenUShop tool, you may already be there!), then click on the coupon link. The discount will automatically be applied to your order when you check out. You should know that in some cases, you won't see the discount until you have partly or even fully completed your order. [ back to top ]
4. Rebates & Rewards
Another great way to save money online is to become a member of a rebate or reward program. WhenUShop tells you whether the shopping site you are visiting is an affiliate of your favorite rebate or reward program and gives the details of the special offer. To get the offer, you usually have to go to your program site to log in, then do your shopping through the program site. This may sound like a hassle, but with rebates of up to 15-20%, it is worth the extra effort.
To join a rebate or reward program, just go to their website and register—it's free and takes just a few minutes. Some of the most popular programs are www.spree.com for rebates, and www.mypoints.com for rewards. [ back to top ]
5. Compare Prices and Shop By Product
These two buttons are especially helpful when you're shopping for a specific item, but don't really care what site you shop at.
The Compare Prices button connects you to a list of price comparison sites that use special price bots to compare prices for specific products across multiple shopping sites on the web. Click on a link if you want to go to the WhenUShop-recommended price comparison site for that product category.
Price comparison sites all work in a similar way. You enter a product name into a text box and press a button. The price bot searches the web and provides a listing of the best prices it found and where.
The Shop By Product button works in a similar way to the Compare Prices button, helping you find a specific product for a great price. The difference is that while the Compare Prices button focuses on the product categories that are sold at the site you happen to be at, the Shop By Product button gives you all product categories on the Internet. [ back to top ]
6. Site Deals
The Site Deals button alerts you to special deals that are negotiated on your behalf by credit card companies or affinity groups like AAA, AARP or Student Advantage. If you're a member of these groups, you've probably seen the flyers about these discounts stuck in your monthly statement—but how often did you remember them when you were actually shopping? With WhenUShop, you'll always be in the know, so you'll get the savings you deserve. [ back to top ]
7. The Find a Site Box
The Find a Site box is located just below the Site Info phone pad. Find a Site allows you to search the WhenUShop database to find shopping sites that sell a certain type of merchandise, that offer free shipping or coupons, and that don't charge sales tax in your state.
Let's try it. First, select the item category using the drop down menu that says "Find a site that sells...". Select Books. Then check the Free Shipping and Coupons boxes. Click the "No tax in" checkbox and then select a state from the drop down menu. Let's select GA for Georgia. When you're done, click GO.
Now you see a list of sites with free shipping, coupons and no taxes in Georgia. If you click on any of the stores listed, you will immediately be taken to the site you selected—and the information in WhenUShop will change to reflect the new site you are visiting. [ back to top ]
8. Minimizing WhenUShop
If at any time you want to minimize WhenUShop, click the X in the upper right corner of the tool. This minimizes WhenUShop to a thin red bar. To open the tool again, just click anywhere on the red bar. Try opening and closing the tool a few times. [ back to top ]
9. Compare Sites Using WhenUShop
One of the most powerful ways to use WhenUShop is to compare different sites. Which site will charge you sales tax? Which has the cheapest shipping options? Are there coupons or other special deals available? With WhenUShop, all this information is accessible without having to go back and forth between the sites, hunting down the information and waiting for page after page to load.
Look near the top of the WhenUShop tool, under the back button, and you'll see two drop down menus, marked "Category:" and "Sites covered by WhenU". By using these two menus, you can look at the WhenUShop information for different sites without navigating to them in your main browser.
For example, if you're at BarnesandNoble.com and want to see if Amazon has any coupons or deals you might be able to use, select "Books" from the Category menu, and then select Amazon. Instantly you'll see the main WhenUShop page for Amazon, where you can check the summary info or click a button to get to the detailed topic pages—but your main browser will still be showing BarnesandNoble.com. If you decide you do want to visit Amazon.com, click on the blue underlined site name near the top of the tool and immediately your main browser will go to Amazon.com. [ back to top ]
10. Killer Deals
This is what we like to call the section of the tool below the Find a Site box. Our team of shopping experts scours the web to find unbelievable deals for the hot items of the moment, then shares them with you. One hint: if you see a deal you're interested in, pounce on it, because the killer deal changes every time you visit a new site!
If you come across a killer deal on the web and would like to share it with other WhenU users, just contact us. [ back to top ]
11. WhenU Challenge
Our team does the utmost to ensure that the information we provide you is up to date and correct. If you find an error in the information we provide—and we do not believe that there are that many to be found—then point it out to us and you'll earn $5. Click the WhenU Challenge box on the tool to participate. [ back to top ] |
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