Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 28, 1993                   TAG: 9311240291
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: F-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DON'T DRINK AND SHOP

"If you have a few drinks at a party, go home, not to the mall," Yudofsky said.

Other ways he suggests to avoid impulse buying:

Make a list.

Allow a specific amount of time for shopping and shop well in advance of any deadlines.

Leave credit cards at home. "Spending cash makes the purchase seem more real than using plastic," Yudofsky said.

What does it cost?

Prices are likely to be a major factor in holiday spending this year, according to a survey by Arthur Anderson, a national accounting firm.

Of the consumers it surveyed, 38 percent cited pricing as the most important factor in determining where to shop.

It's a common sentiment that few merchants can ignore. FAO Schwarz, the international toy retailer, for instance, said 70 percent of all its merchandise this holiday is priced at $50 or less and the average item in its stores costs $26.

"We're simply trying to offer more affordable products," said John Eyler, the toy store's chief executive and president.

More ads

Sears, Roebuck & Co., the nation's second largest retailer, said it will spend 15 percent more this year than in 1992 on advertising and other promotions. The campaign theme, "Home For The Holidays," will include more than 60 new television ads, newspaper ads and circulars, and in-store posters. It is intended to yield two billion more advertising "impressions" than Sears holiday campaign in 1992.

Zillions of tips

Don't judge a product by great packaging. Try out a friend's toy or game before buying. Get a boy's mountain bicycle regardless of whether the recipient is a girl or boy, because the extra bar makes the bike sturdier.

Those are a few shopping tips in a coming special from Consumer Reports Television called "Zillions TV: A Kid's Guide to Toys and Games."

The half-hour show features tests on everything from boom boxes to mountain bicycles and will be broadcast on PBS in December.

The show uses easy-to-understand product-testing methods to help youngsters 6 to 13 and their parents make smart purchases.

Think twice before you buy the trendiest walkie-talkie models, which are licensed under names such as Batman or Jurassic Park.

Tests on the Zillions program by kids on opposite ends of a football field showed that walkie-talkies that look good on the outside did not perform best. For example, the Fisher-Price walkie-talkies trounced the competition, which surprised the kids.

They thought Fisher-Price would be suitable only for very young children and would not be up to their standards.

And know what you are buying. Read the fine print. It might take all afternoon on Christmas to assemble that model airplane.

Children and their families will be able to practice what they've learned from the program by ordering a free Zillions TV activity guide and a list of shopping tips. To order, write: Zillions TV, 101 Truman Ave., Yonkers, N.Y. 10703.