Looking for the best deals before your next trip to Kohl’s? We’ve identified some of the best product categories that you can find on sale at Kohl’s as well as some of the worst that you will want to avoid. These picks are based on average discounts as well as the potential for additional coupons used in the transaction.

Five Best:

1. Small Kitchen Appliances (Magic Bullet, Waffle Makers, Keurig)

More focused with online sales rather than in-store savings, this is the product category we on sale most often on Ben’s. Kohl’s typically offers greater discounts than other retailers.

Look to stack coupons on these items and add bonus savings with a rebate (Example: 20% off any order coupon + $10 off $30 or more Home coupon + a $20 rebate.)

2. Towels, Bedding, Rugs, Linens, General Home Decor

Look for the best sales on Kohl’s store brand products, then combine those sales with stacked coupons with dollar-off codes on the Home category.

Consider purchasing multiple items to reach the dollar-off coupon minimums. (Example, a recent deal offered 16 of Kohl’s “Big One” bath towels for $36 using stacking coupons; just over $2 per towel.)

3. Outdoor Kids’ Items (Mini-Pools, Inflatable Water Parks)

Similar to small kitchen appliances, these deals are more plentiful online rather than in-store. Look for the bonus addition of Kohl’s Cash on the higher-priced items, ideal for your next trip to Kohl’s.

4. Adult Apparel (Logo t-shirts, Work Clothes)

While we recommend avoiding adult apparel at regular retail prices, the savings in the clearance section when combined with coupons is tremendous.

Specifically, look for the best deals on men’s graphic t-shirts, Dockers slacks and Big & Tall sizes for men as well as women’s underwear / lingerie.

5. Apparel Accessories (Purses, Sterling Jewelry, Gloves)

As long as you aren’t a brand snob, Kohl’s offers excellent prices on quality purses and gloves (often made from real leather). You are also going to find more aggressive sales on sterling silver jewelry when compared to competitors like Macy’s or JC Penney.

Five Worst:

1. Kid’s Toys / Apparel

Unfortunately, Kohl’s is one of the worst retailers to find a significant discount on toys. Retail prices are inflated on toys; thus coupons don’t have much of an impact. Look to Target and Walmart for better deals in-store as well as Amazon for online deals.

The same advice applies to children’s apparel as the base MSRP starts too high for solid sales. For example, Kohl’s sell Carter’s brand of baby and toddler clothing. You are better off going directly to Carter’s for significantly cheaper prices during sale periods.

2. Electronics (TVs and Small Electronics)

Likely an attempt to become more relevant around the Black Friday shopping period, Kohl’s does carry some electronics. Unfortunately, the quality of the off-brand TV models is poor and Kohl’s doesn’t often allow coupons on other small electronics. Prices are usually better at any number of electronic retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon.

3. Shoes

While Kohl’s occasionally offers decent sale prices on lower-end Nike sneakers, these cheaper models are usually poorer quality than models that can be found in a specialized shoe store.

In addition, other brands that Kohl’s carries are lacking in quality. You are typically better off shopping at retailers like Nordstrom Rack and 6pm.

4. Furniture

Retail prices on Kohl’s furniture offerings are usually too high for coupons to have a significant impact on dropping the cost for the consumer. In addition, shipping charges are exorbitant on oversized items, pushing the price tag up even more. Alternatively, look to retailers like Target, IKEA and Walmart for better prices on furniture that’s of similar quality.

5. Wrapping paper, Greeting Cards, Gift Bags

In general, it’s never a good idea to purchase these items at retailers like Kohl’s. You will be paying a premium for these items simply due to the convenience. As long as you have time, hit up a dollar store for significantly better prices.

Check out our latest Deals from Kohl’s

Five Best & Five Worst Things to Buy at Kohl’s

It seems like the school year starts sooner every year. With tax holidays, sales flyers and special promotions to keep track of, it’s tough to make sure you’re saving money when filling up your shopping basket with back-to-school clothes, electronics and more. Be sure to check out the main Ben’s Bargains deal feed updated multiple times daily with the latest back-to-school deals for the new school year.

With nearly two decades of experience under our belt, we have seen countless back-to-school sales and promotions. In order to give you an accurate forecast on when you will be able to get the best deals on back-to-school shopping, we compiled historical data on all back-to-school sales and deals.

Specifically, we looked at the popularity of each deal within our community, the volume of deals within a product category and the average price of those deals. On a monthly basis, our data set included between 4,100 to 4,400 deals. That’s approximately 17,000 deals over the four-month period between July and October.

While we have provided a handy guide below to help figure out when to start shopping for  back-to-school products, here are a few of the highlights:

1. When shopping for back-to-school clothing and shoes, there’s no better month than August. Specifically, prices of apparel deals are about 18 percent lower than September and October. Shoes are discounted at an even larger margin, approximately 30 percent cheaper than waiting until September or October.

2. If you can wait until early October to purchase a new laptop for your student, you will end up saving nearly 10 percent over prices in July and August. Obviously, waiting until the Black Friday shopping period would offer even greater savings, but your student would be without a laptop until the end of November. Keep an eye on Amazon, Newegg, Dell, HP and Lenovo for the best deals.

3. Mid to late September is the best time to purchase mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and eReaders. Many manufacturers introduce new models prior to the fourth quarter, thus previous generation models are heavily discounted. Smartphones are a particularly good buy during September at Best Buy and Amazon, about 15 percent less than other back-to-school shopping months.

4. If you’re outfitting a dorm room or college apartment with home theater gear like televisions, headphones, media players or speakers, September is your best best. However, if you need furniture, kitchen appliances or tools for that first place away from home, it’s best to wait until October in order to save the most money. Of course, your college student will have to get by on cheap Craigslist couches and a handheld can opener until then.

Ben’s Bargains Back-to-School Shopping Guide

(Click to expand)

6 More Back-to-School Shopping Tips

1. Take an inventory of what you already have. There’s no reason to purchase a duplicate of something that you purchased last year, as long as it’s still useful. For example, with computers, look to upgrade your current hardware over purchasing an entirely new laptop or desktop computer. Simply adding an SSD hard drive or more RAM can significantly boost the performance of your computer without breaking the bank. Simple tutorials for both upgrades can be found on YouTube.

Regarding basic school supplies, set up a central location within the home to collect and store all supplies. This will help you see what you have and restock as the school year progresses. Watch for major back-to-school sales at Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples during the first half of August.

2. Figure out what you shouldn’t buy. Put yourself in the shoes of your student. Do they really need a printer or can they print off their assignments in a computer lab? Do they really need a USB flash drive or can they simply use a service like Dropbox to share data between computers? Are the majority of school assignments going to be submitted digitally? If so, reduce the portion of your budget dedicated to office supplies.

3. Don’t pay sales tax if you don’t have to. Be sure to check out the list of 2018 sales tax holidays to see if your state participates. While mostly offered in Southern states, some states offer huge savings for families. For instance, South Carolina has no cap on back-to-school purchases that qualify for the no sales tax benefit.

4. Team up with other families for bulk purchases. Reach out to other families within your school’s community and talk about purchasing school supplies in bulk. Many times, warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco will offer great deals, but the quantity is too big for the traditional family. Joining forces with another family can cut down the cost even more and allow you to split up the supplies.

5. College students should investigate textbook rentals. Textbook rentals are extremely helpful in order to avoid insane textbook prices at the college bookstore. While the go-to retailer is Amazon for physical textbook rentals, be sure to check out the Google Play store if your student has an Android device and wants to rent a digital textbook. Chegg is also an option.

6. For big ticket items, set up a deal alert. If you are shopping for something expensive like a laptop, let us do the work for you with a deal alert and send you an email notification when something hits your price point. With the 17,000+ deals we publish during the back-to-school period, we can definitely help you save money this year. You can also take a quick look at the main Ben’s Bargains deal feed to see the best deals on any given day.

The Best Time to Find Amazing Back-To-School Deals

Yet another holiday season has passed and many Americans have a new stack of gift cards to spend during post-holiday sales or throughout the year. For 2021, the average shopper spent about $200 on gift cards over the holiday season. that’s roughly a  five percent increase from 2020.

But what do you do with all those gift cards? Read on to find out:

Gift Card Basics

According to a Ben’s Bargains Gift Card Study of approximately 2,300 online shoppers, over 70 percent of the respondents received at least one gift card during the holiday season. In addition, more than a third of respondents received three or more gift cards during the holiday season.

After you receive a gift card, there are a number of simple steps you should take in order to properly manage your newly received gift.

1. Make a copy. If you are prone to misplacing gift cards, make a copy if you have a scanner / printer. If you do not have that hardware on hand, simply write down the gift card number and issuer’s toll-free number on a piece of paper. You could also take a photo of the card if you have a digital camera or smartphone. If for any reason that the card is lost, you will have a record in order to complete a purchase.
2. Read the terms and conditions. Not always found on the actual gift card, the terms and conditions outline restrictions, usage fees, expiration dates and time decay rate on the card. While many major retailers are lenient on these restrictions, major issuers of cash cards (American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa) can charge a fee for use after an expiration date on the actual card.
3. Check the balance before going shopping. The vast majority of retailers have online tools that allow gift card owners to check the balance of their card. In addition, the company will include a toll free number to check the same information. I like to check balances every few months, mostly because it acts as a reminder to utilize the card for purchases.

Managing Several Gift Cards

Another interesting fact from our recent study: over 45 percent of the respondents have lost a gift card at least once and nearly one fourth of all respondents have lost gift cards on multiple occasions. Regarding monetary value, approximately 40 percent of the respondents received gift cards this year totaling at least $100 and 10 percent breaking $250 in total value.

With such a large volume of cards being given each year, here are a few tips to help you better manage large quantities of gift cards:

1. Register your gift card. Usually a feature found on an online retail site, you can log into your account and apply the gift card immediately instead of waiting for a purchase. This is an ideal way to get the gift card ready for use without actually using it. If the card is limited to a brick & mortar location, it’s possible that the retailer could still allow you to register the card in case of theft or loss.
2. Turn multiple cards into one card. Some retailers offer gift card transfer options, specifically those that are limited to brick & mortar locations like restaurants. Starbucks, for instance, will allow you to transfer balances between gift cards as long as you have the gift card number and the security number (usually has to be scratched to be viewed). This is ideal if you received multiple gift cards for the same store, but don’t want to carry around all of them.
3. Look into smartphone app storage. There is an app available for both iOS and Android called Gyft. This application will allow you to store all your gift cards in one place, your smartphone. Rather than carrying all those cards around in your wallet or purse, the card information will be brought up on screen for use in a store. In turn, cards uploaded to Gyft can be added to Apple’s Passbook application for easy access with other cards like rewards cards.

What to do with Unwanted Gift Cards

When we asked our users about what gifts they dislike receiving each year, over 20 percent of respondents said that they do not like receiving gift cards. It’s likely that some people simply don’t like the impersonal nature of gift cards and others aren’t interested in the retailer. Of course, there are plenty of ways to get rid of gift cards in order to get something you actually want. Here are some ideas:

1. Sell your gift cards. In addition to auction sites like eBay, there are sites specifically dedicated to purchasing gift cards and are somewhat easier to deal with than the auction process. Utilizing sites like Raise and GiftCardGranny, you can sell your gift card for 50 to 90 percent of the total gift card value very quickly. People that use these services are typically paid cash through a Paypal transaction. However, be aware that eBay auctions are typically between 80 to 95 percent of the value of the card, but you will have to deal with additional eBay fees.
2. Donate your gift cards. If you simply don’t need the gift cards or the cash value, consider donating the cards through a service like DonorsChoose or your favorite local charity. Many nonprofits will accept gift cards in order to pay for needed items, like clothing or food for a homeless shelter. Think of it as a more honorable form of regifting. These donations are also tax-deductible, assuming you itemize those deductions during tax time.
3. Convert your gift cards. Interestingly, some retail establishments will allow you to convert your unwanted gift cards into reward points, airline miles or other gift cards. For instance, CVS allows you to convert another retailer’s gift card into a CVS gift card. The same goes for United airline miles and Best Buy reward points. If you received one of those prepaid Visa or MasterCard gift cards, a Reddit user discovered you can convert it into Google Wallet funds and use a physical Google Wallet card to withdraw those funds from an ATM.

The Complete Guide for Managing Your Gift Cards (so you don’t lose them)

We’ve put together a short list of the best categories of products to find on sale during the Memorial Day weekend promotions as well as the product categories you should avoid until another month. Check it out:

What to Buy? Appliances: If you are in the market for a new refrigerator or washer/dryer set, Memorial Day sales won’t disappoint. You will see sales up to 30% early in May, accelerating up to 40% by Memorial Day weekend. You will also find stacked discounts when purchasing multiple appliances, ideal for anyone doing a kitchen renovation. Look to Home Depot, Lowes and Best Buy for excellent sales as well as deals on refurbished appliances at stores like Sears Outlet.

What to Avoid? Gas Grills: If you are in desperate need of a grill, you can find discounts on gas grills ranging 20% to 30% during Memorial Day sales. However, that’s nothing compared to the sales when the summer season draws to a close in late-August. If you can wait, you will be rewarded with grills sales that are 40% to 75% off MSRP.

What to Buy? Traditional Mattresses: This is a fantastic month to save money on a traditional mattress and improve the quality of your sleep. You will see sales on traditional mattresses ranging from 40% up to 80% on Memorial Day at retailers such as Sears, Overstock.com, Macy’s and smaller mattress retailers. You will also find solid sales at specialty stores like Sleep Number.

What to Avoid? Online Mattress-in-a-box Retailers: There are some fantastic brands in this space like Brooklyn Bedding, Purple and Casper. However, the peak discount periods for these companies are typically the same time as peak online shopping periods, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. You would be much better off waiting to see the discounts in July and November on these mattress brands.

What to Buy? Spring / Winter Clothing Lines: You will find discounts ranging from 50% to 70% on Spring clothing lines from retailers sure as 6pm, Sierra Trading Company, Old Navy, Nordstrom Rack, Macy’s, Target, REI Outlet and other clothing retailers. It’s also a great time to get a deal on next year’s winter coat (60% to 80% off) at closeout prices at Columbia, eBay, Macy’s, and Mountain Hardwear. Look for bonus apparel deals for Memorial Day shoppers such as coupons in store flyers or freebies like tote bags.

What to Avoid? Summer Clothing Lines: These clothing lines have just been released and won’t have much more than a 20% to 40% discount off the retail price during Memorial Day sales. Swimwear will be much cheaper toward the end of the summer as well accessories like sandals and beachwear.

What to Buy? Tools: While Black Friday traditionally has the best discounts on hand and power tools, Memorial Day isn’t far behind. Look to retailers like Home Depot and Lowes to push sales on power tool combo kits as well as hand tool sets, as much as 40% off retail prices.

What to Avoid? General Electronics: Unlike tools, Memorial Day is an extremely poor holiday for deals on laptops, televisions and anything made by Apple. Laptops will go on sale in late July / early August with back-to-school sales, televisions will go on sale as the college football and NFL seasons start, then prices will drop even more in November around Black Friday. As for Apple, look to September for iPhone discounts and November for MacBook discounts. November is also good for Samsung discounts, both smartphones and televisions.

What to Buy? Camping Gear / Hiking Sneakers: If you really want to burn some calories, how about hiking up a trail and camping out for a night? May is the absolute best time to find sales on camping equipment, usually ranging from 30% to 70% depending on the product. We are also seeing amazing sales on Nike gear from stores like Finish Line and general sneaker sales on eBay.

What to Avoid? Fitness / Workout Equipment: While it might be too late to start getting in shape for the beach, it’s still a bit too early to find discounts on fitness gear. June is a great month to find discounts on last year’s fitness equipment since big-box and fitness retailers will be clearing out old inventory.

TIP: Here’s our roundup of all Memorial Day Sales this year. LINK. We will continue to update this list throughout the sale period.

What to Buy (and what to avoid) on Memorial Day 2021

During the late afternoon on May 10, Amazon removed the vast majority of product listings for electronics accessory companies like Aukey, MPow and Tomtop. This action comes roughly a month before Prime Day, typically quite profitable for Chinese sellers like Aukey.

It’s likely this is due to a system for fake reviews that these companies implemented in order to inflate their position within Amazon’s sales listings. More than 13 million of these types of reviews were uncovered by the folks at SafetyDetective.

To begin, the seller would send a list of products out that they want 5-star reviews on. People participating in the scam would buy the product, leave a five star review, submit the proof of the review to the seller and receive money back for the cost of the product via sites like PayPal. The person writing the fake review would get to keep the product for free.

The massive 7GB of data includes information like email addresses and phone numbers for the sellers as well as personal data for more than 75,000 Amazon “reviewers” who are getting paid for their services. This means Amazon can remove sellers as well as use identifying information to ban the fake reviewers from the system and delete all reviews.

Amazon released a statement about the removal of these brands:

We work hard to build a great experience for our customers and sellers and take action to protect them from those that threaten their experience in our store. We have systems and processes to detect suspicious behavior and we have teams that investigate and take action quickly.

We have long-standing policies to protect the integrity of our store, including product authenticity, genuine reviews, and products meeting the expectations of our customers. We take swift action against those that violate them, including suspending or removing selling privileges. We take this responsibility seriously, monitor our decision accuracy and maintain a high bar.

You can avoid products on Amazon with fake reviews by looking for specific signs. For instance:

• Check the reviewer’s account on Amazon. If they consistently leave a specific type of review, say 5-stars on a specific brand, that’s a fake reviewer. The same advice goes for repeated negative reviews.
• Sort reviews by date and look to see if a large batch arrived within days of each other. It’s highly unlikely that tons of people all decided to submit a review at the same time.
• Check the length of the reviews. If there’s a large volume of high-star, 2 sentence reviews, it’s probably a batch of fake, paid reviews.
• Look for unspecific language. Many of these fake reviews come off as advertisements rather than an actual judgement of the product’s viability.
• Be wary of unknown brands. If you haven’t heard of it and it’s appearing in Amazon’s top search listings, it’s possible the reviews have been inflated to push it up the charts.
• Use the report button. If you think you have spotted a fake review on Amazon, use the report button and refer the review for review by Amazon’s internal teams.

Amazon bans Aukey, Mpow from site for fake, paid reviews

On today’s Q1 earnings call, Amazon management confirmed that the company will shift the traditional Prime Day date from early July to an undetermined date during Q2 2021 (April through June). By moving away from July, Amazon avoids competing with the attention given to families traveling on summer vacations as well as the 2021 summer Olympics (which starts during late July).

Based on earlier rumors, it’s possible that Amazon will hold a second Prime Day during October 2021 in an attempt to replicate the success of 2020 Prime Day (pushed from July to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Of course, that may end up hurting Amazon if a second Prime Day ends up impacting sales during Black Friday in late November.

The official announcement of Prime Day’s exact date typically occurs within two weeks of the actual launch. Expect to see a press release during late May 2021 detailing the exact date and what items will be on sale. You can expect significant discounts on Amazon products such as Echo devices, Fire TV streaming sticks, tablets and Kindles.

Amazon has profited significantly during the COVID pandemic due to a shift from in-store shopping to online shopping. Amazon sales shot up 44% during Q1 2021 ($108.5 billion) and the total number of Amazon Prime subscribers crossed over 200 million. Prime is still priced at $119-per-year and recently turned 10 years old.

Amazon Prime Day is officially scheduled for Q2 2021, likely June.

With more consumers relying on online shopping rather than making numerous trips to retail stores, the number of people scouring neighborhoods looking to steal packages has increased as well.

To help you safeguard your packages, we’ve complied a collection of tips that will make sure thieves miss out on whatever you just ordered; be it a brand new iPhone X or just a four pound bag of delicious Rolos.

Install a Video Doorbell

There are a handful of video doorbell companies out there (August, Next, SkyBell), but the most popular one seems to be Ring. Ring was also purchased by Amazon recently, making them the go-to smart doorbell for anyone that’s invested in Alexa ecosystem.

When purchasing a video doorbell, you want to check stats like field of view (how large the angle is when recording), motion detection, night vision and resolution. Video doorbells allow you to speak to the person outside your home, ideal if you want to make them think you are there (thus scaring them away).

Use a Front Porch Lock-Box

There’s a new product hitting the market called BoxLock Home. It’s basically a padlock with a bar code scanner built-in. The delivery person scans your tracking number using the BoxLock and the lock disengages. They pop your package into a lockbox (size of your choosing) and relock the device.

You get a notification that the package has been delivered. The downside is that the lock has to be continuously recharged, usually once a month depending on use. There’s also no guarantee that the delivery person will take the time to use it since it’s more time consuming than just dropping off the package and walking away.

Stack it on the Package Guard

Another experimental product to potentially safeguard your deliveries is the Package Guard. Roughly the size of a Frisbee, the Package Guard fires off a notification the moment a package is stacked on it. It’s connected to your Wi-Fi and can be securely fastened to your porch.

If a thief removed a package from the device, a loud, piercing 100db alarm will sound unless the package is returned to the pad. Additional packages can be stacked on the pad as well, assuming you have multiple deliveries that day.

Install Front Yard / Front Door Cameras

Some thieves will be dissuaded if they spot cameras while considering taking a stroll up to your front door. There are tons of options, everything from a single bullet cam mounted over your front door to complex 8-camera systems with DVR capabilities recording days of footage.

If your HOA is going to get angry about ugly cameras mounted on your home, consider installing Maximus outdoor lights. Each Maximus light comes with a built in 720p security camera, two way intercom, 100 dB alarm siren, & smart light control via Alexa. It’s not an obvious camera to the thief, but at least you will have security footage to supply to the police.

Use Smart Package Lockers

Similar to just redirecting packages from your home to your work, you can also redirect them to lockers specifically designed to hold your packages (like a P.O. box). If these are convent to your area (check here), you can have your Amazon boxes delivered there at no additional cost.

You will typically find these locker locations at gas stations and convenience stores like 7-Eleven. These lockers are also becoming popular on college campuses, ideal for the student living in a dorm.

Consider using Amazon Key

If you have already had a package stolen, Amazon Key is a new option that lets delivery drivers into your home via smart locks, while being monitored by security cameras. Rather than leaving the package on your porch, the delivery person pops open the front door, drops off the package and leaves. Amazon is also offering another option for leaving deliveries in trunks of compatible smart cars.

Of course, this is an entirely different type of risk; allowing someone you’ve never met inside your home. It’s also not a great idea for any home with pets, as cats will dart out the door to freedom and dogs will chase the delivery person away. Both scenarios in which your pet can become lost in the neighborhood.

Add a Front Yard Security Sign

Even just a sign that states a home is protected by security could scare away pesky package thieves. While there are a ton of options, there aren’t many that light up at night. The Ring security sign uses built-in solar panels to power up during the day and stay lit all night; ideal for scaring away night-time prowlers. It’s also weather resistant.

Switch to Signature Delivery Only

While certainly not convenient if you are away from home quite a bit, companies like UPS and FedEx have let consumers decide if signatures are specifically required at your address. UPS’s My Choice, for instance, lets you choose options for each delivery. Ideal if you want to make sure an expensive package isn’t swiped post-delivery.

Utilize Delivery Notifications

There are plenty of apps that can send a notification to your mobile device when a package is delivered. If you work from home or simply have the flexibility to make a quick trip back to the house, removing the package from the front porch immediately post-delivery will keep thieves away since you have nothing to steal.

One of our favorite apps for notifications is Parcel, specifically because you can set it up to scrap your email for tracking numbers. The free version lets you track up to three packages in transit at any given time or you can upgrade for $3-per-year for unlimited tracking.

Make ’em Really Work for It!

If there’s one truth we can all get behind, it’s that most people are inherently lazy. Enter the Porch Pirate Bag, an arguably silly solution that appears to be more frustrating for thieves than anything else. Comprised of a PVC-reinforced nylon bag, a bike lock and what looks like a combination suitcase lock, a delivery driver simply slips your package into the bag and locks it up.

The bike lock slips through your front door handle and the suitcase lock goes through the bag’s zipper. A thief that wants your packages would have to come with bolt cutters, unlikely for someone that just wants an easy score. That would also draw more attention to someone that’s trying to look like a solicitor as well.

Bonus Tip: Monitor Neighbor (app) & NextDoor (social network)

Created by Ring, the iOS & Android app Neighbor just switched from limited to Ring-only users to available for the entire public. Anyone can now use the app to check out videos taken by Ring users, specifically local to your neighborhood (up to a 5 mile radius). Most of the videos in my area included lost dogs, kids playing ding-dong ditch, shady solicitors and, of course, package thieves.

Spotting a package thief on video will help you identify them if you see them roaming in your area. Lots of these types of updates are found on local social network Nextdoor (along with insane posts all cataloged on the Best of NextDoor Twitter account). Local police often post on NextDoor as well, ideal for keeping up to date on property theft in your area.

10 Ways to Deter Thieves from Stealing your Amazon Packages

Going into effect on July 1, online shoppers located in Florida will be paying sales tax on purchases made with companies that don’t have a physical presence in the state. For instance, a purchase on Walmart.com would collect sales tax because the state has plenty of physical Walmart locations in the state.

However, a purchase from a third-party vendor through a portal on Walmart and Amazon wouldn’t necessarily have to collect sales tax if they don’t have a store or warehouse location in the state. Previous to this change, Florida residents were required to self-report sales tax on out-of-state purchases; but the majority of residents ignored this law.

Florida lawmakers estimate they will collect one billion a year in additional taxes due to this change. For the average resident, they will pay an additional $40 to $50 per year in sales tax. Of course, that’s highly dependent on how much online shopping they do. Florida’s sales tax adds an additional 6% to a purchase, plus up to an additional 2.5% based on the county rates.

Florida is attempting to replenish state funds that have been depleted from difficulties from the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida relies heavily on sales tax rather than taxes like property tax, thus funding sources are recovering more slowly than other states.

Florida residents will be paying more taxes on online shopping purchases soon

We have all come home at least once to find an online shopping purchase hidden poorly around our home, if at all. Some delivery drivers are expert ninjas at hiding your packages from would-be thieves, but there are some folks that simply just don’t get it.

There’s probably some sort of motivational poster floating around in UPS and Fedex warehouses that states “When in Doubt, Hide it under the Mat!” With that in mind, here are some of the best hiding fails of your packages:

You are welcome…to steal this package!

Definitely not a Brother laser printer.

Wipe your feet on our packages before you enter.

We like to give our packages a nice hat.

Impossible to spot from the street!

Who wants a new computer case? You’re welcome!

Putting that mat over your grill was a team effort.

This half-moon mat will disguise your tall speakers.

Why bother with the front door when it fits so well?

See-through mats are the best for hiding brightly colored boxes.

What package? This is just a snow shovel.

Surely, package thieves will only take the large box.

This is clearly just another step of concrete.

See-through star mats will protect anything.

Stealthy apartment hiding, just amazing.

The packages are here under my wiener.

The kids built another mat fort again!

Surely these extremely heavy chairs will protect it!

Thanks OfficeMax! I can barely see it now.

Leave! Nothing to see here!

This seems like a artwork sculpture, put a mat on it.

A rug hiding more rugs, what could possibly go wrong?

Thieves will have no idea this is an expensive Bowflex machine.

Making it super easy for thieves to drive and steal.

When in doubt: Pin packages to ground with heavy stones.

When in doubt deux: Hide a package under a mat, then under another package

Hiding packages at eye level is a lost art.

Note to self, buy fake corn for delivery man to use.

Pumpkin welcome signs will hide anything, ANYTHING!

That’s just part of the chair, you sillyhead.

And as a bonus, here’s a few expert level hiding jobs from the true ninjas:

At least thieves will need a ladder.

Not Even Mad. That’s thinking outside the mat, for sure.

30 Times when Delivery Drivers Failed at Hiding Packages

Starting on Thursday, October 22, Lowe’s is launching deals daily, online-only sales on tools, generators, pressure washers, patio sets, electronics, small appliances, floorcare, lighting and more through Wed, December 2. Other promotions include

• Up to $700 off on major appliances totaling $1,999 or more between Nov 19 and December 2.
• Buy one DeWalt 20V Max XR Power Detect Tool, get one bare tool free between Oct 28 and Dec 30.
• Buy one Craftsman V20 Max Battery Kit, get one Bare tool free between Oct 28 and Dec 30.

Details on exactly what will be going on sale starting on Thursday are currently light, but you can check out our Lowe’s-specific deal feed in order to spot the absolute best deals.

In addition to starting online sales earlier than normal, Lowe’s is offering free, fresh Christmas tree delivery starting on October 30. In order to qualify for free delivery, orders must be $45 or more. You can find all the pricing on fresh cut trees here on the Lowe’s site.

Lowe’s announces holiday deals schedule, free Christmas tree delivery