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Health & Fitness

Specialty Stores: The Holiday's Best Kept Secrets

We all know about the big box store and the malls, but how many of us have discovered the smaller specialty store? If you want the best deals, a smaller store is a better choice than the big box.

A quick drive down North Point Parkway or a walk through the North Point Mall will make it clear to anyone who has eyes that the big box stores are doing quite well this holiday season.  Despite a relatively slow economy, people are shopping and parking lots are full.  Most shoppers assume they are getting the best deals at the bigger stores, yet if they were to venture beyond the major shopping centers, they might find not only a better deal, but a level of service they never thought existed.

Smaller specialty stores are not bound by corporate policies, thus they can often offer even better bargains than the big box stores.  Pricing is usually quite competitive and the quality of products is almost certain to be better than what one would find in the big stores.  Want a really high quality stroller or other baby item?  Going to a big box store will get you more of the same old stuff, but a specialty store will carry products and manufacturers that you might not have known existed and a quality that you thought disappeared long ago.  

Beyond the selection and the freedom to offer sales that a big corporate store can't do, the specialty store also offers a level of service and knowledge that just isn't found at a big superstore.  It comes down to a matter of the amateur who is collecting a paycheck verses a professional who has made this their life.  If you were looking for a car seat, for instance, wouldn't you rather get advice from an expert rather than someone who is just working their way through college?  If it was my child's life, I'd rather talk to the expert.  

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So this holiday season, and even during the next year, take some time to check out the smaller, independent stores.  They may not be as easy to find and they certainly don't have the advertising budget of the big box store, but in virtually every other way, you will find them a superior shopping experience.  

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