A PENNY SAVED: ULTIMATE SHOPPER SOURCES<br >AND STRATEGIES<br > A penny saved is more than a penny earned--it s up to a penny and a twenty-<br > seventh， depending on your income tax bracket. I have gathered information<br > on all the different ways that you can spend less and get more (or better). The<br > major sources of good buys and strategies you can use are described here.<br > Mail and Telephone Sources<br > I have listed several kinds of mail and telephone sources， most of which are<br > actually walk-in stores as well. One is the low-price city store. Stores of this<br > kind tend to have small premises in out-of-the-way neighborhoods and are<br > popular with people who don t mind shabbier surroundings and less service<br > so long as they can get famous national brands and designer name goods at<br > lower prices. These stores provide no-frills service， don t publish catalogues<br > and don t give out much information. They just give price quotes. When you<br > buy from them， you must know exactly what you want， and often you must<br > provide a model number. You can get a model number from the manufacturer<br > (see the list of manufacturers at the end of this book)， Consumer Reports (the<br > magazine that tests and rates consumer products) or another store.<br > Another kind of rnail-order source is the specialist firm that sells such<br >things as computers， gardening supplies， musical instruments， records， supplies<br >for pets， tools and sports equipment. Such stores， naany fwhich have national<br >a bigger and better inventory than any local store. ~ome of them actually<br >and international reputations， not only have lower price~ut also usually havefar<br >provide better service than neighborhood stores， with specialists on staffwilling<br >to advise customers.<br > <br ><br >