safe shopping

BBB of the Tri-Counties Podcast, Your Moment of Trust: Welcome to this week’s edition of Your Moment of Trust! The 2022 holiday shopping season promises to be an unpredictable one. High inflation rates and increased prices of consumer goods are already throwing a wrench into holiday shopping. Electronics, toys, and other products will be (or already are) in short supply, and retailers are struggling to staff up as the shopping season nears. Just like in 2021, people are planning to start their holiday shopping early. Watch out for deals well before Black Friday sales. Retailers are also expecting to see even more people shopping online. Product shortages and increased online shopping are likely to result in even more online purchase scams this year. These scams accounted for nearly 40% of all scams reported to BBB Scam Tracker in 2021, according to the 2021 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report. Shortages are likely to make purchase scams even more common as desperate shoppers turn to shadywebsites in hopes of finding this year’s must-have gift. In this episode, BBB recommends the following tips to “Shop Safe, Shop Smart” this holiday season: A BIG thank you to Ayers Automotive Repair in Santa Barbara for Sponsoring this Podcast.