Stay Safe While Shopping: BBB’s Holiday Tips for Avoiding Pop-Up

As the holiday season approaches, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Central and South Alabama is reminding shoppers to be extra cautious when purchasing from temporary retail locations and online pop-up stores.

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While these shops can offer some great, unique gifts, consumers have reported issues like poor-quality products, trouble with returns, and undelivered special orders.

To help ensure your shopping experience is smooth and stress-free, the BBB has put together some easy-to-follow tips:

1. **Guard Your Personal Information**
- For smaller purchases, try paying with cash to avoid sharing sensitive details.
- For larger transactions, use a credit card. It offers extra protection if the store disappears or your items don’t show up.

2. **Be Careful with Special Orders**
- Always double-check the seller’s contact info before placing an order. Make sure it’s legitimate.
- Get clear details on delivery times, and be sure to ask for a receipt or order confirmation.

3. **Check if the Shop is Here to Stay**
- Before you buy, ask if the store will still be open after the holidays for returns or exchanges. If not, make sure the item is exactly what you want before you commit.

4. **Watch for Quality Issues**
- Be on the lookout for counterfeit products, especially designer goods or popular items sold at prices that seem too good to be true.

5. **Understand Product Guarantees**
- If you’re buying something with a warranty, ask how you can get it serviced if needed.

**Tips for Shopping with Online Pop-Up Shops**
Temporary online stores also pop up during the holidays, and it’s important to take extra precautions:
- Research the business. Check their BBB Business Profile at BBB.org.
- Look for reviews and check for any warning signs or scams associated with the business.
- If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Protect Yourself This Holiday Season

Keep all receipts, review your credit card statements carefully for any unauthorized charges, and report suspicious activity to the BBB Scam Tracker at BBB.org/ScamTracker.