The Consumer Affairs Commis-sion (CAC) is warning parents to be on the alert this Christmas for unscrupulous persons wandering around aimlessly in shopping malls, parking lots and stores.
In addition to the budgeting and planning exercise, inform your family that they should be on the lookout for well-dressed, young and attractive male and female scam artistes and pick pockets.
The CAC suggests the following tips when shopping.
1. Secure your children and personal belongings such as handbags, keys and cellphones. Before you go shopping in the supermarket the CAC recommends the following.
2. Divide your cash (if you must carry cash) according to how much you intend to spend at each location. Do not take out large sums of money in public. You may be targeted for a robbery later.
3. Design your meal plan according to the size of your family, the number of visitors you will have for Christmas and the number of days they will be staying.
4. Bulk purchases are only for items that can be stored and which you will use large amounts of each day.
5. Do not tie up needed cash in two-for-one deals. Check the real discount on your calculator. Maybe the numbers advertised is a visual trick, example: $489.99 is closer to a $600.00 sale price than $400. Use your calculator not just your eyes and heart.
6. Buy supplies that can substitute for other fresh items like canned mixed vegetable to supplement a fresh salad. Use creative "meal expanders" like raisins and grated cheese on pasta; sweet corn on the cob, festival and so on.
7. Check for expiration dates. This is the time when the supermarket storerooms are emptied of all the old stock. Do not be caught sick because you have failed to be a vigilant consumer. Food poisoning is the most common emergency during the holiday season.
8. Buy coolers and fillers for the children like Kisko pops and ice cream cones.
9. If you plan to use left overs secure all the foods in sealed plastic containers while the food is still warm. Do not leave platters on the dining table for hours before putting them away in the refrigerator.
10. Do not overload the refrigerator. Overloading makes the fridge less efficient.
Email Dorothy E. Campbell, communication specialist, Info_c@consumeraffairsjamaica.gov.jm. Tel: 926-1650-2, fax: 968-8729.
