Joe Consumer has joined a group of federal, state, and local government agencies and national consumer advocacy organizations to launch the 10th annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 2-8, 2008. NCPW highlights consumer education efforts in the fight against fraud in communities across the nation.

NCPW partner organizations will provide practical – and tactical – tips so consumers can learn how to make well-informed financial decisions, avoid credit scams, and protect their personal information. Since that is pretty much our mission all year, we are pretty excited! So in honor of NCPW we thought it would be a good time to feature some of our government’s best consumer resources. If you like these links, become a friend on StumbleUpon and you’ll see more links like these and other consumer resources than don’t make the blog.

• Consumer.Gov
  Your one-stop shop for shoppers, with information on finding careers, transportation, as well as food safety.
• Consumer Action Handbook (consumeraction.gov)
  Concrete information on what to do to protect yourself. Additionally there are “hot off the press” handbooks and daily tips, this site makes it easy for you to take action as a consumer. Also a wealth of information for those with special circumstances (military, handicapped) as well as the steps to effectively filing a complaint.
• eConsumer.gov
  It is not uncommon to have a complaint or inquiry about a business; and as a consumer, it sometimes feels like there is nothing to do about it. This is the spot to file a complaint with the federal government. This site is a joint project site with 21 countries contributing to the efforts of making the consumer experience easier.
• International eConsumer Complaint Form
  This form is specifically for complaints about international companies.These complaints are filed in a government database, accessible by the contributing countries where they work to find solutions to the various problems. Typically, this site is focused on those complaints that result from foreign online transactions, fraud, etc. After all, how many foreign lotteries could you possibly win in a day?
• The Federal Trade Commission
  The Federal Trade Commission’s goal is to protect you as the consumer. With news stories, tips, and complaint forms, you have easy access to any type of information and help that you need. Whether you were a victim of fraud, want to file a complaint, or are interested in learning the latest stories of fraud cases, this site is your best resource.
• FTC Consumer General Complaint Form
  It is important not to forget about the complaint that people get about a particular business or media violence. With these complaints, this site provides the form that is sent to the FTC to be investigated. Unlike the other complaint forms, this site is provided for more general responses and complaints.
• FTC’s Guide to Pretexting
  You may have been a victim of fraud long before you the time that you see the activity show up. This type of fraud is known as pretexting. Pretexters will call, email, or mail you a request asking for certain personal information. They will use that information as if they were you, and get money or whatever they need. With the help provided on this site, you can avoid all of that by informing your self of the warning signs and what to avoid so that your identity or money is not stolen.
• FTC’s Fraud Survey
  Annually the FTC prepares an overview of the most common fraud issues. Read all of the latest news about fraud, the frequent fraud victims, and how to prevent it.
• Deter, Detect, Defend Your Identity
  Identity theft is increasingly common, learn how to fight back and defend your identity. If your identity has already been stolen, learn how to recover quickly. Including information on talking to bank representatives and clearing your credit cards.
• FTC’s Credit Reporting Guide
  Learn about your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
• FTC’s guide to saving money at home
  The FTC is not only a resource for you to react to fraud and theft. The also offer a guide to save money by conserving energy and recycling at home.
• USA.gov – Consumer Information
  This is you’re A-Z index of sites, resources, contacts, and everything you could possibly think of concerning consumerism and consumer protection. From national to local government and defense to agriculture.
• The Federal Citizens Information Center (Pueblo, CO)
  A guide to government publication focusing on consumer and personal finance information.

Spend some time this week to share this site with others and spread the message of consumer awareness. If you have a favorite resource we missed please leave a comment.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Consumer’s shopping habits have been put under a microscope and analyzed by the retail industry in order to maximize sales.

Shoppers have been as thoroughly studied as lab rats and the research has resulted in scientifically proven approaches to influence shopper’s emotions, to heighten their insecurities and to trick them in to buying things they don’t need or want.Joe Consumer has put together 10 of the most common retail tricks, along with tips for how to avoid being taken in. While some of these things may seem like common sense, each is a reaction to a specific tactic retailers use to get you to buy just one more thing.

My, that’s a big basket you’ve got there

Stores have hundreds of enormous shopping carts parked conveniently at the entrance. Once you have selected something, you’re more likely to “find” additional items – after all, that empty space in the cart is just begging to be filled, you must have something else you can buy, right?

Tip: If you can skip the cart and make do with a basket, you’ll reduce the temptation to over buy. If you can get by without the basket, even better!

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

Vanity mirrors slow you down and keep you looking, but there is more than meets the eye. Most people can’t help but check themselves out, and who’s 100% satisfied with what they see? Making you more self-conscious helps you see new items as a solution. You are more likely to buy, when you’ve walked out of the house in something less flattering than what’s on the rack in front of you.

Tip: Wear something that looks good on you while you shop, and avoid mirrors unless you’re already trying something on. Not only will you feel more confident and buy less, you’ll generally get better service too.

Buy in bulk and save?

Misleading bulk sales are another retail favorite. There’s no difference between $5 each and the four for $20 on sale, except that you just might end up with three more than you wanted. Also, products sold in different volumes and weights often have prices that are chosen to confuse you. Shoppers tend to look at $10.49 for 48 ounces and think it’s the equivalent of $4.99 for 24 ounces even though it’s not -you’re paying more for less! Most grocery stores and pharmacies are required to provide per unit pricing signage, but these often don’t reflect sale prices.

Even when it is actually cheaper per unit to buy in bulk, it doesn’t mean you should! Do you really need a gallon of mayonnaise, or 1000 clothes hangers?

Tip: Compare unit prices, use that calculator on your cell phone, and don’t buy more than you can use, no matter the “savings”.

How did they stack all those boxes like that?

Those towering displays of intricately stacked boxes are called power displays, and they are meant to be speed bumps to slow you down and distract you from finding what you came for. Stores like Ikea have taken this to a whole new level. Their layout is specifically designed to require every shopper at least momentary exposure to every major showroom and floor, which increases the chance that you’ll come out with more than what you came in for.

Tip: Look for shortcut signs to areas of choice & beeline to the checkout.

To get to the cheese, you have to get through the maze

Milk, bread, restrooms — all the essentials — are all in the back of the store, because they’re staples that everyone needs, and relatively low margin. Putting them there forces you to check out other merchandise along the way. Getting them first can help you stick to your list.

Tip: Beeline to the back and work your way forward.

Bargain bins and going-out-of business sales

We all love feeling like we got a good deal, but don’t be fooled! While some stores pay their clerks to be obsessive about precisely-folded sweaters on display, others actually pay them to make sure the displays are just a bit little messy, because shoppers interpret that (often unconsciously) as a cue that other people thought it was a deal too. Others retailers are known to have annual moving sales, year end sales and re-opening sales that just amount to taking their leftovers off hangers and dumping them into clearance bins.

Tip: Evaluate the value of a “bargain” objectively, not by how wrinkled it is.

Oooh, something smells amazing!

Stores and restaurants love to stimulate your appetite with provocative sights and smells. Grocery stores capitalize on hungry consumers by offering free samples, but this isn’t charity any more than the smell of freshly baked bread is an accident. These are signals to excite you and tempt you into buying foods that are likely no better for your financial health than your physical health.

Tip: Eat before you shop, or if you’re out shopping for the day, pack a water bottle and a snack!

Save even more with our charge card!

There’s a reason why department stores so cheerfully help you afford that overpriced indulgence with a discount on with a store charge card – they make the money later. You’re much more likely to buy big impulse items if you don’t have to count the dollars out the wallet you are holding.

Tip: Pay in cash. Going to the ATM and physically seeing your bank balance gives you that extra time to consider.

Retailers love to put children to work “helping” you find things

Manufacturers advertise to children aggressively, so kids are primed to seek out products they have been exposed too. Stores know that catching a kid’s attention is a great way to get distracted parents to fork over cash for an impulse buy, and they purposefully put colorful, fun, shiny items within their reach.

Tip: Try to leave the kids at home, or have someone watch them. People tend to shop more efficiently without partners and friends, too.

Checking out? One last thing…

Drinks, candy, gum, media – all right by the checkout counter. This section is convenient in part because it is compact and limited, but it also means you can’t compare prices, and may not get your favorite brand.

Tip: Ask yourself if you actually need it, or if it’s worth your place in line to compare prices.

We hope this helps you be a more savvy consumer. For more information on how all of this works pick up a copy of the National best-sellers “Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping,” by Paco Underhill. While the book was written for retailers to help them sell more, but that makes it the perfect tool for YOU to get inside a retailers head. If you know about other retail tricks, please leave a comment.

If you liked article, you might also enjoy these Articles:

• 52 tips, tricks, tools and sites to help consumers fight back! – A terrific collection of tools for shoppers.
• Confessions of a Mortgage Broke – An expose on abuses in the mortgage brokerage business
• 11 Ways to Lower Your Bills – A practical collection of tips to lower your bills.

Thanks to Boing Boing for sharing this creative work from The Billboard Liberation Front, and please note that the BLF have a strict policy of not damaging the underlying billboard permanently!

So far the house has refused to grant amnesty to the companies that illegally spied on Americans. If you care about privacy, keep up the pressure and don’t let the government grant amnesty to the telcos that knowingly eavesdropped on US Citzens without warren ts. Learn more at the EFF’s NSA Spying page, because privacy is too important to give up without a fight.