Shopping Guides and Buying Advice

Plantains: Where to Buy Them and How to Pick the Right Ripeness
Plantains are starchy cooking bananas, and the first buying decision is not the store, it is the peel color. Green plantains are…

Essential Oils: Where to Buy Online and In Store
Where you buy essential oils matters less than whether the seller can prove what is in the bottle. Buy online, from a…

Bentonite: Where to Buy Online and In Store, Plus How to Pick the Right Grade
Buy bentonite according to what it will touch. For skin, hair, or wine, get calcium bentonite clay labeled cosmetic or food grade…

Nerf Guns: Where to Buy, Which Dart Type to Get, and How to Play Safely
Nerf guns are foam dart blasters from Hasbro, and you can buy them at Walmart, Target, Amazon, GameStop and most toy aisles,…

Balloons: Where to Buy Online and In Store for Every Occasion
The best place to buy balloons depends on one question: does anything need to float? If it does, buy where the helium…

Money Orders: Where to Buy Them, How to Fill One Out, and How to Spot a Fake
You can buy money orders at any U.S. post office, at Walmart and CVS customer service desks (MoneyGram), at money transfer agents…

Computer Desks: Where to Buy Online and In Store for Any Setup
The best place to buy computer desks depends on how the desk reaches your room. IKEA, Staples, and Walmart let you carry…

Hanz de Fuko: Where to Buy Claymation, Quicksand, and More
Hanz de Fuko is sold direct at hanzdefuko.com, through its official Amazon storefront, and through salons, barbershops, and independent grooming stockists. Big-box…

Dogs: Where to Adopt or Buy, What to Check First, and What to Avoid
The best place to find dogs for most households is a local shelter or a breed-specific rescue. A health-testing breeder comes next…

New Years Eve Dresses: Where to Buy, Where to Rent, and What to Avoid
The best places to buy new years eve dresses in mid-October are the online occasion collections at ASOS, Amazon, and the department…

Exercise Equipment: Where to Buy, What to Check, and What to Buy Used
The short answer: buy motorized exercise equipment new, from a store where you can stand on it or a seller with clear…

Lululemon: Where to Buy, What It Costs, and How to Spot a Fake
Buy Lululemon from the brand itself: its website and app, its company-run stores, its outlets, or its Like New resale shop. Those…

Chubbies: Where to Buy Online, In Store, and on Sale
The short answer: buy Chubbies from the official site if you want a specific print or the shortest inseam, and from Dick’s…

Elf on the Shelf: Where to Buy Online and In Store
For most families, the right Elf on the Shelf is the boxed set with the new poseable Scout Elf, bought from Walmart,…

Where to Buy Shoes: Best Retailers by Category, Fit, and Price
The best place to buy shoes depends on one number most shoppers never take: their width. Zappos and Nordstrom are the safest…














