Shop Advisor takes guesswork out of sale shopping
I'm constantly joking with my significant other, a computer programmer, that he needs to write "that one line of code" that's going to make us miserably rich. That's how it works in the movies, so why can't it be real? There's always some old millionaire tech guy sitting alone in a house with lots of glass windows and Swedish furniture, living off one line of code he wrote 20 years ago, looking for love and fulfillment apart from the canal of dollar bills he has to wade through to get to the kitchen. My boyfriend assures me that that is NOT the way computer stuff works, that there is much more than one line of code involved in wealth-getting. What. Ever.
Lately, I've replaced my "one line of code" fantasies with "app" fantasies. This is 2013, after all. I was sharing this hope for the future with my friend Hilary as we walked through International Plaza the other night. Hilary had a revelation. What about a shopping app that would alert you when things you liked went on sale? What a brilliant idea! Hilary said she could sue us for stealing her idea later, Facebook style. We agreed to work out those details as they happened.
I shared this shopping revelation with my boyfriend, who was able to find out in less than five minutes that such an app already exists. After feigning sorrow for our missed fortunes, I quietly turned and downloaded it.
It's called Shop Advisor, and it's free. I haven't really had much time to use it yet, but the premise is you can type in a product, brand or designer, see if it's on sale and find out when it goes lower. Shop Advisor will even advise whether it's a good bet to hold off or act, Deal or No Deal style. There's a nifty chart that explains the item's pricing history. Check out this link charting the long journey of this pair of Betsey Johnson leopard slippers. The site says 10.2 million people are using the app. Dang.
I am sad that we wont be Scrooge McDucking our way into a hot idea, but I am impressed with this app all the same. Do you know of any other similar apps out there? Have you tried this one?
Deal Diva Stephanie
Photos: Times files, Shop Advisor
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