Shopping Smart: The Only Consumer Guide You'll Ever Need

I have enjoyed watching John Stossel's segments on 20/20 over the years, and recently bought this book used for about $3. It was a very entertaining read and certainly worth the price, but a couple "bewares."This book was published in 1980. I had forgotten just how much things have changed in the consumer world since then. And it's not just things like information on the Internet and email addresses. Lemon laws regarding used cars have changed some things, and the books section on airline travel is quite outdated. The section on telephones is also a laugher. For this reason, I am unable to give it five stars. But there are some helpful tips which will save you money on several fronts: from buying a car (by a car at the end of the month, as salesman are up against sales quotas) to buying a house (get an energy audit), to shopping at the supermarket (a chart on when fruits and vegetables are the freshest and cheapest) and Health, Cosmetics, and Drugs (a lot of rip-offs here). Stossel's prose is just as entertaining in this early consumer guide book. I think he would be quite surprised to know that people are still reading this book today. If you find this book used, it's certainly worth the money.