Your Holiday Shopping Assistants: Consumer Reports and the Stratford Library

Holiday shopping after Thanksgiving -- then credit card bills in January. Wouldn’t you like to make that annual tradition as painless as possible?

Get a helping hand with your holiday gift choices and sticking to your budget from Consumer Reports. Their claim to fame -- objective comparisons and ratings -- help you choose wisely before you spend your hard-earned money on big-ticket items.

You may have looked at the Consumer Reports website before and become frustrated because the best content isn't free. But it is to you -- with your Stratford Library Card. Your Stratford Library Card gives you online access, 24 hours a day, to the full Consumer Reports website.

• Start at the Stratford Library's website, www.stratfordlibrary.org
• Look for the picture of a library card and click on "Get it online with your library card."
• Choose "Consumer Reports" and enter your library card number when asked.
• Bingo: Instant access to reviews for over 5,000 products with an overview, ratings, brand reliability, user reviews, specs and where to buy.

Come by the Stratford Library and ask at the Reference Desk for a personal demonstration.

Don't have a library card yet? Stop by the Circulation Desk at the Stratford Library and bring something that shows that you live in Stratford (driver's license, utility bill, lease, etc.). We'll get you fixed up with a card in a jiffy. And it's free.