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Shopping on Shein and Temu for holiday gifts? You're not the only one

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Shopping on can feel like playing an arcade game. Instead of using a joystick-controlled claw to grab a toy, visitors to the online marketplace maneuver their computer mouses or cellphone screens to browse colorful gadgets, accessories and trinkets with prices that look too good to refuse. A pop-up spinning wheel offers the chance to win a coupon. Rotating captions warn that a less than $2 camouflage print balaclava and a $1.23 skeleton hand back scratcher are “Almost sold out.” A flame symbol indicates a $9.69 plush cat print hoodie is selling fast. A timed-down selection of discounted items adds to the sense of urgency. Welcome to the new online world of impulse buying, a place of guilty pleasures where the selection is vast, every day is Cyber Monday, and an instant dopamine hit is always just a click away. By all accounts, we’re living in an accelerating age for consumerism, one that Temu, which is owned by the Chinese e-commerce company PDD Holdings, and , supercharged with social media savvy and an interminable assortment of cheap goods, most shipped directly from merchants in China based on real-time demand. The business models of the two platforms, coupled with avalanches of digital or influencer advertising, have enabled them to give Western retailers a run for their money this holiday shopping season. Software company Salesforce said it expects roughly one in five online purchases in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada to be made through four online marketplaces based or founded in Asia: Shein, Temu, TikTok Shop — the e-commerce arm of video-sharing platform TikTok — and AliExpress. Analysts with Salesforce said they are expected to pull in roughly $160 billion in global sales outside of China. Most of the sales will go to Temu and Shein, a privately held company which is thought to lead the worldwide fast fashion market in revenue. Lisa Xiaoli Neville, a nonprofit manager who lives in Los Angeles, is sold on Shein. The bedroom of her home is stocked with jeans, shoes, press-on nails and other items from the ultra-fast fashion retailer, all of which she amassed after getting on the platform to buy a $2 pair of earrings she saw in a Facebook ad. Neville, 46, estimates she spends at least $75 a month on products from Shein. A $2 eggshell opener, a portable apple peeler and an apple corer, both costing less than $5, are among the quirky, single-use kitchen tools taking up drawer space. She acknowledges she doesn’t need them because she “doesn’t even cook like that.” Plus, she’s allergic to apples. “I won’t eat apples. It will kill me,” Neville said, laughing. “But I still want the coring thing.” Shein, now based in Singapore, uses some of the same web design features as Temu’s, such as pop-up coupons and ads, to persuade shoppers to keep clicking, but it appears a bit more restrained in its approach. Shein primarily targets young women through partnerships with social media influencers. Searching the company's name on video platforms turns up creators promoting Shein's Black Friday sales event and displaying the dozens of of trendy clothes and accessories they got for comparatively little money. But the Shein-focused content also includes videos of TikTokers saying they're embarrassed to admit they shopped there and critics lashing out at fans for not taking into account the environmental harms or potential labor abuses associated with products that are churned out and shipped worldwide at a speedy pace. Neville has already picked out holiday gifts for family and friends from the site. Most of the products in her online cart cost under $10, including graphic T-shirts she intends to buy for her son and jeans and loafers for her daughter. All told, she plans to spend about $200 on gifts, significantly less than $500 she used to shell out at other stores in prior years. “The visuals just make you want to spend more money,” she said, referring to the clothes on Shein's site. “They're very cheap and everything is just so cute.” Unlike Shein, Temu's appeal cuts across age groups and gender. The platform is the world’s second most-visited online shopping site, software company Similarweb reported in September. Customers go there looking for practical items like doormats and silly products like a whiskey flask shaped like a vintage cellphone from the 1990s. Temu advertised Black Friday bargains for some items at upwards of 70% off the recommended retail price. Making a purchase can quickly result in receiving dozens of emails offering free giveaways. The caveat: customers have to buy more products. Despite their rise, Temu and Shein have proven particularly ripe for pushback. Last year, a coalition of unnamed brands and organizations launched a campaign to oppose Shein in Washington. U.S. lawmakers also have raised the possibility that Temu is allowing goods made with forced labor to enter the country. More recently, the Biden administration put forward rules that would crack down on a trade rule known as the de minimis exception, which has allowed a lot of cheap products to come into the U.S. duty-free. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to slap high tariffs on goods from China, a move that would likely raise prices across the retail world. Both Shein and Temu have set up warehouses in the U.S. to speed up delivery times and help them better compete with Amazon, which is trying to erode their price advantage through a new storefront that also ships products directly from China.A LEADING supermarket has dramatically reduced the price of 6.5ft Christmas trees by 88%. Tesco is selling 6.5ft luxury artificial alpine snow trees for just £7.50. 1 Unfortunately, the offer isn't available online, so you'll need to head to your local store to check if there's still stock Credit: Facebook The artificial fir, which usually retails at £60 a piece, can be bought for the knockoff price in-store while stocks last. Shoppers have taken to social media to brag about the offer. One person posted on the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook page and said: This bad boy was originally £60... "It's now reduced to £7.50!" Read more in money FINAL CURTAIN Cineworld to close first site TOMORROW ahead of six closing for good TIME SAVER Little-known key limits set by major banks to help you skip branch visits Another shopper, responding to the find, said: "I bought this tree last year and put it up this year. It's lovely. "They are deffo a bargain at that kind of price." A third shopper said: "I have this tree! "I got it last year, but not this cheap!" Most read in Money OPEN UP New Year's opening hours 2025 - Tesco, Asda and Aldi reveal closing times RUNNING DRY Fears supermarket Guinness shortage could mean NO supplies for New Year’s Eve WELL ISLE BE We've moved onto an island in London with no bridge - pals say we're 'bonkers' 'SAD NEWS' 'Genuinely gutted' cry locals as popular Scots eatery announces sudden closure Unfortunately, the offer isn't available online, so you'll need to head to your local store to check if there's still stock. You can find yours by visiting tesco.com/store-locator/. SAVE HUNDREDS AT TESCO Always remember to compare prices to ensure you get the best deal. However, the in-store Tesco offer is the best we've seen on 6ft trees. A similar alpine snow-covered artificial tree from Homebase currently costs £90 - and that's with a 50% markdown. Online-only retailer Studio has slashed the price of its own 6ft frosted artificial trees from £35.99 to £6.50. However, they're five inches shorter than the one on offer at Tesco. How to compare prices to get the best deal JUST because something is on offer, or is part of a sale, it doesn't mean it's always a good deal. There are plenty of comparison websites out there that'll check prices for you - so don't be left paying more than you have to. Most of them work by comparing the prices across hundreds of retailers. Here are some that we recommend: Google Shopping is a tool that lets users search for and compare prices for products across the web. Simply type in keywords, or a product number, to bring up search results. Price Spy logs the history of how much something costs from over 3,000 different retailers, including Argos, Amazon, eBay and the supermarkets. Once you select an individual product you can quickly compare which stores have the best price and which have it in stock. Idealo is another website that lets you compare prices between retailers. All shoppers need to do is search for the item they need and the website will rank them from the cheapest to the most expensive one. CamelCamelCamel only works on goods being sold on Amazon. To use it, type in the URL of the product you want to check the price of. SAVE AT TESCO With a few simple tricks you can cut down the total on your Tesco shop. Here are some tips to help you: Get a Tesco Clubcard : If you're a frequent Tesco shopper, signing up for a Tesco Clubcard is highly recommended. With every £1 you spend, you earn one point, which can be redeemed for vouchers. Accumulate 150 points to receive a £1.50 voucher in-store. For added value, exchange your points online via the Clubcard website for days out or restaurant meals, where they can be worth up to three times their value. Don’t forget to check for any unused points, as they remain valid for up to two years. Save on Tesco deliveries : Consider signing up for Tesco’s Delivery Saver subscription service to save on home delivery costs. For a monthly fee starting at £3.49, you can get all online deliveries over £40 delivered free of charge, with one order per day. This service is ideal if you place two or more orders over £40 a month. The delivery charge typically ranges from £1 to £7, so if you regularly shop online, the subscription could offer substantial savings. Make the most of yellow stickers : Yellow stickers indicate items that have been reduced in price due to approaching sell-by dates or minor damage. If you have a large freezer, these discounts are a great way to stock up on quality products for less. The timing for yellow sticker discounts varies by store, so check our guide for the best times to find these bargains. Look for "Exclusively at Tesco" products : Tesco offers an “Exclusively at Tesco” range featuring around 400 key items such as bread, tea bags, and family meals. This range is priced competitively against discount retailers like Aldi and Lidl. Always compare prices to ensure you’re getting the best deal and consider using price comparison tools like MoneySupermarket or Idealo to track supermarket prices. Try downshifting your products : Switching from premium to standard products can lead to significant savings. For example, a Tesco Finest chicken kiev costs £6, whereas a standard Tesco kiev is only £2—a £4 saving. According to MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis , this simple change can save an average family up to £1,500 annually. Bring your own bags : Tesco charges 10p for its bags for life, which may seem small, but can add up over time. Using four bags per week equates to £1.60 a month or £20.80 a year. Save money by bringing your own bags—keeping them in your car can help you remember them on your next trip. Read more on the Scottish Sun GHOST TOWN Former Scots shopping hotspot 'decaying' as multimillion pound revamp ‘failing’ VAX HORROR Striken Scots 'gaslit' by health bosses after complications from Covid vaccine With these tricks you can maximise your savings the next time you shop at Tesco. Meanwhile, Tesco Clubcard customers can boost their points by spending money with partners like Ovo Energy, Vauxhall, and Inkjet Recycling. How to bag a bargain SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain... Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with. Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks. Sales are when you can pick up a real steal. Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on. Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too. When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer. Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping. Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out. And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — EJ Neal had 12 points in Sacramento State's 63-61 win against Air Force on Wednesday night. Neal had five rebounds for the Hornets (2-4). Julian Vaughns shot 5 for 8, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc to add 12 points. Jacob Holt had 10 points and shot 3 of 5 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. The Falcons (2-5) were led by Jeffrey Mills, who posted 19 points. Ethan Taylor added 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals for Air Force. Vaughns scored eight points in the first half and Sacramento State went into halftime trailing 33-22. Sacramento State used a 12-0 second-half run to take the lead at 34-33. Lachlan Brewer scored 10 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Sacramento State knocks off Air Force 63-61