Don't drop while you shop

Posted by Jessica Lee, Associate Product Manager

There's bravery, and then there's hitting the mall the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. Which is one reason we just launched a feature on Froogle that helps you to shop locally -- and that in turn might help you through the upcoming shopping ordeal(s). Now you can search over the product inventory of brick & mortar stores in your neighborhood to compare online deals and local sales all at the same time. Instead of wandering aimlessly through crowded malls looking for that elusive perfect gift (not to mention a parking spot), just find it on Froogle, call the store to reserve it and go pick it up.

Froogle local shopping is also useful for finding items that you want to try before you buy (clothing), or where shipping is expensive (heavy things like sofas or cars). Just add a location to your Froogle query and we'll look for products in your area.

Right now we have local content from hundreds of merchants across the U.S., but we encourage any merchant with a website to upload their own inventory (did we mention that it's free?) via Google Base. Get started by going to www.google.com/sellonfroogle.

Besides finding stuff closer to home, Froogle now offers more options for refining your searches, including brand names and related search suggestions. If you search for [home theater system], we suggest brands like Bose and Kenwood, as well as queries that will help narrow your results, like [wireless home theater system].

Hope you find these features useful during this holiday shopping season. And have a happy Turkey Day!