Consumer Reports: More Than Product Reviews

Published Thursday, November 21, 2019

Looking for the best sound bar on the market? Need help choosing between two different cars? Check out Consumer Reports! Consumer Reports gives Edwardsville Public Library cardholders access to ratings and reviews for a plethora of cars, household gadgets, appliances, and much more. Comparison shopping has never been easier!

You can find Consumer Reports on the “Resources” tab on the library’s website at www.edwardsvillelibrary.org. Please ask library staff if you’d like any more tips for using this wonderful tool. We’re happy to assist you.

Library access to Consumer Reports offers more that you might have realized:

Best Time to Buy

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Even without a specific product in mind, you can gain great product information when browsing. From the home page, I found a link to “Best Time to Buy.” Choose your month and CR supplies a list of their top-rated products with the best deals. The nice thing about browsing is that you might be reminded of a product you’ve been thinking about but haven’t had time to research. The air mattress on the November page is perfect timing for me because I’ve been thinking about buying one for my daughter’s visit home over the holidays!

My CR - Share Your Story

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Another feature is “My CR,” where you can find specific ways to tailor your searches to what you personally like and need. Under the “My Benefits” tab, I found “Share Your Story.” Upload your own experience to help others, and learn about the experiences other consumers may have had that will inform your decision-making process. Forewarned is forearmed!

My CR - Car Recall Tracker

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A cool feature under My Benefits is a “Car Recall Tracker.” As an experiment I put in the make and model of our oldest car and was surprised to find a recall I hadn’t known about.

My CR - My Feed

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Another useful tool under MY CR is “My Feed.” Just like with any online news feed, you can click on the subjects that interest you the most and then receive customized news and product updates. This would be perfect if you know, for instance, that you need to save for an expensive item. You have time until the purchase to receive focused information to make the best purchase possible. CR does the work for you!

Timely Articles

CR5 black friday

Finally, I noticed a timely article of interest when browsing the home page. I clicked on “Top 10 Black Friday Shopping Tips” and found a list of advice for online and in-store shopping, as well as links CR refers to when making their own recommendations.

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Consumer Reports updates its database often and provides a very convenient way to access a wealth of information for consumers. We are happy to be able to provide our library cardholders with this useful service.

About the Author

Cary is our Development & Outreach Librarian. Her “perfect” day is reading or watching British crime fiction with a cup of hot tea close at hand and her cat Clio on her lap.
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