Stop buying cell phones in-store...unless you hate money.

Heed this advice, it can save you the cost of a few weeks worth of groceries (not to mention the crazy amount of time you have to wait in these stores sometimes). I'm elaborating on an earlier post in a little more detail. I walked into a Verizon store yesterday to play with a new phone I want (good riddance AT&T!). The in-store price of the phone I want: $299! (with a $100 rebate you have to mail off). I went to Amazon to look at the phone, the price there: $0.01! That's a $299.98 upfront savings on cost for the same phone, same service, etc. Now, it's probably about $80.00 for existing Verizon customers, but still a huge price difference. I understand most people don't look elsewhere because they are uninformed they even have the option of doing so. I am trying to inform you, and hope that you pass this on to your friends and family, because pretty much everyone has a cell phone. Be rational about it.

Go to the stores, play with the phone, see if you like it, then go shopping online to get the best price.

Here are a few sources to look for your next cell phone.
Amazon
Dell Mobile
LetsTalk
Wirefly

Even using the cell phone companies website is usually significantly cheaper than buying in-store. So if you're getting a phone, just shop around for about 10 minutes. They're the same phones, same service, same carriers, same warranties, etc, just less cost to you.

EDIT: None of this applies to iPhone's. Apple doesn't discount them at all until a newer model comes out.

Ok, my rant is over now.