The Basic Principles

The shopping system is a comprehensive, well-planned service that will expand your family's BUYING POWER!

Here are the basic principles that make it possible for our service TO GUARANTEE prompt, efficient service and offer VALUABLE SAVINGS AND CONVENIENCE!

1. The "CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN PRINCIPLE" - The shopping service is a purchasing agent...representing the buying power of literally hundreds of thousands of member families.
   This "Group Buying Power" enables the "Shopping Service's" professional buyers to negotiate lower prices...thereby permitting members to purchase their families needs at substantial discounts.
2. The "DROP-SHIP PRINCIPLE" - Whenever possible...our professional buyers arrange for members to have merchandise "drop-shipped" to them...directly from distributors, manufacturers, importers and wholesalers...thereby eliminating part of the..."middleman's" cost!
3. A DEPENDABLE ESTABLISHED COMPANY - Over forty three (43) years of ethical business dealings with hundreds of suppliers and millions of satisfied members...have established the "Shopping Service" as a...reputable, reliable business...in America's business community.

There's No Better Place to Shop

Quotation Information

Shop your area retailers, online merchants or your favorite catalogs to decide which model best suits your needs. Write down the brand name, model numbers, style or optional features of the items that interest you. Then search our website for your special member's only price, or call our shopping lines, which are open, every day of the year excluding holidays. Our customer service representative will request your group and membership number. Identify the item you wish to purchase by:

PRODUCT NAME:___________________BRAND NAME:________________
MODEL NO.:_________________________________
LOWEST PRICE:$__________________DESCRIPTION/OPTIONS:__________________

Name and address of store, catalog, or other business where local price was obtained.

One of the ways that we keep track of regional price trends is through our member's price information. We use this information as an indicator of how well the service is working. Having the local price information not only insures that we receive regional pricing information that is vital to the entire membership, but also alerts us to computer errors, rapid-pricing changes, and recent discontinuations, which may have occurred. If the percentage of savings seems lower than industry averages, we will have our purchasing department double check the pricing. Every effort will be made to ensure that you are receiving the most current price on the product that you wish to purchase.

If the specific item you are interested in is not listed on our website simply call the toll-free number listed in your membership kit. If the item is available our representative will either quote a price on the product, plus any delivery and handling, or request that you call back, usually within three to five business days, to obtain the requested price information.

Sales tax must be collected in Illinois; if the vendor is required to collect sales tax in your state; and on intrastate shipments. If our company does not collect sales tax, members may be liable for use taxes.

Please do not request information on department store brands such as "Radio Shack" as "Private Label" brands are not available. Certain items may only be available for shipment in the 48 contiguous states. The manufacturer's list price or a reference retail price is supplied at the time of quotation to assist you in comparing prices. Products and services restricted by law or by the manufacturer are not available.

How to Best Use the Shopping Service

How to Obtain a Price Quote

• Shop for the items that you wish to purchase.
• Write down the product name, brand name, model numbers, style or optional features of the items that interest you.
• Then search our website for that specific item or call the special toll-free number, listed in your membership kit. We're open 24 hours a day 7 days a week, except for holidays.
• The service representative will request your group and membership number.
• Identify the item you wish to purchase by: Product name, Brand name, Model number, Price, Descriptions/Options and the Name, Address and Phone number of the store, Catalog, or other business where you saw the item.
• Order the item from the Shopping Service at your convenience either through the internet or simply call us toll-free to place your order.

Our computerized shopping system offers you access to savings of up to 50% and more on over 300,000 brand name consumer products. The majority of these products are sent directly from the manufacturer or distributor to the address you specify. If you are interested in an item, which is not listed on our website, please call the toll-free number listed in your membership kit to check availability.

Diamonds and Jewelry

Our Jewelry Department offers a comprehensive selection in just about every line of jewelry from a simple gold rope chain to exquisite loose diamonds to a string of pearls.

How to Obtain a Quotation on Jewelry

1. Select the style, size finish, etc. Obtain a brand name and style number for the piece.
2. Call toll-free for your quote. If the brand name is not available, try to get a brochure showing a picture of the piece you want to buy and include a detailed description. Send us the brand name, style number, description and local price.
3. Our jewelry buyer will price the piece for you at current gold and diamond (or stone) prices. If we are unable to match the piece, our buyer will make every effort to suggest an alternate selection.

Additional Information Regarding Quotation

• The description you provide should include information such as the karat of gold, kind of stones included, weight, of stones in carats, color of gold and size if applicable.
• When requesting a quote on a chain, please provide length (in inches), thickness (in mm), and the gram weight of the chain, the style (rope, herringbone, triple herringbone, etc.) as well as any other descriptive features.
• When requesting a quote on a loose diamond or a diamond to be set in a piece of jewelry, we need to know "the 4 C's" about the stone plus the shape of the stone.

The 4 C's

1. Many people confuse CUT with the shape of a diamond. Most diamonds are cut with a full 58 facets. The better the cut the more scintillating, the more sparkle. The six most popular shapes of a diamond are brilliant, marquise, pear, emerald, oval and heart.
2. The best COLOR for a diamond is no color. The totally colorless diamond acts as a prism, allowing light to pass effortlessly through the diamond and be transformed into rainbows of color. The color grading scale ranges from totally colorless, grades D-F; to near colorless, grades G-J; to faint yellow, K-M, to Very light, N-R; to light yellow, grades S-Z.
3. A diamond that is virtually free of interior or exterior inclusions (commonly called flaws) is of the highest quality or CLARITY. The size and location of the inclusions affect the value of the stone. The clarity classifications used by our company are the same used by the Gemological Institute of America. The clarity grades are I1, I2, I3, Imperfect eye visual inclusions; SI1-SI2, small inclusions; VSI-VS2, very small inclusions; VVS1-VVS2, very, very small inclusions; IF, internally flawless-minor surface blemishes; and FL, flawless.
4. The size of the diamond is measured in CARATS. One metric carat is divided into 100 "points", so that a diamond of 75 points weighs .75 carats. Two diamonds of equal size can have very unequal values, depending on their quality.

Furniture Purchasing

Choose from more than 200 popular name brands of fine furniture, lamps, and home accessories.

Delivery Time

All orders for furniture are placed either directly with the factory or with responsible distributors. If the merchandise is in stock, it will usually reach you in about 60 days. In the event the furniture is not in stock at the time of your order, the time factor for delivery is regulated by the manufacturers cutting schedule. This time factor can be as long as 4-12 months, but it usually averages 120 days. This condition is prevalent throughout the furniture industry and may be encountered regardless of where the purchase is made. In the event a delayed order will cause an inconvenience to you, you have the option to wait or cancel the order at any time prior to the cutting schedule. We will make every effort to expedite your order once it is released from the factory.

How is Furniture Shipped?

Your order will be delivered fully insured by common carrier or van lines directly to your home. If you order a grouping of furniture form the same brand, because the furniture will be shipped from the same point, the group freight rate will usually be less expensive than a per piece freight rate. Delivery charges are determined by the size, weight, classification of each item, and distance of the shipment. Therefore, when you place your order, we will determine the freight rate based on your individual order.

Information Required for Furniture Quotations

Be sure to obtain the information listed on each type of product for quick and accurate quotation service.

The Double-the-Difference Savings Guarantee

A registered and active Member may apply for payment under the terms of the savings guarantee if an item which he/she has purchased through The Shopping Service is advertised for less (exclusive of shipping, handling, taxes and rebates, if any) by an authorized retail business* within the 21 day period following the order date. The Member must submit valid proof of the lower price to apply for a savings guarantee payment. (Delivery of the item purchased through the Shopping Service must take place within the 48 contiguous U.S.A.). The Member submits "valid proof", the verifiable advertisement showing the item, price, manufacturer, model number and sales date, as well as the name and address of the local retail store; for the identical product to the Shopping Service along with the Purchase Order Number and Member Number under which he/she purchased the merchandise. The term "identical product" shall mean non-defective, in-stock merchandise carrying the same manufacturer's model number, color, description, warranty and/or guarantee. Merchandise that is damaged in any way, discontinued, defective, a second, or a floor sample does not qualify as an identical product. A Member is entitled to one savings guarantee payment for each different model ordered, i.e. Upon verification of the retail price, the Member will be sent a check for the double-the-difference in price between the price paid for the merchandise through the Shopping Service and the retail price.

The Savings Guarantee does not apply to loss leader or limited availability items, cash only sales, close-outs, returned items, computer industry products**, employee discounts, vehicles, pricing attained through the Internet, loose or set stones, travel, gourmet foods, tires and special or negotiated arrangements. In order to effectively process the request for a savings guarantee payment, the request must be received by our office within thirty (30) days of the date that the purchase order was placed. Allow thirty (30) days for processing after the Member's order has been shipped and received.

* The term "retail business" shall mean a business selling consumer goods at a profit in an arms length transaction to the general public on a regular basis. This does not include charities, government subsidized outlets, Internet sales, other subsidized businesses, buying or membership clubs, builders or contractors.

** Computer industry products include printers, monitors, mouses, cables, memory expansion cards, disk drives, personal computers, etc.

©2003 American Homeowners Association (AHA)® Stamford, Connecticut 06905.   All Rights Reserved. Toll-Free 1-800-470-2242   America's #1 Homeowner Organization Since 1994