Do you need help purchasing a new car, home appliance, or technology? It can easily become overwhelming to find just the right product for you. When shopping, consumers often look at what is the best product for the best price. But how do we know what is just good marketing and what is actually a good product? Consumer Reports is one of the most trusted resources for factual reviews on thousands of products. Consumer Reports has been published by the Consumers Union since 1936. It is dedicated to reliable product testing, consumer-oriented information, and advocacy for smart and well educated buying.
Good news for those who want easy, online access to Consumer Reports – your library card gains you access to online PDFs of their publications. How do I access this you might ask? It’s super easy! Go to our homepage (www.lafourche.org) and use the grey search bar at the top to type in “Consumer Reports”. You will see several results, but at the top it will have a search bar under the title Consumer Reports that says “search within publication”. All you have to do is type in the product you are looking into purchasing. If you are still feeling uncomfortable with the process you can call your branch or come by to set up a one-on-one with a librarian who can walk you through it all.
This tool is a great resource for your major purchases like home appliances and for the small ones like a new smart phone or specialized watch. Consumer Reports gives you feedback on specific products, as well as, articles on general types of products. Happy shopping!