November 2021

Before you make an expensive purchase, you want to make sure you’re getting the best “bang” for your buck. Whether you’re shopping for kitchen appliances, home-entertainment systems, smart phones, or cars, you can make smarter purchases by doing a little research before-hand.

Fort Bend County Libraries (FBCL) has resources that the savvy shopper can access from home at any time with a library card. Find product reviews, buyers’ advice, product-safety information, and much more!

If you don’t subscribe to Consumer Reports, you can find them at several FBCL locations. You can also browse current and archived editions of Consumer Reports through the online databases on the FBCL website from any computer with an Internet connection.

You will need the barcode number on the back of your library card to access the database from home.

To be a savvy shopper, just follow these steps to access these resources from the comfort of home:

1 - Go to the Fort Bend County Libraries webpage;
2 - Click on the Research tab;
3 - Select “Digital Resources & Databases,” -> Alphabetical -> and then choose "M" for "Magazines & Newspapers.” 
4 - Scroll down to “Magazine and Newspaper Full-Text Databases from EBSCO” and click on the Consumer Reports link.
5 - Click on the “Search within this publication” link.
6 – Put the subject of your search (for example – refrigerator) in the search box below JN “Consumer Reports” and click on “Search.”

For a helpful video tutorial on how to spot fake reviews in the online marketplace, click here.

Good luck with your shopping!  We hope you have a happy and stress-free holiday!