Better Biz: Customer Service is King

With holiday shoppers on a budget and projected to spend way less than in previous years, customer service was the key to pulling dollars out of wallets this season, according to an online survey of consumers visiting the Better Business Bureau website in the weeks before Christmas.

"In the snap shot survey on the Chicago.bbb.org website, 43 percent of users selected Customer Service as the most important consideration when shopping," according to a statement released by the Better Business Bureau. "Price was selected by 30 percent, while Product Selection was picked by 17 percent and location by only 9 percent."

More than half those surveyed said they were going to spend less this holiday season. A third said their holiday spending would stay steady, and a mere nine percent reported plans to boost their buying.