How to shop?

Rookie Question! I have read through FAQ and Forum Tips but can't find the info I needed; so if I have opened a new thread that should be somewhere else please move it. I have not done any shopping from SR yet; but with the holidays coming up that is going to change. How does SR track the shopping credit? I know I have to go to the shopping list, click the retailer's site & make my purchase. After I make my purchase, can I clear cookies, spyware, etc? Do I need to wait to do that & how long do I wait? I apologize if I missed this info in the forum somewhere!!! Thanks for your help!

It is always best to wait at least a few hours to clear cookies. I THINK that once you get the confirmation email from the merchant they have probably done what they needed to do but I always wait a few hours anyway.