A Shopping Spree?
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1. The thought of the wonderful bargain(s) you may collect or 2. Those items now languishing, unworn in your wardrobe.
They seemed a good idea at the time and now just haunt you!
If you have any items that were a poor buy, do the charity shop a favour and donate the clothes.
The third possible reaction – were the crowded shops more like a rugby scrum?
Were the trains, parking etc. worth the effort and expense? If not, skip Tips 1 to 8 and head straight to No. 9 with a sigh of relief.
If you are determined to go on a shopping spree, start afresh with the following Plan.
1. Do your homework first. Make a serious list of what you actually need and can afford. 2. Select the stores, check the dates of their sales. If possible do a 'recky' the week your shopping spree to see if any of the items have a black or red dot on the price tags which indicate to the staff that these items are to be marked down at sale time. This is more likely in the smaller stores than the large chains. Chat to the staff, you never know what little gems you may glean in your conversation.
3. Remember the whole point of a sale is to get you, the customer, into the shop and extract your money from your wallet.
4. Some stores make a large, single mark down. Others mark down in stages, ending with a ‘grand’ final offer or Blue Cross Day. Do you want to purchase now or in the last day or so? Again, do you homework and find out the policy of the store.
5. Beware of stores that advertise their sale event with the words (in smaller print) Up to – and then the percentage reduction in very large print, say 50%. You will probably find only a few items that have the full 50% reduction. Woolies did this when they were closing down.
6. Work out what the price of an item you would be without a discount, and then ask yourself if you would be prepared to pay the full price. If you wouldn’t then ask yourself do you really need the item. Remember we are trying to save money here.
7. Your consumer rights still apply when you are on your shopping spree. Goods being offered for sale must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. Goods that are offered for sale because they are faulty, slightly shop soiled, damaged etc., must be clearly marked to this effect. You may not be entitled to a refund if you were made aware of the fault before purchase.
8. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes, bearing in mind you may be trudging around for several hours plus changing in and out of your regular clothing in various fitting rooms. Wear a top that either zips or buttons up at the front to save taking it up and over the head several times in a day. If you are looking for a 'special occasion' item, take a spare pair of appropriate shoes with you in your shopping bag. It is important to do your homework before the shopping spree.
9. If you want to avoid the hassle of the above, you can stay at home and be an armchair hunter. Many people living away from large cities do not have the opportunity of visiting the sales (a blessing?)
So like them, why not try your luck at the following sites.
Remember there are also on-line sales as well.
www.designersales.co.uk
www.shop-com.co.uk/dept-onsale-a.shtml
www.littlewoods.com
www.kurtgeiger.com/online-shop/sales/
www.republic.co.uk
10. Make your choice between being a foot-soldier or an armchair shopper. But - whatever your choice, make sure you really do save money.
Keep you and your bank balance healthy.
So easy to do.
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