Seasonal sales are a great excuse to replenish your wardrobe! For quite reasonable prices during sales, you can find both the next season's major hits and timeless classics like jeans or white T-shirts. However, it is very easy to lose your head and sense of proportion among the crossed-out price tags. We've put together a simple guide to help you get out of the discount battle as a winner.
1. Subscribe to the newsletter of brands and online stores
Apart from notifications about new collections and the next trends of the season, you will be offered small discounts on product categories or get notified about sales a couple of times a month. You will also find out about the upcoming start of sales earlier than others. Some online stores offer subscribers an early start of discounts, for example, one day before the beginning of the official sale.
2. Go through your wardrobe
Before you open a sale tab in your favorite online store or go to the mall, go through your wardrobe to see what you have. Ask yourself whether it is worth replenishing the collection of identical T-shirts and barely indistinguishable jeans? After such an investigation, you will only look at what you really do not have while shopping during the sale season. Knowing the "weaknesses" of your wardrobe makes it easier to understand what you can buy for the new season.
3. Prepare the amount of money you are ready to spend
Decide in advance how much you can spend on shopping. If we are talking about an offline store, it is better if the prepared amount is in the form of cash so that you could feel the real weight of the money. And if you want to return the item (and this usually happens with things bought on sale), you will get the money back faster.
The Internet Protocol
4. Explore the variety of products and discount system
Check the range of products online before you go to the physical store: if you don’t care about the carbon footprint of delivery and you know your size, then this way you can avoid queues and the temptation to grab some extra unneeded stuff on your way to the checkout. Among other things, find out if you or your friends have discount cards for a particular store and whether the discount on them can be summed up with the discount on the sale.
5. Remember the “99” product pricing rule
Don't let others confuse you: marketers indicate prices that end in 9 on purpose. Subconsciously, they seem more profitable to buyers. Still, $199 is two hundred bucks, not just “a bit more than a hundred.” Remind yourself of this more often.
6. Take a closer look at the item before purchasing
Is it the right size? Are there any stains, holes, traces of makeup foundation, seams and stitching problems? If you notice any of the above, consider whether you are ready to fix that thing and whether the latter’s cost will be justified.
Also, make sure that the discount price on the price tag is correct. The orange price tag can often contain errors so critical that the discount can be as little as one dollar.
The Internet Protocol
7. Give yourself time to think
Set aside the item at the checkout and take a time out of 30 minutes. If you have strong doubts, walk a couple of circles around the store or get out into the fresh air. The best way to save money is not to buy too much. Don't forget about it.
