A soon as the month of February swings around, shopping malls become awash with red sales promotion boards and it is all but impossible to walk past some of the offers. From “3 for 1” to “75% off”, the process can become extremely overwhelming, but who doesn’t love a good bargain, after all? Have no fear, sales advice is here!
Don’t go all in, right at the start
It can be so tempting to wander into a shop on the first day of the sale and buy everything you’ve been eyeing for the months prior. However, when the shop is crammed with sale-surfers and clothing racks galore, it isn’t the best time. If you’re shopping in a flat panic, elbowing fellow shoppers out of the way, there is a higher chance you’ll make a mistake. There is nothing more disappointing that getting home and realizing you bought the wrong size leggings or a jumper with a pull in it. Take your time and make a list of things you like the look of. If you simply can’t go home empty-handed, resolve to only buy one thing at the end of your shopping trip. If you’re too lazy to traipse all the way through Avenues again, then it obviously wasn’t worth it.
Check out a shop’s online sale stock first
Although this is only possible with a few select shops in Kuwait, it is well worth checking out their website if possible. This means that you’ll be able to make a beeline for the dress of your dreams rather than wasting time sifting through its lesser counterparts. This saves you so much time and money in the long-run. It also makes the – sometimes desperate – search a little more manageable as you’ll already know what you’re up against. There is nothing more satisfying than walking into a shop, picking up an item of clothing in your size and paying for it, knowing that it will fit like a glove and be exactly what you had anticipated.
Write a comprehensive shopping list. And stick to it!
Before you start writing a shopping list, it is so important to look through your wardrobe. Before you jump on the trench coat bandwagon again like last year, take note of the 4 semi-identical coats hanging in your cupboard. That can definitely be scratched off the list. Rather look at the things you wear the most. Are your favorite boots looking dull and scuffed? Is your everyday handbag losing shape? Maybe it’s time to look for replacements. It is also important to maintain a “quality over quantity” mindset when you compile a shopping list. There is no point in stocking up on cheap essentials like vests or socks during a sale, especially when their price will only have dropped a minute fraction. Look to the more expensive necessities you’ve been eyeing all season. There is often a greater percentage drop in high-priced items and that is what makes them worth buying, especially if the quality matches the price. It is also the perfect time to repurchase those beautiful, unique items that you can’t live without.
Only take out as much money as you’re willing to spend
It is all too easy to get sidetracked when you arrive at a sale-heaving shopping mall, no matter how intricate and binding your shopping list is. One of the best ways to avoid overspending or ‘off-the-cuff’ buying is to set your budget for the shopping trip. For the weak-willed among us, this means only bringing out a set amount in cash. For others, this means keeping track of their swiping. Having this kind of limit on spending means that you’ll only buy the sale items you have really fallen in love with, rather than splashing out unnecessarily. Even if you walk out of the shopping mall with lighter bags than you’d expected, you can always go back another day!
Once you’ve bought it, don’t check the price again.
Once you’ve bought sometimes, it can be so tempting to go back and see whether or not the price has dropped even more. This most often ends in heartbreak or regret. JUST. DON’T. Enjoy whatever you have bought and stop yourself from even going into the shop again once the prices are dropped even more.
