Checklist: 9 rules for reasonable sales purchases
Text: Anya Krotikova
Sales - a great reason to replenish your wardrobe: for modest money, you can find the main hits of the next season, as well as timeless classics like jeans or knitted dresses. True, losing your head and sense of proportion among the crossed-out price tags is as simple as picking up a heap of unnecessary things. We have compiled a simple instruction that will help get out of the fight with discounts winner.
1
Sign up for newsletter brands and online stores
Most likely, apart from notifications about new collections and the latest trends of the season, a couple of times a month you will be offered small discounts on product categories or to report on promotions. This, however, does not mean that you have to jump on all the offers in a row - decide in advance exactly what you need among the million such alerts, and keep to the course.
About the soonest start of sales, you also learn before others. Some online stores offer subscribers an early start to discounts, for example, the day before the official sale of sales is "for everyone". Keep in mind that often online stores give an additional discount when you first order - from the site or from the application. And in order that delivery cost as little as possible, it is possible to order together with friends.
2
Check wardrobe
Before you open the tab with the sale in your favorite online store or move to the mall, arrange the analysis of cabinets. It is not necessary to follow the Marie Kondo method, but you need to know for sure what you already have. Ask yourself - is it worth it to replenish the collection of identical t-shirts? A series of little distinguishable jeans? After such an investigation on the sale, you will only look at what you really do not have.
3
Make a shopping list in advance
Rule following from the previous one. Knowing the "weak" side of your wardrobe, it is easier to understand what you can buy for the new season. The same principle applies to those who follow trends. Buy on sale bright mules, which will be in the trend for six months, and then exchange them on a swap for something out of time, much nicer than to give the full cost of the thing and regret when she is bored.
4
Prepare the amount you are willing to part with
Decide in advance how much you can spend. If we are talking about an offline store, it is better if the amount prepared will be in cash. Firstly, you will feel the real weight of the money, and secondly, if you are thinking of returning the item (and this happens when bought at the sale), you will quickly get the amount back. If you buy abroad and count on tax free, it will also be easier to get a percentage of cash.
5
Explore the range and discount system
Before going to the physical store, check the online assortment: if you are not confused by the carbon footprint from delivery and you know your size, then you can avoid queues and the temptation to grab too much on the way to the checkout.
It will be useful to compare the range in several stores of a similar price category - this is the golden rule for those who plan, for example, the purchase of household appliances. Even the prices for the same items of luxury brands on different sites may vary by 10-15%.
Among other things, find out if you or friends do not have discount cards of a particular store and whether it is possible to sum up the discount on them with a discount on a sale. Now there are so many loyalty cards that we often just forget that they are somewhere at home.
6
Don't believe everything
Be reasonable: many discount offers are nothing more than a decoy that benefits not so much the buyer as much as the store. So, if in the newsletter or on the shop window there is a discount from 30 to 50% on the old collection, then, most likely, only a third of things will be the most discounted. If the object is really sunk into your soul, this is one thing, but if the hand reaches for the hanger only because of the cherished minus fifty, then it is better to leave the thing in place.
Believing shares "three for the price of one" or "every fifth thing as a gift" is also not worth it. If you are not doing a mass purchase for the whole family or girlfriends, there is little point in this approach.
7
Remember the "999" rule
Do not be confused: marketers specifically indicate prices that end in 9 - subconsciously they seem more profitable to buyers. Nevertheless, 1999 is two thousand rubles, and not one with a little, remind yourself of this more often.
8
Carefully inspect the item before purchasing.
Is it the right size? Are there stains, hooks, traces of tonal means, irregularities on the seams? If you notice something of the above, think for yourself whether you are ready to take on repairing things and whether the cost of the latter will be justified. This rule is especially important for vintage stores and second-hand, where most of the items are presented in a single copy.
Also make sure that the discount amount is indicated on the price list correctly. Often, things from the new collection are randomly on the rail with a discount - it’s better to check the label right away so you don’t get upset at the checkout.
9
Give yourself time to think.
Postpone the item at the checkout and take time out. If in doubt, do a couple of laps around the store or get out in the fresh air. Perhaps you should consult with a friend or try your luck at a nearby store: the best way to save money is not to buy too much.
PHOTO: Julián Rovagnati - stock.adobe.com, Andrzej Tokarski - stock.adobe.com, Mykhailo Kovtoniuk - stock.adobe.com