Sale Season: How To Shop & Save Whilst Keeping Your Sanity

We are well into sale season and it’s still a little hectic in-store.

Although the biggest day in retail – Boxing Day – has come and gone, the sales continue and in some stores, they’re getting better.

So who shopped themselves silly on Boxing Day? Anyone go for a second shop round or are you waiting it out for later in January?

Or who has retreated to summer holiday mode and are avoiding the sales at all costs (pun intended)?

Sorry for all the questions, I just know at this time of year, there is a large contrast between shoppers who attend the sales eagerly and those who find the experience too painful.

But despite the “survival” advice and the rumours of push and shove (okay, sometimes this happens), when done correctly, the sales can offer incredible value.

Almost all retailers offer some sort of reduction – generally their largest of the year – and beyond fashion, it’s actually a great time to stock up on homewares, digital technology and furniture.

Oh, and as I mentioned earlier, some stores will continue to discount throughout January in order to move stock. So some items you can definitely wait out.

On Boxing Day, I was actually commissioned to Chadstone as their Media Representative, helping shoppers find their sales mecca and I personally hit some of the more exclusive stores for their reductions.

So yes, it’s a little chaotic but if we all exercise a touch of that festive spirit that we’ve all been working on so hard in December, it can be a good sales time for all. So here are my tips for a great sales experience:

Have a list and prioritise it in terms of your favourite pieces or perhaps items you think might go first.
Go early. From securing a car park to having customer service assistants available, it’s just a better time to shop. Also, consumers tend to “rummage” through sales stock so by the morning it’s all neatly tidied and ordered for the next day of shoppers.
Have patience – from the car park, to navigating the shopping centres and in-store. Your happy attitude will encourage others to return it.
Dress in loose clothing (not tracksuits) that can you can easily change in. Layering is key here. It allows you to throw jackets over t-shirts and singlets or dresses over jeggings and wear slip on/slip off shoes. Fitting room lines can sometimes be large and limited.
Budget – have one and stick to it. You’ve probably already spent generously over Christmas so don’t overexert yourself.

A few additional notes around pricing. Make sure what you’re buying is actually a bargain and avoid the temptation to buy for the sake of it.

I see it every year – excited shoppers buying clothes in random sizes, handbags in colours they don’t really love or scratches or scuffs on shoes all purchased because the shopper was persuaded by the energetic atmosphere of the sales.

Don’t do it.

Try clothes, check items for damage, be it zips on bags, stains, scuffs on shoes and ensure everything fits. If you don’t need it, make sure you love it before you buy it.

Okay so now these that are offering a generous price discount and will continue to until stocks last: