Are You Shopping During Sales? Follow These 10 Commandments

If you have not started your ‘sale’ shopping yet, don’t fret. You still have some time left. On the other hand, if you have already kick-started your shopping, there’s always the scope to find the best deals later on and come home happy. Here’s a list of 10 things that you should keep in mind to make the best of the ongoing discount season, without feeling too exhausted. Yes, the sale season can be quite exhausting if you don’t have the right approach. So here’s some help for the shopaholic.

1. Thou shall be an early bird
Be an early bird if getting the best deals and lots of options are on your mind. Keep an eye on advertisements that shout out discounts. Another way to stay well informed about the sales and offers is to get your name and phone number added to the store’s customer base.

2. Thou shall stick to a shopping plan
Don’t forget to jot down a shopping plan that lists all that you have to buy and stores where you will get them. This will save your time and won’t lead to unnecessary buying.

3. Thou shall not shop over weekends
Weekends are usually free but the best time to shop during sales is weekdays when the shopping malls are less crowded, shelves well displayed and trial rooms are empty.

4. Thou shall exercise control
Offers like buy one get one free or free gift voucher with a particular amount of purchase may sound lucrative, but they can be misleading too. And eventually, you might just end up buying stuff that you don’t really need. So exercise control and don’t forget to calculate how much you are actually gaining from those offers.

5. Thou shall not experiment
Sales are not the time to experiment. Instead of buying things you have never tried before, get hold of staple pieces that you cannot go wrong with. Investing in classy dresses, jackets and trousers could be a great idea as you will be wearing them more often rather than pushing them at the bottom of your wardrobe.

6. Thou shall stick to your budget
Chances of going overboard with spending are quite high during sales. So make sure you have a budget for this and stick to the same. Use cash instead of credit/debit card, so that you don’t end up paying more than you intended. You can also save on interest charges if you don’t use plastic money.

7. Thou shall buy luxury now
End-of-season sales (EOSS) are the right time to invest in high-end products that you have been eyeing all this while.

8. Thou shall be vigilant
If you are very particular about the latest trends, keep your eyes open while picking up the pieces. During the sales, old stocks (at least a season or two old) are also on offer. But surely, you would not like to buy those. Buying trendy clothes during sales has another negative, too. For instance, a particular trend could be in just now, but it may not remain hot after three months. So choose the evergreen pieces and watch out for quality.

9. Thou shall be fittingly dressed and well fed
You cannot go through this ritual if you are not fittingly dressed or if you are feeling hungry and tired. For frequent trials, wear clothes that are easy to put on. Leave the heels for some other day and wear comfy flats in case you are invading the malls and need to walk a lot. Last but not the least, don’t hit the shops hungry or you’ll feel exhausted too soon.

10. Thou shall not buy cosmetics
Never buy cosmetics during sales as you can’t trust the manufacturing and expiry date. Most of the items sold now don’t have a return policy. So it can end up being a dead investment.