Most of you might know I work in retail, so I wanted share some inside secrets or tips from my years of experience on how to grab the most for your money when it comes to the sales.
Go Online
Register or sign up to your favourite brand, a lot of retailers now launch their sale online before the store sale. This allows you to sit at home in your comfies, glass of wine or cup of tea in hand (depending on the time of day) filtering through the stock by size, style, type etc. Saves a lot of time and effort and can be virtually hassle free as most retailers now allow you to return the stock to the store rather than having to post it back.
Be early
From my experience the early bird definitely catches the worm, the good stuff is gone in a matter of hours. Think about it no retailer or business is going to decide to hold stock back just incase it's busier the second day. It would not make sense. 3/5 days later and most businesses are starting to markdown the stock that does not sell. On another note being early allows you to shop a clean and well set up store.
Be comfortable
Remember to wear something comfortable and light. Shopping is hard work and busy sales tend to have warm environments. It would be great to head off to the sales glammed up with our bestie in our heels heels with our lattes in hand but it's just not practical. Bring a light handbag, bt of water, packet of sweets for sugar and make sure you don't park too far away as you may want to drop some bags off at the car. I don't mean to sound dramatic but I've done it and seen it and it's a skill people.
Do your research
So there can be a lot of cloak and dagger around sale launches as some retailers will not want to disclose due to competition or loss of sales from people waiting. Ask the question they will either pretend they don't know or they will let you know if possible. When sale launches ask about the returns policy as some will allow you to return sale product and some won't and another tip some retailers even close their fitting rooms due to high footfall in store. There is not one generic policy out there, it differs from store to store so find out before hand.
Know the system
Every company has a sale set up process, smart shoppers will try figure this out before hand or on the day. Some set up by type i.e denim-skirts-tops etc or another example would be by type and size. Look out for pricing. 10euro or less. In retail we call it aggressive price points highlighting our best bargains at the front of the store. Take a step back, figure out we're everything is and if unsure ask. Then grab and go, no point running in unless you know what your running towards.
Buy Smart
Only buy what you need. It is so easy to get carried away. Great investments being shoes, bags or accessories however buying basics such as plain tops and tees are too. Do not buy into the fads or trends of the season as there is reason some of these goods are on sale.Top tip from me would be to buy good boots and a good coat in the January sales for the following year and buy bikinis, shorts in the summer sale for the following year but remember to buy what you love, cannot live without or 100% need.
Hope this helps xx
