I like to think of myself as a smart shopper, always comparing sales and the various deals online or in person. I remember when my friends would always say they want to go shopping with me, not because I was the most stylish, but because somehow I would very often find some really good deals.
My previous entry on My Beauty Diary masks is a good example. I managed to snatch the masks at $20 a box when just a few hours later, it was sadly raised up to $31 a box.
I think today is another really great example.
I bought these gorgeous grey True Religion straight leg jeans for just, wait for it… £30 on ASOS.
True Religions are my favourite brand of jeans, their denim is really soft and hold their shape really well. I only have 1 pair of True Religions at the moment (in addition to to these grey ones) because normally they are really expensive. A pair of True Religion jeans can range anywhere from $200USD to $400-500 for a nice pair, so I’m really happy I got these for just £30. (If you don’t know me that well, then you’ll start to learn that I’m also a huge jeans fanatic on a budget, I currently have about 10-15 pairs of jeans, nowhere near the craze of some people, but I’m hoping its a start!)
Maybe I just have a LOT of free time on my hands so that I can browse freely on these sites, but I think its all about randomness.
I dislike shopping when there are advertised sales, unless its a friend’s and family sale or warehouse sale or something the like, because often you’ll be fighting it out with other people for the same products, and the quality of service may not be as good as if you went during down-time. I managed to grab a pair of Rock & Republic jeans for $85 at the local Aritzia (a chain of boutiques in Canada that specializes in… I don’t even know how to describe it, “chic” clothes? no idea…) after a major sale was over. The price of those jeans during the sale was $100 but after the sale was over it got cut even lower.
Here are some tips when you are shopping on a budget, both in person and online:
- Like mentioned above, don’t go during a major sale, unless its like a friends & family sale (only happens once a year on REGULAR priced items and you KNOW the prices are going to go up after the sale) or warehouse sale (temporary set-up). You won’t get very good service and you’ll most likely settle for something less, like a torn seam or something just because its “on sale.”
- If you have some extra time on your hands, check the e-store or in person randomly because you’ll never know what you’ll find. Stores are always getting new stock in and they’re constantly trying to get rid of old stock (old stock can be anything from last year to last month!). Its not worthwhile, expenses-wise, to keep stock for a long time, so if you have your eyes on something, 75% of the time it’ll end up in the sale section.
- Being a student trying to pay tuition with my measly earnings, its not worth it trying to buy something full-price (of course unless you really want it, or its something that never goes on sale, like high-end cosmetics). I spend most of my time shopping in the discount section. Contrary to popular belief, one item isn’t just going to be in style for one single season, it’ll likely drag on through the year or even more (like leggings and skinny jeans). Does it matter if you buy it at the very beginning or near the middle?
- If your e-store doesn’t hold whatever inventory that you have in your cart for you, then make sure to have your credit card information readily stored in their system so you can check-out as fast as possible. In a scenario where you only have one left of something, you really want to act quick before someone else checks it out first. If you feel uncomfortable saving your information with a company, then at least have it memorized (you should have your credit card information memorized anyways!).
- Compare various stores! If you know Holt Renfrew and Aritzia both carry what you want, then compare the prices of the two to see which one is better. Also for a lot of e-tailers who carry virtually the same stock, like the ones that sell Japanese cosmetics, always compare prices (including shipping) product for product. Some stores mark up certain products higher than others, so you may be getting a deal with one product, but charged more for another.
- Join an online shopping community. My regular one is Mallvibes, but in Canada there are also Smart Canucks and Red Flag Deals. There are a ton in every country, so just search for the one that have users that have purchasing habits very similar to yours. These forumers will post up unadvertised deals regularly so you’ll always have the most up to date information about the latest events.
- Follow me on Twitter. Like I said above, recently I do have a lot of free time on my hands so I scour the net for good deals. If I find them, I will tweet about it for your enjoyment.
So thats enough of me talking. Any tips you want to share for smart shoppers?
Happy shopping!
