The Art of Sale Shopping

I thank my beautiful Mother for teaching me the art of smart shopping. I remember I was so stubborn when we would go shopping when I was younger. She would always go directly to the sale racks and I would head for the new items. She would always make me try stuff on before we bought anything and I just found that so

annoying! Thankfully I have gotten smarter and I have learned my own tricks of the trade.

Shopping the sale items might not sound like a difficult task, but sometimes it can be. Usually stores will put their sale items in the very back of the store. The reason for this is because they want you to pass by and get distracted by all of the other new items, which are full priced and sometimes over priced. You have to be smarter than the store. Don’t let them trick you into buying new expensive items when you could possible get something just as good, if not better, on the sale rack.

When you enter a store first thing you should do is go directly to the sale items. If you cannot find any clearance section or sale section ask a worker for direction. Try to stay focused. When you are looking for the sale section you might see things that you like, but just wait and come back to it later. Most of time, at least in my experience, you will find sale items that satisfy you and your shopping needs so much that you will forget about the new items all together.

Once you find the sale or clearance section remember to be patient. One reason why sale items stick around the store for so long is because people want to shop fast. They don’t want to spend time sifting through piece after piece trying to find a winner. Sale sections are often not very organized. They are usually separated by size however, by people going through them, things get put out of place. Another reason why people feel like they don’t have the time to go through sale racks is because sale items are not organized like non-sale items. The new things are all together, separated by sizes, usually on a front display and possibly even shown on a mannequin. This attracts people because of the ease of the shopping. You see the items because they are in front. You then see how it looks paired with other clothing, and the fact that all of the sizes are in order by size making it an easy grab and go shopping item. Sale items again are normally located in the back of the store (or section…if it is a department store such as JCPenney’s or Macy’s) therefore they are not easily seen. They are also no longer displayed on mannequins so the buyer cannot easily imagine what it will look like on them, or paired with other clothing. So when going through a sale rack be patient and look at every item. This might be time consuming and you may not find something every single time, but trust me, it will be worth it once you find a 50 dollar dress for $3.97 (no joke, I’m living proof!)

Another important detail of sale shopping is to look in ads, online and signs announcing sales. By doing this you will know when you need to hit the sale to make sure you have a better chance of getting the stuff you want in your size. Looking through the sale items is always easier at the beginning of the sale as well because they tend to still be in some sort of order.

My next tip is to completely look through and try on everything you find on the sale racks before you go to the full priced sections. Normally after trying on clothes at stores we go straight the register with the items we want to purchase. By trying on the sale items before heading to the new sections of the store you are more likely to be satisfied with what you found for yourself on sale. In my shopping adventures I have found that I am content and happy with what I have found on sale. I’m also happier once I get to the register. Purchasing five items for 50 dollars is way better than buying one item for 50 dollars.

So let’s review. Head for the sale section immediately, be patient, look through everything, try on sale items before you head to the newer sections (if you even decide to go to the new sections), and most importantly enjoy yourself! Remember shopping should be fun, it is how we spend our hard earned money, do all you can to save as much for other things in life.

Happy Saving!