Showing posts with label Sales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sales. Show all posts
1/30/14
Labels:
Bargains
,
Bricks-and-mortar stores
,
Deprivation
,
Emotions
,
Letting go
,
Melbourne
,
Older people
,
Popular culture
,
Psychology of shopping
,
Sales
Until next time!
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Store Loss and Disenfranchised Grief
I stood with my head pressed against the glass. Behind it, a
thoroughly empty shop, long and narrow. The bald fact of it: walls, carpet,
back door. Everything else – the shelves, the posters, the old counter at the
back with its pale pink curtain into the inner sanctum that held the DVDs – all
gone. The closing down signs still mocking the windows, a picture of
understatement.
How absurd, to get upset about a video store closing! How
old was I? Well, it was early January, which is always a disorientating time
for me. And this was a local video store, not a franchise, owned by a sweet
family headed by a short, white-haired middle-aged woman who always treated me
with kindness and courtesy. This family were already installed in the store
when I started to use it after returning, ten years ago, to live in the nearby
suburb where I grew up.
It was a damn good video store, with plenty of stock to
choose from. It charged only $3 for new releases, obviously an attempt to
compete with the DVD vending machines that had become a fixture at supermarkets
in recent years.
It had no pretensions to being an arty place aimed at
cinephiles – I used to think how much more it could do to capitalise on the
hordes of students in the area – but the owner had realised, she told me once,
that keeping a back catalogue of videos rather than selling most of them off was
good for the business, tiding it over whenever the crop of new releases was particularly
disappointing.
My angst came from several sources. I hadn’t had the chance
to say goodbye and thanks for being real, and independent, and genuinely
friendly. Mixed in with this was the frustration of human curiosity – I’d
missed the inside story. I’ll never know whether the owner had simply had
enough and was retiring with a nice little nest egg, or, much more likely, was
a victim of the switch to vending machines along with the rise of Quickflix and
internet streaming – and perhaps rising store rents.
But it wasn’t just the owner I’d lost the chance to say
goodbye to. It was the shop itself, its familiar layout, the time I used to
spend painstakingly choosing my five weeklys for only $6.50. I’ve used those
DVD vending machines, but it’s just not the same. Going out to choose a video is
still a treat for me, and having a machine dispensing it takes all the fun away.
The small losses of daily life
As we get older, familiar places seem to become more important. There is so much change, and yet another small adjustment can sometimes seem like a blow.
As we get older, familiar places seem to become more important. There is so much change, and yet another small adjustment can sometimes seem like a blow.
Gerontologist Professor Kenneth Doka has an expression for
the sense of loss that we have trouble letting go of because our grief is not
socially sanctioned – he calls it disenfranchised grieving.
Such losses are often large but they can also be small ones.
Life is full of them – every new stage we enter results in the shedding of old
routines, places and companions – but modern life changes so fast that we may
be in a state of constant adjustment, never having the chance to find our feet
until the next earth tremor of change.
 |
| Pic: Grove Arcade bookstore, by Joel Kramer |
Shops are commercial ventures, but the ones we visit regularly become part of our psychic maps, our mental touchstones. I hadn’t expected to feel bereft when the Borders store at my local shopping mall closed. This occurred when the entire Australian arm of the business went into receivership in 2011. All over Melbourne Borders stores were holding closing down sales and I joined the swarms of bargain hunters combing the fast-emptying shelves for books going for a couple of dollars.
I wasn’t prepared for the sense of loss once the Chadstone Borders at closed. I knew that it was a heartless multinational, had read somewhere that workers in its US stores were so poorly paid they had to get second jobs to survive. Nevertheless there was something profoundly civilising about all those books in my local shopping mall. I’ve always fetishised books and it was the sheer number at the Borders store with its two floors that captivated me.
Still, losses have their consolations. About a year ago a new independent bookstore moved into Chadstone, with genre labels that look a bit home made, and a refusal to grant the kinds of massive discounts that stores like Borders and Dymocks have relied on. It’s a new branch of the independent chain Robinsons Books, and seems so far to be well patronised – long may it reign!
Have you ever experienced a sense of unexpected loss when a familiar store closed down?
Until next time!
12/25/11
Labels:
Bargains
,
Bricks-and-mortar stores
,
Budget shopping
,
Letting go
,
Sales
If you enjoyed this blog entry, you might also like A Free 'Shopping App' to Guide You Through the Christmas Maze.
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Keep Calm and Carry Water: Great Tips for Coping with the Boxing Day Sales
Hauling yourself out of bed at some ungodly hour after the festivities of Christmas just to buy even more consumer goods is not everyone’s idea of shopping savvy. But despite the hype around Boxing Day sales, they can be worth the effort, especially if there are things you need and you’ve planned ahead. If you decide to join the craziness, the tips below will keep you focused and ensure you don't come home with ten bottles of Old Spice aftershave past their used-by-date, a whopping headache and nothing else.
* Prepare in advance a list of items you’ll be searching for on Boxing Day. Stake out stores that you think will discount those items on Boxing Day and use this information to help you decide which shops to go to. You don't have to buy everything on the list: it's just a guide to give some structure to your shopping.
* Map your planned journey for maximum efficiency. Be realistic about how much energy you’ll have after Christmas. At the same time be prepared to deviate from your plan if your energy takes you somewhere unexpected.
* Dress for shopping success! Choose sensible clothes and comfortable shoes and get them ready the night before.
* Take advantage of one-day discounts. If you’re running out of everyday items like moisturiser or shampoo, hold off on buying them until Boxing Day and take advantage of one-day discounts that some stores offer on every item in the store.
* Keep your spending under control. Set a limit on the amount you will allow yourself to spend on the day. Do this mindfully and ensure the amount is realistic and affordable.
* Get your supplies ready in advance! Bring plastic or canvas bags. To stay hydrated, bring or buy a bottle of water and drink it while you’re queuing. Bring a healthy snack like nuts or raisins. (Alternatively, plan a relaxing meal or drink break.) If you're shopping alone, bring something to read while you're queuing up at the check-out.
* Before you go, take note of advertisements for Boxing Day sales. If you’re planning to buy a furniture item or appliance, eg a new dining setting or home theatre system, do your research thoroughly beforehand so you can rush in and rush out again with your Boxing Day bargain. If you’ve identified the exact item you want to buy but you’re not sure if it will be on sale on Boxing Day, use a smartphone to check prices, or ring around the stores on the day. This is the kind of situation where a smartphone really comes in handy – instead of the phone ‘telling’ you what to buy, you’re using it to obtain what you’ve already decided you want.
* When you hit your favourite store, take a deep breath. Use the experience as an exercise in following your energy rather than a do-or-die attempt to get everything you need. Picture a white light shining in your abdomen, and let the light guide you to where you need to go.
* If you have a smartphone, remember you're in control. Retailers will be trying to lure you into their stores with special offers. Use your intuition to decide which ones, if any, you respond to.
* Don't assume you have to buy something just because it's ridiculously cheap. Be really careful about taking advantage of those megabargains stores use to lure the early birds in. Just say you want to buy a new microwave oven and the store is selling them for $40. Have you done some research? Is this the microwave oven you really want? Will it do all the things you want it to do, and do you truly believe it's the right model for you? If not, you may be wasting your money.
* Don't be taken in by the shopping 'shoulds'. Your rational mind is very important in making the decision whether or not to buy, but it can't do the job on its own. Just say you've decided to buy one of those nifty mini-chainsaws because you want to start keeping the trees in your garden neatly pruned. You find a great model that's 35 per cent off, and you can't see any reason not to buy it. You have a niggling feeling that you shouldn't buy the chainsaw, but you ignore it, and bring one home from the sales. Two months later you get a job offer in another state and move into an apartment without a garden. If you can learn to listen to your gut feeling, you can work out when you're buying something just because of the shopping 'shoulds' - and perhaps decide not to buy at all.
* Don't give in to panic. You will probably feel a strong fear of missing out just because so many other shoppers will be desperate to get their hands on anything that looks cheap. Let yourself experience these feelings but try not to act on them, as this will actually reduce your chances of getting what you want and need. The world won't end if you don't buy a handbag at 50 per cent off. I know it feels like it will, but that's just because your mirror neurons are on overdrive and your dopamine levels are soaring. You can make a decision based on what you really need, you just have to listen. Act as if you know you’ll get what you need and you’ll be more likely to.
* Think of finding a genuine bargain as a bonus, not a right or a necessity. Remind yourself that many people don’t even bother with Boxing Day sales, waiting till a few days after Christmas before they check out the bargains. The point is not to grab every single item you might possibly need, or to compete with other shoppers, but to pick up a few really useful items if they come your way.
* Don’t follow the crowd – they’re not always right. Just because a store is packed with frenzied shoppers doesn’t mean the best bargains reside within its walls. Go where your energy guides you – you may find yourself in a nearly deserted store where the very item you need is waiting for you. On one Boxing Day outing I found myself in one of the larger clothing chains in the centre of a mob of frenzied shoppers who had poured in as soon as the doors opened. A quick look around confirmed there was nothing I wanted, and I left with hardly a twinge of regret. A bit earlier I'd found myself in a near-empty boutique, and homed in on a $20 pair of black capri pants that I was still wearing last summer.
* Be prepared to queue at the checkouts. Use the time you spend queuing to practise patience and mindfulness, and, as I said earlier, bring something to read. One Boxing Day I found a fantastic pair of good quality sunglasses at 40 per cent off. I had to wait about 25 minutes to get served and almost gave up, thinking of all the bargains I was missing out on. I got more than enough wear from those sunglasses to justify the wait.
* Practice 'letting go' even if you're in a hurry. If there's something you think you want, put it back on the shelf and start to walk away, and check out how your gut feeling responds. Really try to give up the item while you're doing this. If it's a large item, simply walk away. Now monitor how you're feeling. Do you forget the item right away or does your gut tell you to go back? Trust your intuition to let you know if you really need the item.
Until next time!
8/3/11
Labels:
Bargains
,
Budget shopping
,
Buying green
,
Carbon footprint
,
Clothes swapping
,
Ethical shopping
,
Fashion
,
frugality
,
Internet shopping
,
Online retail
,
Sales
,
Swapping
Many of us who adore fashion – me included – want to move towards more ethical ways of buying clothes. But that’s not an easy ask if you’re a budget fashionista. Despite the inroads it’s making into the mainstream, to some extent ethical, environmentally sustainable shopping is still a niche market for those who can afford sustainable designer threads, or those who can happily confine their wardrobes to organic cotton T-shirts, trousers and hoodies. (An exception is the UK, which is miles ahead.) So how do you shop ethically if you're also living frugal and on a strict budget?
If you want to buy new clothes cheaply in fashionable styles, it’s easier to source clothing that is ethically produced than clothing that is both ethically produced and completely sustainable. It is possible to combine the two, but your choices will be more limited. If you want both and your budget is low, you may be better off focusing primarily on secondhand clothes and supplementing your wardrobe with a few well-chosen new garments.
Having said that, there are some exciting options available, and they’re growing in number. The sustainability area is relatively new and very dynamic, with new brands and techniques coming on board all the time. Online stores offer some reasonably priced options, although of course you’ll need to take postage costs into account.
(BTW, I welcome any news from readers in this area. I’d particularly welcome any info about mainstream brands from non-Anglo countries that combine ethical manufacture and sustainability as well as offering great style. Because of time constraints and where the majority of readers are, I tend to confine my (limited) research to Anglo countries. If there are any stand-out brands that you think deserve a mention please let me know.)
Some of the options below, then, focus on ethically produced fashion in terms of workers’ rights rather than environmental sustainability. I’m not a full-on ethical shopper, although I’m moving nearer to it at a glacial pace. The tips below are advice to myself as much as to anyone else for shopping ethically on a budget.
* Don’t give up if you fail to be completely ethical and sustainable all at once. Make changes gradually.
* If you want to find ethical fashion on a budget, being proactive is the key. You can still rely on serendipity – great accidental finds – at op and thrift shops, but you’ll need to think ahead if you want to source the fashion you enjoy at a good price. You’ll also need to be a bit of a bowerbird, buying clothes from an eclectic range of sources. Don’t focus on just a few favourite brands or stores.
* Stake out upmarket secondhand clothes shops and designer recycling stores in your area and visit them regularly. In Australia, for example, Red Cross stores focus exclusively on selling secondhand clothes and accessories at cheap prices.
* If you love online shopping, explore the options for buying secondhand clothes online. No longer is your choice confined to eBay! Secondhand Posh sells recycled designer fashion in Australia. The Clothes Agency is a UK-based website selling secondhand (and new) clothes for a minimum listing fee. Etsy is a US-based marketplace specialising in handmade goods and vintage items, so you get a huge array of choice when it comes to both handmade and vintage clothes, and a great philosophy to boot (the handmade goods won’t all be sustainable).
* Ethical and sustainable fashion stores with high-priced clothes can still have great sales. One UK brand with online sale items at mainstream prices is Bibico. This brand is World Fair Trade certified, and the clothes are stylish. World Fair Trade certification focuses on ethical standards, but it does have a sustainability factor.
* Independent clothes stores in edgy, hip parts of town often have alternative fashion brands that are relatively cheap and yet aren’t mass produced.
* Some mainstream brands are committed to ethical manufacture, and are no more expensive than non-ethical, but they may not be green. In Australia, some of these brands don’t want to associate themselves with the move to ethical fashion and therefore don’t use their accreditation in their marketing. Sillies! I think they are grossly underestimating their customers. In Australia, these brands include Bardot and Cue, both known for their great style. A full and growing list of Australian accredited ethical fashion – only some of it proudly so! – can be found on the Ethical Clothing Australia website.
In the USA, American Apparel is an institution, offering middle-of-the-road, reasonably priced clothes that are ethically produced in the USA (according to their website – they don’t have any formal accreditation, but the info on the site is fairly thorough). Apart from some organic cotton options, most of the range isn’t necessarily environmentally sustainable.
If you live in the UK, you’re way ahead of us in this area. It really seems to be a vanguard of ethical and sustainable fashion. As more people buy ethical fashion it moves into the mainstream and the prices go down. People Tree in the UK has pioneered fashion that is both committed to fair trade standards and minimises environmental impact. The prices are a little higher than mainstream but they have excellent online sales.
* Clothes swapping is a wonderful way to reduce landfill as well as your carbon footprint. Threadswap is an Australian website that enables you to swap your unwanted clothing for credits that you then use to ‘buy’ clothes online. The Clothing Exchange runs regular swapping events in all Australian capital cities except Darwin and Hobart. The Swapaholics team holds regular fashion-swapping events in the USA, while details of UK events can be found on the Swishing website.
* The USA has a new, comprehensive accreditation system for fashion that takes sustainability into account as well as ethical employment practices. It’s early days yet and there’s not much choice offered by the retailers on the web page, although it’s good for basics.
* Visit flea markets regularly, as well as markets specialising in recycled fashion. In Victoria, markets selling recycled clothes occur periodically; for example, Take 2 Markets runs regular events in Geelong, Darebin and Hawthorn. Conduct an internet search to find out if events like this take place in your area.
* Finally, vintage clothing is such an obvious inclusion in this blog entry that I almost forgot it! But where do you start if you’re on the hunt for vintage threads? The Vintage Fashion Directory is a great guide to bricks-and-mortar vintage stores in Paris, London, LA and New York, and it look as if it will soon be enabling stores to sell online through the website. The Vintage Vault is a US online vintage boutique that offers a very long list of online vintage stores. And there is an Australian vintage fashion directory on Facebook.
Good luck in your quest for fair fashion, and remember I'm always thrilled to receive any news on this topic.
If you enjoyed this post you might also like Great tips for successful op and thrift shopping.
Read More
Be an Ethical, Frugal Fashionista: How to Shop Ethical When You're on a Budget
Many of us who adore fashion – me included – want to move towards more ethical ways of buying clothes. But that’s not an easy ask if you’re a budget fashionista. Despite the inroads it’s making into the mainstream, to some extent ethical, environmentally sustainable shopping is still a niche market for those who can afford sustainable designer threads, or those who can happily confine their wardrobes to organic cotton T-shirts, trousers and hoodies. (An exception is the UK, which is miles ahead.) So how do you shop ethically if you're also living frugal and on a strict budget?
If you want to buy new clothes cheaply in fashionable styles, it’s easier to source clothing that is ethically produced than clothing that is both ethically produced and completely sustainable. It is possible to combine the two, but your choices will be more limited. If you want both and your budget is low, you may be better off focusing primarily on secondhand clothes and supplementing your wardrobe with a few well-chosen new garments.
Having said that, there are some exciting options available, and they’re growing in number. The sustainability area is relatively new and very dynamic, with new brands and techniques coming on board all the time. Online stores offer some reasonably priced options, although of course you’ll need to take postage costs into account.
(BTW, I welcome any news from readers in this area. I’d particularly welcome any info about mainstream brands from non-Anglo countries that combine ethical manufacture and sustainability as well as offering great style. Because of time constraints and where the majority of readers are, I tend to confine my (limited) research to Anglo countries. If there are any stand-out brands that you think deserve a mention please let me know.)
Some of the options below, then, focus on ethically produced fashion in terms of workers’ rights rather than environmental sustainability. I’m not a full-on ethical shopper, although I’m moving nearer to it at a glacial pace. The tips below are advice to myself as much as to anyone else for shopping ethically on a budget.
* Don’t give up if you fail to be completely ethical and sustainable all at once. Make changes gradually.
* If you want to find ethical fashion on a budget, being proactive is the key. You can still rely on serendipity – great accidental finds – at op and thrift shops, but you’ll need to think ahead if you want to source the fashion you enjoy at a good price. You’ll also need to be a bit of a bowerbird, buying clothes from an eclectic range of sources. Don’t focus on just a few favourite brands or stores.
* Stake out upmarket secondhand clothes shops and designer recycling stores in your area and visit them regularly. In Australia, for example, Red Cross stores focus exclusively on selling secondhand clothes and accessories at cheap prices.
* If you love online shopping, explore the options for buying secondhand clothes online. No longer is your choice confined to eBay! Secondhand Posh sells recycled designer fashion in Australia. The Clothes Agency is a UK-based website selling secondhand (and new) clothes for a minimum listing fee. Etsy is a US-based marketplace specialising in handmade goods and vintage items, so you get a huge array of choice when it comes to both handmade and vintage clothes, and a great philosophy to boot (the handmade goods won’t all be sustainable).
* Ethical and sustainable fashion stores with high-priced clothes can still have great sales. One UK brand with online sale items at mainstream prices is Bibico. This brand is World Fair Trade certified, and the clothes are stylish. World Fair Trade certification focuses on ethical standards, but it does have a sustainability factor.
* Independent clothes stores in edgy, hip parts of town often have alternative fashion brands that are relatively cheap and yet aren’t mass produced.
* Some mainstream brands are committed to ethical manufacture, and are no more expensive than non-ethical, but they may not be green. In Australia, some of these brands don’t want to associate themselves with the move to ethical fashion and therefore don’t use their accreditation in their marketing. Sillies! I think they are grossly underestimating their customers. In Australia, these brands include Bardot and Cue, both known for their great style. A full and growing list of Australian accredited ethical fashion – only some of it proudly so! – can be found on the Ethical Clothing Australia website.
In the USA, American Apparel is an institution, offering middle-of-the-road, reasonably priced clothes that are ethically produced in the USA (according to their website – they don’t have any formal accreditation, but the info on the site is fairly thorough). Apart from some organic cotton options, most of the range isn’t necessarily environmentally sustainable.
If you live in the UK, you’re way ahead of us in this area. It really seems to be a vanguard of ethical and sustainable fashion. As more people buy ethical fashion it moves into the mainstream and the prices go down. People Tree in the UK has pioneered fashion that is both committed to fair trade standards and minimises environmental impact. The prices are a little higher than mainstream but they have excellent online sales.
* Clothes swapping is a wonderful way to reduce landfill as well as your carbon footprint. Threadswap is an Australian website that enables you to swap your unwanted clothing for credits that you then use to ‘buy’ clothes online. The Clothing Exchange runs regular swapping events in all Australian capital cities except Darwin and Hobart. The Swapaholics team holds regular fashion-swapping events in the USA, while details of UK events can be found on the Swishing website.
* The USA has a new, comprehensive accreditation system for fashion that takes sustainability into account as well as ethical employment practices. It’s early days yet and there’s not much choice offered by the retailers on the web page, although it’s good for basics.
* Visit flea markets regularly, as well as markets specialising in recycled fashion. In Victoria, markets selling recycled clothes occur periodically; for example, Take 2 Markets runs regular events in Geelong, Darebin and Hawthorn. Conduct an internet search to find out if events like this take place in your area.
* Finally, vintage clothing is such an obvious inclusion in this blog entry that I almost forgot it! But where do you start if you’re on the hunt for vintage threads? The Vintage Fashion Directory is a great guide to bricks-and-mortar vintage stores in Paris, London, LA and New York, and it look as if it will soon be enabling stores to sell online through the website. The Vintage Vault is a US online vintage boutique that offers a very long list of online vintage stores. And there is an Australian vintage fashion directory on Facebook.
Good luck in your quest for fair fashion, and remember I'm always thrilled to receive any news on this topic.
If you enjoyed this post you might also like Great tips for successful op and thrift shopping.
6/23/11
Labels:
Bargains
,
Bricks-and-mortar stores
,
Sales
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The Last Days of a Dying Behemoth
Picture: Anita Dalton
Borders bookstores have been holding fire sales and closing their doors all over Melbourne. I’ve found myself in three of them at various stages of dissolution – Camberwell, Chadstone and Melbourne Central.
This process began after REDgroup, owners of the Borders and Angus and Robertson chains in Australia, went into voluntary administration in February. But it intensified when the administrators announced at the beginning of June that they couldn’t find a buyer for the troubled company; now all 25 Borders stores in Australia have either closed or are due to close, not just the less profitable ones.
A few weeks ago I was in the Camberwell store on one of the last days of trading, searching for a bargain. What a forlorn picture it presented, rows of near-empty shelves with their familiar pale wood finish punctuated by small clumps of tired-looking books with bright yellow sale stickers on them.
All the shop fittings were up for sale, from magazine racks and bargain bins to card stands, tables and shelving; anyone wanting to set up a retail store could have stocked up for a song.
It was a strange feeling, seeing this slain behemoth take its dying breaths. When Borders moved into Australia almost 13 years ago it did so aggressively, threatening the viability of Melbourne’s vibrant independent bookstore culture.
The first Borders in Australia opened at the Jam Factory, in Chapel Street South Yarra, in 1998. But Borders’ most outrageous act was to situate its generic brand of bookselling in Lygon Street Carlton, over the road from a beloved Melbourne institution, Readings bookstore, with the aim of killing Readings off. Once a sole store in Melbourne, Readings had already become a small chain due to its astute business model.
Unfazed, Readings stuck to its model, continuing to hold launches, author talks and music performances several times a week, nurture its staff, and maintain a famous bargain table with discounts on quality books that put Borders bargains to shame. Readings did not simply survive, it thrived, perhaps working even harder to keep its loyal customer base; it now produces a literary newsletter once a month, complementing and advertising the author events.
(Sadly, the arrival of Borders spelled the end of trading in Lygon Street for an independent discount bookstore, Andrew's Books.)
Readings has continued to expand, with a new store opening in St Kilda a few years ago and one in the foyer of the State Library. It supports local small presses, and partners with a huge number of charitable and community organisations. Ever-adaptable, Readings recently opened an ebook store, complementing its bricks-and-mortar stores.
Yet there was no sense of triumph for me at wandering through the dying Borders stores. Only twinges of sadness at the passing of an era. For a time it seemed that Borders and Readings in Carlton had been able to coexist; having two bookshops in the one precinct was definitely an advantage for customers.
I browsed for ages in the Camberwell store before I found this bargain: a $1 hardback book on the work of the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory. It was near the back entrance, on a set of shelves with discounts even higher than the 80 per cent off most of the books had.
This kind of experience – attending a depressing closing-down sale in a bookstore – seems to be emblematic of the decline in the book retail industry in Australia. But is it?
Why the demise?
Reasons commonly cited for the demise of REDgroup are the penetration of Kindle into the ebook market, rising rents, the cost of books in Australia compared with overseas online retailers such as Amazon, import restrictions and the strong Australian dollar.
But some commentators insist that Borders failed because it did not adapt and diversify in response to the difficult conditions facing bookstores. Certainly it would be wrong to blame online bookstores alone for the failure; it’s estimated that of all the books and music sold in Australia, less than 10 per cent is sold online.
Recently the federal Minister for Small Business, Nick Sherry gave a warning to booksellers – that they would be extinct in five years if they did not pull their socks up. They loudly refuted him; the head of the Australian Booksellers Association, Joel Becker, said he was stunned, and that the minister’s remarks didn’t reflect what was going on in the industry.
One action that the Australian Government could take right away to help ease the pressure on booksellers is to remove the GST from all books, not just those sold online from overseas retailers. Sadly, that’s not likely to happen any time soon.
6/20/11
Labels:
Bargains
,
Decision making
,
Internet shopping
,
Online retail
,
Sales
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Become an expert at navigating online sales!
Websites that offer tantalising sales and get-in-quick daily offers can make shopping look like a game! How do you navigate this dizzying world of opportunity and temptation without ending up with goods that aren’t that good, or right for you?
More and more sales, whether for sleek fashion labels, cool accessories, designer towels or boxing tackle, are happening solely over the internet. Some shopping websites function as clubs that you join to receive email notice of upcoming sales. Other websites have daily deals that only last a day.
These sales can offer incredible bargains, with goods discounted by as much as 80 per cent. Arm yourself with the techniques below and you’re much more likely to find genuine bargains, while avoiding the duds!
How to make the most of online sales without overspending
* Use routing software in your email program so that all your sales email goes into one folder before you’ve read it. This means that email alerts for sales won’t confront you as soon as you open your email program - you decide when you want to view the sales.
* Allocate a set time of day and a set amount of time to go through online sales invitations. If you have a spending problem, you could confine yourself to one day of the week when you allow yourself to take part in online sales.
* Create a list of all the things you need and are thinking of buying, and keep it handy. (This is called a Priority List – more information about this list is available in my book The Inspired Shopper.) When you’re browsing an online sale and you find something you’d like to buy, if it’s not already on your list, think carefully before buying it.
* Create a budget and stick to it. This could include a set amount of money that you spend on different categories, eg clothes and cosmetics.
* Alternatively, have a preset limit you will spend on online shopping on any one day or week, or any particular sale (but use intuition to decide the amount – if you just use your rational mind you’ll be tempted to outspend the limit and end up feeling guilty).
* Try to stay in the present moment while you’re checking out the sale items. Be aware of your breathing and surroundings. Take note of your reactions to those tantalising goods as they come up on the screen, but try not to judge your reactions. (I’ll be providing more tips for staying grounded while shopping online in a future post.)
* As you’re checking out different sales, imagine yourself wandering along a shopping mall, past many shops with SALE signs. You don’t need to go into all those stores, just the ones that call to you in some way. And even if you choose to go in, you don’t have to buy.
* Don’t be tempted to buy more than you really need just because it makes the postage costs more worthwhile.
* Always use your intuition when deciding whether or not to buy, and don’t be afraid to pass on something if it doesn’t feel right. Remember, you don’t have to know why it’s not right. When you obey your gut feeling in this way, you can be sure that something better will come along at the right time.
Now that you’re armed with tools and techniques for making the most of online sales, enjoy yourself! And remember, sometimes ‘just looking’ is enough to give you that shopping hit we all crave.
6/13/11
Labels:
Bargains
,
Fashion
,
Gift giving
,
Sales
One of the reasons I became an inspired shopper was because, around the time I became a uni student more than two decades ago, I completely lost the ability to find and choose clothes that suited me. It was partly my increasingly radical political views, which assumed that anything vaguely feminine was oppressive to women, and partly that I had no money to buy clothes. They simply stopped being something I wore for aesthetic purposes.
It would take decades to regain the strong sense of style I had when I was growing up, helped by my mother’s above-average sewing skills (which sadly she never managed to pass onto me, although she tried). I’d have the odd fashion bulls-eye, say for a one-off outfit for a wedding, and then, spurred on to greater confidence by that fluke, would buy something perfectly horrible that did nothing for me.
All during this sartorially challenging period of my life, my older sister stood before me as a beacon of classic style. While all my four sisters have what I consider good taste in clothes, my older sister has better than that: ‘a good eye’. She can pick something a mile off that will last for seasons, and she seems to instinctively know which colours and styles complement her looks, and which to avoid. Nor does she spend hundreds on designer threads, although she’s capable of choosing the occasional expensive outfit for a super-special event; she mainly buys high-end chain store fashion and has been known to wear the same piece for up to four years. With an eye like hers she really should be working in retail.
Anyway, apart from a one-off event during the worst of my particularly bad dressing period when she bought me a pair of fashionable culottes as a Christmas present, and her bequeathing me some decent cast-offs from her own collection over the years, my sister doesn’t normally give me wearable presents. But at my recent birthday she made an exception to this rule because she happened across a bargain that was so outstanding she couldn’t pass it up.
I give you, ladies and gentlemen, one of the bargains of the century - brand-new sandals that are exactly 95.9 per cent off the original price. They were priced at $5, down from the original $120. My sister found them in Myers, a large department store. She was going to buy a pair for herself but the sizing wasn’t right so she bought a pair for me instead as part of my birthday present.
Now, I’m not the sort of person who wears heels every day, but I can certainly handle them on special occasions. There are some instances when heels and a fancy top are just enough to make a pair of skinny jeans or denim flares look something special. And these sandals feel pretty comfortable; they have platform soles, so they don’t result in the excessive arching of the feet that a pair of stilettos necessitates.
Oh dear, it sounds as if I'm rationalising my love of these high heels, a fashion item that is normally not high on my priority list. Let's put it this way instead - like all good presents, these sandals are something I wouldn’t have bought for myself, but I’m extremely glad my sister bought them for me!
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Sole mates, or a gift that suits me down to the ground
One of the reasons I became an inspired shopper was because, around the time I became a uni student more than two decades ago, I completely lost the ability to find and choose clothes that suited me. It was partly my increasingly radical political views, which assumed that anything vaguely feminine was oppressive to women, and partly that I had no money to buy clothes. They simply stopped being something I wore for aesthetic purposes.
It would take decades to regain the strong sense of style I had when I was growing up, helped by my mother’s above-average sewing skills (which sadly she never managed to pass onto me, although she tried). I’d have the odd fashion bulls-eye, say for a one-off outfit for a wedding, and then, spurred on to greater confidence by that fluke, would buy something perfectly horrible that did nothing for me.
All during this sartorially challenging period of my life, my older sister stood before me as a beacon of classic style. While all my four sisters have what I consider good taste in clothes, my older sister has better than that: ‘a good eye’. She can pick something a mile off that will last for seasons, and she seems to instinctively know which colours and styles complement her looks, and which to avoid. Nor does she spend hundreds on designer threads, although she’s capable of choosing the occasional expensive outfit for a super-special event; she mainly buys high-end chain store fashion and has been known to wear the same piece for up to four years. With an eye like hers she really should be working in retail.
Anyway, apart from a one-off event during the worst of my particularly bad dressing period when she bought me a pair of fashionable culottes as a Christmas present, and her bequeathing me some decent cast-offs from her own collection over the years, my sister doesn’t normally give me wearable presents. But at my recent birthday she made an exception to this rule because she happened across a bargain that was so outstanding she couldn’t pass it up.
I give you, ladies and gentlemen, one of the bargains of the century - brand-new sandals that are exactly 95.9 per cent off the original price. They were priced at $5, down from the original $120. My sister found them in Myers, a large department store. She was going to buy a pair for herself but the sizing wasn’t right so she bought a pair for me instead as part of my birthday present.
Now, I’m not the sort of person who wears heels every day, but I can certainly handle them on special occasions. There are some instances when heels and a fancy top are just enough to make a pair of skinny jeans or denim flares look something special. And these sandals feel pretty comfortable; they have platform soles, so they don’t result in the excessive arching of the feet that a pair of stilettos necessitates.
Oh dear, it sounds as if I'm rationalising my love of these high heels, a fashion item that is normally not high on my priority list. Let's put it this way instead - like all good presents, these sandals are something I wouldn’t have bought for myself, but I’m extremely glad my sister bought them for me!
2/9/08
Labels:
Intuition
,
Mindfulness
,
Sales
I love sales, I'm not ashamed to admit. And I rarely come home emptyhanded when I go to one (although I'm always prepared to). But sales have certain dangers, and this was beautifully illustrated in an article (aptly titled 'War'!) published recently in The Age newspaper by fashion writer Janice Breen Burns.
Breen alerted readers to a major trap that can beset the bargain hunter. On a shopping trip with her daughter, she bought her a pair of jeans that she assumed were $50 off the original price. After she'd checked her credit slip and gone back to the store to correct the 'mistake' she thought the sales assistant had made, she was told that the pile from which her daughter had selected the jeans weren't on sale -- although they were next to a series of piles of jeans that were all $50 off. Sneaky to say the least.
A similar thing happened when she made a bulk purchase of her favourite undies, lured by a red 'Sale' sign that seemed to indicate they were less than half-price. You guessed it -- not a cent off.
There are a couple of lessons here. Sometimes when we're at a busy mall or a shopping strip full of stores having sales, we go into a kind of fog of consumer delight. That's exactly what the stores want us to do -- the store window displays, layouts, smell, fittings and signage are all designed to encourage us to spend. The red sale signs are particularly powerful, and there's something very primeval about bargain hunting.
But there are two things that can help you avoid disaster. The first is not letting the fog swallow you up -- staying aware of what's going on for you, even if it's just acknowledging that you're salivating at the thought of that shiny black sleeveless top that has a whole $20 slashed of it, and choosing to slow down a bit in your decision making. This is mindfulness.
The second is listening to that 'still small voice' -- your intuition. Mindfulness can help you go slowly enough to do that. Have you ever been about to race into a changing room or to a counter with your booty, yet you felt something wasn't quite right? You felt uncomfortable and you couldn't identify why. It may have been that the clothes item (or whatever else you were purchasing) just wasn't right for you. It may have been that the store's price signs were misleading and you were about to be duped. Or it may have been even more straightforward than that -- you simply couldn't afford to buy the item. Listen to that inner voice -- it may be irritating but believe me, it's your friend!
Read More
Staying Mindful at Sale Time
I love sales, I'm not ashamed to admit. And I rarely come home emptyhanded when I go to one (although I'm always prepared to). But sales have certain dangers, and this was beautifully illustrated in an article (aptly titled 'War'!) published recently in The Age newspaper by fashion writer Janice Breen Burns.
Breen alerted readers to a major trap that can beset the bargain hunter. On a shopping trip with her daughter, she bought her a pair of jeans that she assumed were $50 off the original price. After she'd checked her credit slip and gone back to the store to correct the 'mistake' she thought the sales assistant had made, she was told that the pile from which her daughter had selected the jeans weren't on sale -- although they were next to a series of piles of jeans that were all $50 off. Sneaky to say the least.
A similar thing happened when she made a bulk purchase of her favourite undies, lured by a red 'Sale' sign that seemed to indicate they were less than half-price. You guessed it -- not a cent off.
There are a couple of lessons here. Sometimes when we're at a busy mall or a shopping strip full of stores having sales, we go into a kind of fog of consumer delight. That's exactly what the stores want us to do -- the store window displays, layouts, smell, fittings and signage are all designed to encourage us to spend. The red sale signs are particularly powerful, and there's something very primeval about bargain hunting.
But there are two things that can help you avoid disaster. The first is not letting the fog swallow you up -- staying aware of what's going on for you, even if it's just acknowledging that you're salivating at the thought of that shiny black sleeveless top that has a whole $20 slashed of it, and choosing to slow down a bit in your decision making. This is mindfulness.
The second is listening to that 'still small voice' -- your intuition. Mindfulness can help you go slowly enough to do that. Have you ever been about to race into a changing room or to a counter with your booty, yet you felt something wasn't quite right? You felt uncomfortable and you couldn't identify why. It may have been that the clothes item (or whatever else you were purchasing) just wasn't right for you. It may have been that the store's price signs were misleading and you were about to be duped. Or it may have been even more straightforward than that -- you simply couldn't afford to buy the item. Listen to that inner voice -- it may be irritating but believe me, it's your friend!
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