Shopping the Summer Sales
Les Soldes are Wednesday! :) In France, these only come around twice a year, and it's pretty much the only time you'll end up paying the equivalent of what you would have paid back home. This can be a pretty intimidating season for people who dislike shopping or large crowds. But I love it. Here are a couple of tips I've picked up that make the whole thing go a little smoother.
1. Pick your budget
And if it's small, pay for everything in cash. This will help you calculate better as the day goes on and avoid over spending.
2. Clean out your wardrobe
And maybe your SO's. That way you can figure out what you actually need. Plus, you might also be able to resell your old clothes and get more money for the sales. Score.
3. Stock up for birthdays/Christmas
If you see something that would make an awesome gift just get it, especially during the third week of the sales when everything . Things will not get cheaper as you get closer to Christmas.
One of my friends has a daughter who gets invited to birthday parties throughout the year. She stocks up on tons of cheap toys, coloring books, children's jewelry, etc, and always has something up her sleeve when they need to give a gift.
4. Comfortable shoes
5. Dress lightly
There are a lot of people here who believe that differences in temperature will make them ill (i.e. leaving an air-conditioned room and then walking outside when it's hot out might give them a cold). There are also a lot of elderly people who believe that even the lightest breeze will give them the flu. So don't count on all the stores or any of the buses being well air-conditioned.
You'll be walking a lot, the stores will be crowded, and it's the end of June. Dress accordingly.
6. Go to Sephora first
Show up as soon as it's open and don't hesitate if you want something. They have very limited stocks and have really great reductions, but they tend to run out of the best stuff by noon on the first day.
I found an urban decay eye-shadow palette for 17€ last time. It was the only one, and I was there as soon as they opened the doors.
7. You can skip H&M the first day
They tend to have huge stocks and their prices just get better and better as the sale goes on. So if you don't have time for everything the first day and have to skip one store, this is one I recommending skipping. Chances are, they'll still have whatever you want tomorrow.
8. Be kind
During the January sales, I saw a woman put one of the items she'd been looking at back onto the counter at Sephora. Another girl came along, picked it up, and went "Oh isn't this lovely!" Woman #1 turned back to her, grabbed the blush out of the girl's hand and started screaming at her. It was classless and rude.
I'm sure we've all had moments that we're less than proud of, but there's no need to be Woman #1.
9. Skip the crowds - Shop online
Prices are often better in the store, and you get to try stuff on - but not always. I picked up a real leather jacket from New Look's website last year for 24€, thinking it was too good to be true. Nope. A couple of hours later the price shot back up to 50€, so I think someone may have originally typed in the wrong price. Generally the prices only get lower during the sales. They don't shoot back up. Win for me.
Don't underestimate the awesome deals you can get online. If you're afraid of meeting the woman we talked about in #6, this might be a really good option for you.
10. Check the zippers
4. Comfortable shoes
5. Dress lightly
There are a lot of people here who believe that differences in temperature will make them ill (i.e. leaving an air-conditioned room and then walking outside when it's hot out might give them a cold). There are also a lot of elderly people who believe that even the lightest breeze will give them the flu. So don't count on all the stores or any of the buses being well air-conditioned.
You'll be walking a lot, the stores will be crowded, and it's the end of June. Dress accordingly.
6. Go to Sephora first
Show up as soon as it's open and don't hesitate if you want something. They have very limited stocks and have really great reductions, but they tend to run out of the best stuff by noon on the first day.
I found an urban decay eye-shadow palette for 17€ last time. It was the only one, and I was there as soon as they opened the doors.
7. You can skip H&M the first day
They tend to have huge stocks and their prices just get better and better as the sale goes on. So if you don't have time for everything the first day and have to skip one store, this is one I recommending skipping. Chances are, they'll still have whatever you want tomorrow.
8. Be kind
During the January sales, I saw a woman put one of the items she'd been looking at back onto the counter at Sephora. Another girl came along, picked it up, and went "Oh isn't this lovely!" Woman #1 turned back to her, grabbed the blush out of the girl's hand and started screaming at her. It was classless and rude.
I'm sure we've all had moments that we're less than proud of, but there's no need to be Woman #1.
9. Skip the crowds - Shop online
Prices are often better in the store, and you get to try stuff on - but not always. I picked up a real leather jacket from New Look's website last year for 24€, thinking it was too good to be true. Nope. A couple of hours later the price shot back up to 50€, so I think someone may have originally typed in the wrong price. Generally the prices only get lower during the sales. They don't shoot back up. Win for me.
Don't underestimate the awesome deals you can get online. If you're afraid of meeting the woman we talked about in #6, this might be a really good option for you.
10. Check the zippers
and stitching. Sometimes when you're in speedy shopping mode, you forget to look for clothes that are really well made. A gorgeous top isn't really a steal if it falls apart the first time you wash it.
I hope all of your weeks are going wonderfully, and if you'll be shopping the sales, you'll find everything you need. If you have any tips you'd like to share, please post them below. I'd love to hear them! :)
If you're interested, I might try to throw together a Haul video at the end of this week. No promises though. My computer tends to completely break down even when I do something as simple as upload a photo at the moment, so we'll see how that goes. :P
I hope all of your weeks are going wonderfully, and if you'll be shopping the sales, you'll find everything you need. If you have any tips you'd like to share, please post them below. I'd love to hear them! :)
If you're interested, I might try to throw together a Haul video at the end of this week. No promises though. My computer tends to completely break down even when I do something as simple as upload a photo at the moment, so we'll see how that goes. :P
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