The perfect day? An unlimited credit card, eight uninterrupted hours and a stretch of outlet stores ahead of me. A girl can dream, can't she?
My entire fashion career has been based on shopping, from the time I was a buyer to now as a fashion journalist. So it's a good thing I adore shopping and consider it both a hobby and a professional pursuit.
Along the way, I've streamlined the shopping process and found these tips to be helpful:
- Go it alone. I know that shopping can be great fun with a pal, but I've made some of my most regrettable shopping purchases in the company of someone else. Once, a young co-worker talked me into a pricey designer bag and I wanted to show her how cool I was, so I bought it and immediately regretted it. Although I'll browse with friends, for serious shopping I now do it alone.
- Make friends with the salespeople. Want to get someone to clue you into an upcoming sale or hold a coveted item just a bit past store policy? Be friendly with the salespeople and you'll have your "in."
- Shop in stores that aren't "you." If you repeatedly go to the same stores, you may be missing out on some great buys. I tried Zara and loved it, although I initially thought it might be too young. And I've bought from Michael Kors boutique even though I initially thought it was too expensive. Go in with the "Try it, you might like it approach."
- Do your hair and makeup. When you're trying on clothes the last thing you want is to get distracted by how splotchy your skin looks in the dressing room light.
- Take suggestions from the salespeople. Let your salesperson bring you items in your size and budget that might not be your style. Many items, especially dresses, don't look too appealing on the hanger but look much better on and a salesperson would know that.
- Don't get distracted by sales. I'm all for saving money, but if you only hit the sale racks you may be wasting more money than you save. How? By buying items that don't work back to other pieces in your wardrobe or (worse) by buying something that doesn't quite fit or work with your style just because it's 75% off.
- Shop for research only. Lots of times I'll hit my favorite stores just to try on and see what fits and what's new. Because the chain stores all have websites, I'll then wait for these items to go on sale online if they are still regular price in the store. If you need a coupon for an online store, it's a cinch to Google "(store name) coupon" and come up with hundreds of sites that keep track of online coupons.
- Check out return policies. OK, I'll admit it: I'm a serial returner. Sometimes I like to go home and try pieces on with existing items in my wardrobe to make sure it looks like I want it to; other times I just change my mind. I try to only shop in stores with generous return policies so I don't get stuck with something I won't wear.
What's your favorite shopping tip? Share!
