At least Next are busy

olly300

robin_banks wrote: »

Good point, I occasionally go to sales, but do you actually need it, a £100 coat reduced by 50% still costs you £50, the amount of items bought in sales and never worn and never worn is unbelievable.

Another issue is that if you are a keen bargain hunter you already know how to get lots of bargains for items you actually want and will wear without the scrum.

For example there are outlet shops near me that sell coats, etc at least half the price but often much more than the shops with the shop labels in. (They put a cut in the label.) Plus if I want cheap tights I know to get them at the beginning of September from M&S.

louby_lou

olly300 wrote: »

Another issue is that if you are a keen bargain hunter you already know how to get lots of bargains for items you actually want and will wear without the scrum.

For example there are outlet shops near me that sell coats, etc at least half the price but often much more than the shops with the shop labels in. (They put a cut in the label.) Plus if I want cheap tights I know to get them at the beginning of September from M&S.

exactly. if it were really such a good deal for us would they spend so much money advertising it to us. buy your winter coat on ebay in July i say. god im such a miser!

olly300

louby_lou wrote: »

exactly. if it were really such a good deal for us would they spend so much money advertising it to us. buy your winter coat on ebay in July i say. god im such a miser!

Nope you are not.

Why go through the hassle of shopping when it's busy when you can do it without that hassle. I have to go to the supermarket today and I'm just sitting here because I know it will be horrible.

Geenie

robin_banks wrote: »

Good point, I occasionally go to sales, but do you actually need it, a £100 coat reduced by 50% still costs you £50, the amount of items bought in sales and never worn and never worn is unbelievable.

Such a good point. I wonder how much of this stuff being bought now is actully really needed by people! There seems to be an obssessive compulsion to shop and spend money in this country, especially at sales times, and buy ever more stuff to chuck away in a few months or a year.

I suspect many of these people experiencing highs at the moment getting their so called bargain, will feel low in a few months, when the added interest on their CC's if purchases are not paid off in full, will make that dress etc not seem such a bargain after all!!

I think this article in the Times today is very apt.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/libby_purves/article5408244.ece

Walletwatch

From a purely consumer-oriented perspective on sales, I have seen predominantly three kinds of exponents in the 'sales' frenzy:

1. These are people who will just go out when the sales are expected - e.g. Boxing Day, Jan sales, Easter sales - these are predominantly housewives (and I speak from personal social interaction experience, not meaning to sound sexist at all). They tend to pick up anything and everything that is considerably reduced in price irrespective of whether it is an imminent need to their daily lives. These are the retailers' top target market who are expected to pick up maximum of the 'sales' stuff, and are going to be a fast-dwindling lot due to the invariable reining in that will accompany this recession. No wonder the sales are earlier and apparently more pronounced this year.

2. These are people who strictly decide what they need for themselves and family, and go about sales shopping based on these lists. Ohh, the extent to which these guys prepare themselves for sales is unbelievable (my wife, bless her, is one of them). They hunt in packs and visit the target shops one week in advance, looking up items that could potentially be on sale and trying them on, etc without actually buying them. This serves two purposes - they know they buy the right sizes during sales when trials are not allowed in most places and they know what the reduced prices are from last week, so won't be conned by a 70% markdown, which actually isn't 70% !!!! Besides, on sales day, they go to a favourite hunting ground like Bond Street, and distribute the area between themselves, being constantly on the phone with the rest of the pack - so if my wife spots something that somebody else in her group had actually chosen for herself, she will call her and relay information on price, number of pieces available, etc. and pick up the piece for her friend if required, thus optimizing the overall sales shopping experience.

3. Finally, there's people like me, who'd like to believe they are true MSE'ers, and only buy what they need, but go into a sale (pour moi, especially a tech products store) and let go... you want to know yourself as belonging to category 2 above, but invariably shift to category 1... Fortunately for me, it doesn't extend to what for me are commoditized goods like clothing.

There is a category of firms that I must take my hat off to here - Apple, whose products I have recently become a great fan of, who will not reduce their prices, and still continue to generate demand, from a purely pull approach to marketing rather than push. Don't know how they manage to do it, but am still ready to pay top dollar for their products, given the positive experience I've had with most of them (well, all of them except the wireless mouse, which I think is hideous and best avoided as they cost 50 quid)

Petlamb

Don't get me started on the Next sale, lol. It's not much fun as staff, from what I remember. (It's actually also one of the questions in the interview, as to whether you're willing to work it - and the long stocking nights before too)

These days I don't tend to buy too much at all really due to utter lack of income.. But if it is something I really do want I'm not adverse to a sale - things like gift box sets 50% off in boots, (afaik) can work out fairly well.

In the main though, sales are utter bull. You'll save more in the long run by trying to be as savvy a consumer as possible the whole year round.

fc123

misskool wrote: »

Sorry for going OT on this thread, but that's a particularly pertinent point. I try to be a savvy shopper on clothes but prefer them to be natural fibres and will always pay more for them. I hate going to the shops because everything is acrylic/polyester/crap. And I can't really afford the supreme virtuousness of the organic brigade. I try my best to buy fair trade clothes that suit me.

And clothes should be designed for women, not the stick insects who walk around parading them.

I do feel that the end result of all the clone towning, large chains and shopping centres as The Place to shop hasn't really given the consumer MORE choice after all...it seemed like it for a few years.....but doesn't feel like it now.

I remember Bluewater opening and being bowled over by it, the Zara (the first to open in UK) blew me away at the time.

The stick insect debate crops up a lot, but thin is currently 'fashionable' (rightly or wrongly) but, years ago, that market (normal / larger sizes or natural fibres say) would be taken as an opportunity by an individual who would open up their own boutique, source the clothing that they liked themselves...then hope others like it too, enough to sustain thier business.

Now, it's much harder for specialist retailers to get on the first rung of the retail ladder......in the end, a few of these new retail concepts are the chains of tomorrow.

But it will change again, vacant units will eventually drop in price, the big guys will be chasing their tales and someone will see an opportunity for the taking.

fc123

Walletwatch wrote: »

From a purely consumer-oriented perspective on sales, I have seen predominantly three kinds of exponents in the 'sales' frenzy:




3. Finally, there's people like me, who'd like to believe they are true MSE'ers, and only buy what they need, but go into a sale (pour moi, especially a tech products store) and let go... you want to know yourself as belonging to category 2 above, but invariably shift to category 1... Fortunately for me, it doesn't extend to what for me are commoditized goods like clothing.

There is a category of firms that I must take my hat off to here - Apple, whose products I have recently become a great fan of, who will not reduce their prices, and still continue to generate demand, from a purely pull approach to marketing rather than push. Don't know how they manage to do it, but am still ready to pay top dollar for their products, given the positive experience I've had with most of them (well, all of them except the wireless mouse, which I think is hideous and best avoided as they cost 50 quid)

Category 3 is a man.;) .
I have had a few women like your wife in recently, trying on and memorising stock they like. Good idea if one has the time especially in certain outlets.

One actually had a bit of a go at poor OH.......Something along the lines of
''Why isn't this on sale?''

''Because it's a bestseller and no need for it to be cleared''

'That's not fair, I want it and have been waiting for it to be reduced''
She was quite cross too.

lynzpower

Ive done the next sale at 5am for the last couple of years, and have done well out of it. Its one of the few places I know I can buy jeans without trying them on and for high st quality, I think its pretty good. PLus lots of the stuff they sell doesnt need ironing.I regularly pop into Next clearance throughout the year too.

this year I couldnt be bothered to get up for the sales so went in on Sat to bournemouth next - it was totally dead and only one person in front of me at the till.

I bought a watch ( which I was hoping Santa would bring me) and a lovely mac for grand total of 22 quid. Given that I had a gift voucher I was even more pleased.

It was certainly not the jumble sale- I came away totally unscathed. It was dead. and they had loads of shoes left and everything in all sizes.

fc123

lynzpower wrote: »

Ive done the next sale at 5am for the last couple of years, and have done well out of it. Its one of the few places I know I can buy jeans without trying them on and for high st quality, I think its pretty good. PLus lots of the stuff they sell doesnt need ironing.I regularly pop into Next clearance throughout the year too.

this year I couldnt be bothered to get up for the sales so went in on Sat to bournemouth next - it was totally dead and only one person in front of me at the till.

I bought a watch ( which I was hoping Santa would bring me) and a lovely mac for grand total of 22 quid. Given that I had a gift voucher I was even more pleased.

It was certainly not the jumble sale- I came away totally unscathed. It was dead. and they had loads of shoes left and everything in all sizes.

I am really suprised by that too. Next sale is usually mobbed for a few days.