Today’s clothing retailers, whether they are high-end brands, discount department stores, specialty shops, or men’s clothing stores, almost universally have a high turnover when it comes to available merchandise. This means that they have a spring lineup and a summer lineup, a special display for the holidays and a redesign of certain store components several times a year. For the consumer, such a turnover translates into a myriad number of options that most appropriately fit their seasonal needs. It also creates a tremendous opportunity; with clothing items going on and off the shelf with such rapidity, a spring jacket may be heavily discounted come July 1st. A pair of pants you’ve been eying may be discounted by half only several weeks later.
Consumers are well aware of these trends. Nevertheless, most still fail to take advantage of those deep discounts that come as a result of high merchandise turnovers. So, then, how can one take advantage of this? How can we plan ahead and know when best to find the best retail deals?
Here are a few suggestions:
Know The Seasons
This is the most obvious component to keep in mind, but being able to do your summer shopping during the winter and your winter shopping during the summer can translate into considerable savings. Keep in mind: seasonal clothing is not limited to pants, jackets, and other items of clearly season attire. Some stores have seasonal rotations for apparel as universally necessary as socks and brands of boxers. You may be surprised to find that your favorite pair of boxers is cheaper during the winter months.
Ask About Shipments
When a retailer changes over their merchandise this naturally means that a new shipment has recently come in. Consequently, the days before a shipment arrives are often the time when certain merchandise items are most discounted in the store. For most stores it’s difficult to be able to predict a shipment schedule. But if you ask an employee, there’s a good chance that they’ll be glad to let you know.
Get the Surplus
There are certain times of year when retailers order large amounts of merchandise with the expectation that store traffic and sales will be higher for a given period. This often leads to short periods of steep surpluses and deep discounts. The Christmas shopping season is a case in point. If one goes to the mall just a week before Christmas, it is likely that shops are full and sales are strong. But on Christmas Day itself – and in the couple days beforehand and afterwards – retailers are often stuck with empty stores and an excess of inventory. This translates into some great sales.
Eye The Trends
If getting a good price is what you care about, it’s important to keep a close eye on the numbers. When you go shopping, take note of the price of an item that interests you. When you go back, check the price again, and then keeping noting that same item’s price every time you go to the store. What trends do you see? How quickly is the price falling? Asking yourself these questions can help you decide the best time to buy. It’s like investing in the stock market; you can’t ever know with certainly that you’re buying at the lowest price, but keeping close tabs on the price trends can help you make a highly educated guess.
Hopefully these tips can help you start figuring out the best times to get deals at your favorite retailers and on your favorite items. While a store would always prefer that you pay full price, there’s no reason not to plan ahead and buy at the right time – in the process getting the item you want at a price that works for you.
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