Sunday, March 7, 2010

Secret shopping tip: Best sale day

Have you ever gone shopping for a weekend sale and been disappointed? You’re not alone, many of us will get up early Saturday morning, coffee in hand, and credit card in the other, only to find the stock half cleared by the time you gets there. The color you want isn’t available, your size is sold out and nothing on your list looks like it’s going to get checked off. It’s turning into a very grim shopping trip.

There’s actually a specific day to go shopping to avoid the disappointment.

Thursday between 6 and 9pm. Thursday is actually when weekend sales begin.

Many retail shops get their new stock delivery between Monday and Wednesday. Store employees will usually spend these three days trying to rearrange the store to fit the new merchandise. Weekends are usually devoted to customer service, so employees are not allowed to put out stock during weekends. To help make room for the new items, old merchandise is quickly marked for sale. Thursdays are usually when this gets completed, though they can be some leakage into Friday.

Because the merchandise has just been marked as a sale item, and majority of people don’t shop on that day, there’s a greater chance of finding your size and color preference. You can also ask the employee to check at the back during this time. If you try on a Saturday or Sunday, you can often hear a polite, “No, it’s just whatever’s out” which is not always true.

Fridays are not bad either; however the problem with Friday is payday. A few companies allow employees to hold sale items in the back that they want to purchase. Because employees know firsthand what items are going on sale, they get first dibs. And most employees will wait till payday to buy these items which is usually Friday. If you are going on a Friday, try to go earlier than 5:00pm.

Besides the sales, Thursdays are good days for freshness, especially for Lush stores. I was told by one employee that the best day to buy the freshest products is Thursday. She was right. There was a difference between the fresh face mask I bought on Saturday vs Thursday. Thursday’s not only smelt fresher, it lasted longer.

The next time you want to set your alarm for a big weekend sale, remember to set it for Thursday between 6 and 9. Happy Shopping.

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