Follow these tips to save money on clothing and still look great. You do not have to spend a fortune on name brand clothes anymore. I find it amazing how much money people will spend on a brand name that is sewn on a tag inside a pair of jeans. Still, there are great ways to save money on these items.
I can tell within 60 seconds of walking into a store if I am going to purchase anything. If I have twelve sales-persons greet me when I walk in the door, more than likely I won't purchase a thing. The first reason being that they are more than likely not going to give me a chance to look at anything. I don't like people trying to sell things to me. Second, that signals that they are probably making a commission and it's doubtful that I will find a good deal. Of course, this is not to frown upon good customer service.
Having a background in retail, I almost refuse to ever pay full price for something. The first thing I do when I walk into a store is go directly to the back of the store. Most merchants keep their clearance items at the back of each department or the back of the store. You can usually find fantastic bargains on these racks. Watch for 50% off clearance items. It's also important to shop at the end of the season. Keep in mind that most stores change seasons months in advance so you can still purchase popular styles and be able to wear them at the same time. You can save hundreds of dollars just by doing this. When I shop, I work my way from the back of the store to the front. A great example is Old Navy. I always finds tons of bargains there. Especially on basic items such as jeans, t-shirts, tank tops, etc. In the recent years they have started carrying a larger selection of trendy items. Keep in mind that this is the little sister of Gap and Banana Republic. These stores are all owned by Gap, Inc. and carry similar items they just seem to go up a step in each store as far as quality. These stores need to move items fast to make room for new merchandise. I check back every month or so to see what they have marked down. They will eventually mark tons of merchandise up to 90% off. I normally pay 6.97 for a pair of 29.50 jeans or a pair of 32.50 dress slacks. This is the one and only store that I would ever buy underwear in a pack - they have really cute fashionable panties, 4 to a pack, normally 10.00-12.00. I buy them when they are marked down to .97 cents. T-shirts and tank tops that are normally $10-12, you can buy for $1.97 to $3.97. You just have to know when to go into the store. Old Navy is fantastic if you have children as well. Another store I frequent for discounted clearance items is Sears. You can usually find a lot of popular items in the Juniors/Misses departments as well as in the shoe department.
Other stores that have fantastic buys are TJ MAXX, Marshall's and Ross stores. I've found that they are also priced in that order with TJ MAXX being the more expensive, Ross being the least expensive. Ross is by far my favorite store. In any of these stores you can find great designer and name brand clothes, shoes, gifts, snacks, toys, and fragrances. These store's regular priced items are usually lower priced than most store's clearance. As an added bonus they are much better brands. They carry items from many different stores, designers, and gift items from all over the world. Some brands I've noticed are Bebe, Volcom, Hugo Boss, Steve McFadden, Converse, Hot Topic, Rage, etc. A lot of these items are 60% off of the regular prices. (Check the tags, they list the department store price). Britney Spears and similar fragrance sets that sell for around $65 in the mall can be purchased for $20 or less. A big bonus to these stores is their lingerie section. You can expect to spend about 5.99-11.99 on a $40 bra or lingerie set. Plus, they have really cute unique things. These stores are fantastic for gifts. They carry housewares, rugs, books,etc. They also have children, baby departments and even furniture. The only thing I haven't noticed a big price difference in is their holiday items. Even then, you can still expect to purchase a much more expensive item for a lot less than you would normally pay. The one drawback to these stores is that they rarely seem to keep enough staff on hand. Expect to spend time in the long lines at the checkout register.
Another big money saver - after holiday sales. These sales are usually when I try to stock up on gifts for others which is not limited to clothing items. After Christmas clearance usually runs through January. I wouldn't dare go shopping the day after Christmas, but I try to go within the first week afterward. This is a great time to visit the mall. You will find the best deals in specialty stores like Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, etc. (Yes they are also owned by the same company). I would definitely recommend Victoria's Secret semi-annual sales and after Christmas clearance. Imagine a cute box set of your favorite lotions or fragrances, usually full size bottles for a third of what you paid right before Christmas. Also, you will usually find lower markdowns at the end of semi-annual sales, although sizes and styles will be more limited. This is a great time to stock up on birthday gifts for the year and for next year's Christmas.
In the recent years I have noticed that the big discount stores such as Target and Wal-mart are carrying very fashionable and high quality knock off items of bigger name brands. They are carrying more trendy items in shoes and clothes. I love Converse style shoes and Wal-mart and Target were both carrying similar shoes - the only real difference I noticed was that the round Converse logo was missing. No one else seemed to notice as I received many compliments on my "Converse" shoes. I also buy my trainers and running shoes at Wal-mart. The are made well and are fashionable for a fraction of the price. Just remember as with any other store to try them on and walk around in them before buying.
Thrift stores and consignment shops are great places to find treasures. Just make sure the item does not smell and that it has no holes, tears, or stains. Don't pay too much for an item. I have a rule that I will not spend more than $5 on any one item in a thrift store. Unless it's a piece of furniture. Consignment shops usually carry bigger name brands and the clothes have usually been cleaned and ironed. I have found that a lot of these stores are over-priced. Sometimes it seems the owners want to get full price for a used item just because it's in good condition. Unless it's something you were looking for or have to have, I would not recommend spending more than half of the retail price. Also - on more than one occasion, I have seen owners of consignment shops purchasing their merchandise from the same thrift stores I buy things in. That is misleading considering they want you to believe that their items come straight from one of their other clients.
There are also some things you should avoid doing when discount shopping. Do not buy items just because they are on sale. Only buy something that you really like and plan to wear often. If you see an expensive pair of jeans that you know you would wear frequently, buy them. I always recommend dividing the price of an item by the number of times you expect to wear it. If you will only wear it once, then spend less on it. Another rule is to never buy something that you expect to wear after you lose weight. Most importantly, you should try everything on before you buy. Also check the store's return policy, especially when buying gifts. Always keep your reciepts. Make sure your items ring up correctly. Many times discounts may need to be keyed in manually.
Hopefully these tips will be helpful in saving you money!