Shopping tips for the festive season….

By youthens on October 28, 2015 at 1:46 PM

The festive season is here and with that comes the sales. Sale! Sale! Sale! Here a sale, there a sale, everywhere a sale! Here are a few things to keep in mind that might help you get a good deal or an even better deal. Most people wait for this time of the year to do their fun shopping – TVs, mobiles, tabs, furniture, clothes and more. And with tons of retailers vying for a piece of your wallet, read below, and save up a bit if you can.

Firstly beware of marked up prices!

Here’s an easy trick that retailers pull off on customers. Marked up prices. Most consumers get excited when they see already applied ‘huge discounts’. A fancy, comparison to the original price and discounted price is also provided on the price tag, prying on the wallets of gullible shoppers. In some cases, there never was a discount in the first place. Sometimes prices are simply marked up by huge margin, and then discounted to make the original price seem like an excellent deal. For retailers, this could be fraudulent too in some cases. A good way to check and see if this is genuine, is to do an online search of the product and compare prices or discounted prices if offered elsewhere.

Do a Google search to compare prices…

Once you zero in on a product, don’t jump the gun just yet. You may think you’ve found the best deal, but keep your options open with a search. Usually with the more popular and common brands having clear identities, a price comparison pops up on a Google search, offering different prices from different e-commerce sites. This takes care of a lot. Alternatively, for electronics, mysmartprice.com is usually of great help. Make a note of the model number of the product, visit mysmartprice.com and see the price comparisons offered among a variety of sellers with delivery options and more.

Online vs store?

With all the sales, offers, coupons, mailers and annoying push notifications coming your way, some might see no other option but to shop online. Nevertheless, retail stores too have begun to offer good deals in light of all the competition with the e-commerce biggies like Amazon, Flipkart & Snapdeal. So once again, when you’re certain of purchasing a product, and if you have time, check out a nearby electronics store and compare prices. If you’re Indian, bargaining is in your blood. Play that card to the best of your skill. Retailers usually offer you on the spot discounts.

Leave items in your online shopping cart

If you’re in no hurry to buy stuff, leave items in your shopping cart. Sometimes, e-tailers might offer you better rates over a few days and inform you of price drops. So if you have time, don’t check out just yet. Leave items in your cart and try your luck.

Only few left in stock…Hurry!!!

Mostly lies! There’s always more from where that came from. Another trick to play on the psyche of gullible shoppers. If you see pleasant warnings like ‘only 4 remaining…hurry!’ don’t hurry and don’t be fooled. While one store may be low on inventory, another may be refilling their stocks. So nothing is going out of stock unless the manufacturer decides so. If simple business sensibility prevailed, shopkeepers online or otherwise would keep healthy stock of inventory of fast selling products.