Get the Most Out of Your Shopping

If someone were to ask me "what's the best way to make friends?" I'd say, take them shopping. You can discover a lot about a person from the way that they shop, the same way you can tell a lot by the way someone dresses. If you and your new acquaintance head to a shopping mall, (though not my ideal place to shop) you'll soon know this persons interests, passions and priorities. 

Or maybe it's just me. 

The sure fire way to bond with me is to take me shopping. By the end of the day you'll have tried something on you never would have dreamed you could wear, find the most beautiful shade of Nars lip gloss that you didn't even know existed and met a slew of my cherished employees/friends.

Now I've got myself itching to go shopping. Instead, I'm going to share with you the secret to the most enjoyable and practical shopping experience. I bet some people think I'm frivolous when I shop, not unlike Rebecca Bloomwood (confessions of a shopaholic). But there is a method to my madness and it comes in 3 steps. 

To Shop Alone or Not to Shop Alone

Growing up, I was a very self conscious teen. Let's be honest, I still am in many ways. Shopping by myself never sounded appealing. People would think of me as strange, a loner, or someone with no friends and nothing better to do. Now, I think it is a sign of strength to shop alone. It's not only more efficient, but allows you to stay inside your own head. I thrive when I lock myself in my brain and only have my thoughts and ideas to keep me company while I sift through the racks and swatch until my arms are covered. Some may feel differently, and enjoy the dependent experience of shopping with a companion or two. The perks of having someone there is you then have someone to offer up an opinion. If you're a frivolous shopper you may want to shop with someone more practical and vise versa. A pair that hates spending money aren't ideal to go browsing together. The key is to find that balance. 

Sales

Everyone loves the quickening of your heart beat when you see that sale or clearance sign. Sale's are dreamy, but sometimes they can simply be a rip off in disguise. I'm guilty for getting sucked in by the big red signs and not fully considering what I'm buying. The best advice I can give you is to ask yourself, would I buy this is it wasn't on sale? If the answer is yes, by all means, take advantage. But if the answer is no, put it back, and reassure yourself that the money you would have ended up spending will go towards something you'll really love.

Impulse vs. Planned Purchases

It's okay to browse. It makes up almost 80% of the fun of shopping! I don't know where that number came from but I'm fairly confident I'm right. 
However, when you are shopping for one specific thing, you have to commit to that item. Everything else you see is like amenities at a hotel, play with them, try them while you're there but you can't take them home. Impulse purchases are one of my greatest pleasures in life. By nature I am someone who loves to plan her purchases months in advance, weigh all the options, look for alternatives and save up the money. Needless to say, an impulse buy is quite the rush for me. To quote Ms.Bloomwood, "a store can awaken a lust for things you never even knew you needed". 

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional impulse purchase, as long as it doesn't become an addiction.

 Another thing to consider is the price limit on impulse purchases. Splurges should not be bought on a whim unless in very special circumstances.

Happy Shopping Everyone!


Thanks for reading.

-Emily