Survival tactics

Who braved the Peep Toe sale on the weekend? This is one sale that was always bound to be manic. When I drove past the Paddington Town Hall on the Friday night before the sale some crazies were camped outside, sleeping in sleeping bags, hiding behind umbrellas! What the?! I decided at that point that I would give it a miss, a manic sale just freaks and stresses me out. Who wants to wait hours in a queue to then have to scramble about grabbing everything in sight, getting nude in front of strangers and vying for time in front of the mirror, only to then come away with a bunch of stuff we don't need that on closer inspection is faulty and stained or just totally ill fitting...

So what are the survival tactics of a successful sale shopper? Mine are:

1. Queues - if you have to wait in one have some reading material or a good buddy. Go get a coffee beforehand and keep some sunscreen in your handbag (for those outside cues).
2. Get there early as this will at least help minimise your wait in the queue. I personally hate queuing and would rather go early on the second day of a sale than have to wait for 2 hours on the first day.
3. Check your purchases before paying. Nothing worse than getting home to find you bought faulty stock. If you find a fault ask for a further reduction in price.
4. Think about why something is on sale - does it have a design fault, is it ridiculously uncomfortable, is it a trend no longer etc
5. Ask for further reductions. I sometimes go on the last day of a sale just to see what is left and then ask for reductions to the already reduced price. This usually works at the smaller boutique sales.
6. Try not to get carried away. I know this is a hard one. Sales thrive off us being irrational and getting totally carried away. Have something in mind before you go. Only buy things you know you need or are very likely to need (seriously).
7. Only buy things that go with at least 2 outfits out already own.
8. Only buy on trend items if they are super cute as what is on trend at a sale is usually soon to be a trend on longer.
9. Have a budget and don't blow it!

So I did end up going to the Peep Toe sale but on the Sunday morning. The queue took about 15-20 minutes as the doors hadn't opened yet and the place was fully restocked. Perfect! Those people at Peep Toe know how to run a smooth sale.

My purchases:

Miss Mallorca (I got these in patent black) - perfect for work and for weekends!




Miss Manhattan