A Personal Shopper's Guide to Black Friday Shopping
"A saving is only a saving if you were going to buy it anyway." - Me, Sabrina Cheema.
I know, very wise. It took me 29 years to realise that.
It was actually my husband who made me realise that buying something just because it's cheaper, actually means you're spending more than you would have normally, because if it wasn't on sale you wouldn't have bought it. I remember in response to my 'yeah but I`m gonna save 20%', he said, 'But if you don't buy it...you'll save 100%'. #mindblown
We were probably talking about some sort of food at the time but I started to apply this nugget of wisdom to my clothes shopping as well.
Now, I'm not here to bash Black Friday and tell you not to spend, I bloody love a sale, especially at a time like this where the economy isn't at its strongest and we're all feeling the pinch, BUT, I am here to help you make more mindful decisions when it comes to shopping for clothes and accessories this year, because too often I see the repercussions of not doing so.
If I told you that the first items that people got rid of in a Wardrobe Edit were impulse purchases from the sale rack, would you be surprised? Probably not, right?
A common tendency with clothes and accessories during sales periods is 'impulse sales purchasing', i.e. buying pretty things just because they're cheap. This usually results in us having a wardrobe full of things that we don't need, we don't feel amazing in, that don't work for our body, style or even lifestyle, which means we never wear them, yet we feel a massive sense of guilt when we come across them in our wardrobe - many of us even stop ourselves from buying anything new that we actually do need because we have so much that we never wear. It's a vicious cycle, so my aim here is to help you stop the cycle before it begins again.
Below I have laid out 3 mega helpful tips to prepare you for this crazy weekend, followed by a 10 point shopping checklist for you to consider before making ANY clothing/accessory purchase:
Mega Helpful Tips for Black Friday
Ask yourself, would I have bought this if it wasn't on sale? If the answer is yes, then go for it, you were going to buy it anyway so you might as well make a saving.
Make a shopping list of things you actually need. Pop over to your wardrobe, make a list of the things you're missing and focus on looking for those when you're browsing the sales pages. At least you'll know you're making savings on what you genuinely need rather than random bits. Bonus Tip: With your shopping list in front of you, go to your favourite websites and use their 'wishlist' feature to bookmark the things you're hoping to buy - this will save you time and give you more likelihood of being able to nab your size in time.
Set a budget. Consider your finances beforehand and give yourself a budget of how much you'd like to spend on clothes/accessories. Having this number in mind at the checkout will will help you to stay focused and will force you to really prioritise what you want to buy.
And finally, before you take the items to the till or, if you're shopping online, before you decide to remove the label, check that each item you're buying ticks off all of the points in this checklist (I actually use this checklist every single time I make a clothing purchase):
10 Point Shopping Checklist
It fits my current body well.
It feels comfortable as I move around.
It makes my body look exactly how I want it to look.
It makes me feel good about myself.
The colour flatters my skintone.
It's so 'me'.
I can think of at least 3 different ways to wear it with the items in my existing wardrobe.
I don't have anything similar in my wardrobe already.
I will definitely still be able to wear this in 12 months time.
If I walk away/return it now, I won't be able to stop thinking about it.
At the risk of sounding like a party pooper...the ultimate question to ask yourself is, 'Is that money better off in my account?'.
I hope this has been helpful and I hope you bag some absolute (mindful) bargains this weekend!
Speaking of bargains...
If you've been toying with the idea of working with a Personal Stylist for some time or you know somebody who will benefit from a massive confidence boost, I'm offering a massive 20% off all services and products this Black Friday weekend, including Gift Vouchers & Stocking Fillers just in time for Christmas! You can find all the details over on www.sabrinacheema.co.uk.
(Offer valid from 24th-28th November 2022)
Enjoy!
All my love,
Sabrina xxx
