The Sales

[Andy]

I feel very strongly on the subject of this - prams should either be
a) banned completely
b) driven by people who have to take a taste

I write this after having my ankles rapped by 3 prams in the space of 10 minutes during the walk through the Centre by absent-minded mothers going ''Look Glen, Ben Sherman have a sale on'' THWACK! ''you can get that shirt you wanted Billy, sorry love, did I catch you?''. At least they said sorry (it wasn't convincing enough) but it didn't make up for the pain

Anyway, the point of my posting -

Having braved the Trafford Centre for a 10am opening of H Samuel to pick up a Coalport figurine I hastily departed because it was unbelievably busy at 10.15am. In fairness, I did get 1/3 off my purchase but it was overpriced to begin with. I was virtually battered down by a Mancunian in his enthusiasm to get to a cheap necklace and virtually beheaded by a Next Clearance bag from a middle-aged woman desperate to get to French Connection.

I did however have a look at some of the shops and this is what really kind of annoyed me about all the ''hype''. For instance, Music Zone had huge ''80% off'' signs. This should really have read ''80% off the really crap stuff that hardly anyone watches and 10% off the decent stuff''. Virtually no savings were to be made on any decent stuff there. I didn't dare brave the manic masses that were the clothes shops.

This has posed a number of questions for me to ask you guys - 1) Are there any real bargains to be had out there? 2) Is the bargaining worth the hustle and bustle of annoying queues and screaming kids for the sake of saving a tenner? That we probably then spend on a coffee and a piece of cake to calm us down! 3) Do we just tend to buy things that we don't actually need because it is on 'cheap' and that makes it OK?

I was just interested in your views.

[Fez]

1) Are there any real bargains to be had out there?

i've found that particularly with CDs its actually cheaper for me to have them imported from america. an album i recently got from the states for ?5 cost ?8.99 at music zone in leigh - and for them 8.99 is cheap!

2) Is the bargaining worth the hustle and bustle of annoying queues and screaming kids for the sake of saving a tenner? That we probably then spend on a coffee and a piece of cake to calm us down!?

quite simply no!

3) Do we just tend to buy things that we don't actually need because it is on 'cheap' and that makes it OK?

am i the only one who sees a 2 for 3 offer and ends up spending five times as much as i would normally because i'm deluded into thinking its a good deal?

[johnriley1uk]

My suggestion is, settle down in front of your PC, place a glass of wine or alcohol of your choice by your side (but not where you can spill it on the computer) and visit such delightful places as eBay, Amazon, play.com or wherever your wish takes you.

You will save petrol, parking fees and stress and will probably find as many bargains as your heart might desire.

[Andy]

am i the only one who sees a 2 for 3 offer and ends up spending five times as much as i would normally because i'm deluded into thinking its a good deal?

Nope, you suffer from a common symptom known as femaleinasda. This disease strangely only occurs with women in Asda when they are with their boyfriend and they see something the don't need and decide to buy it. They do not realise that they have moved the price up on the item or that the item was wanted by no-one in the first place and is stock clearance.

This also happens on the '2 for ?2!!!!' deal when they fail to realise that the item originally costs ?1.10 and they are in fact saving 20p buy losing 90p because they are ending up with something like pickled onions that they don't need, will never use and then blame it on you for not eating it as they are throwing it away.

I did not know that it had leaked to men. That is disturbing. Possibly world-changing

[BarcelonAl]

1) Are there any real bargains to be had out there?

I'm sure there are, but you'd have to do a lot more elbow battling in order to find them.

2) Is the bargaining worth the hustle and bustle of annoying queues and screaming kids for the sake of saving a tenner? That we probably then spend on a coffee and a piece of cake to calm us down!

No it's not worth it, especially when you know it will be reduced in price for the next two months while they shift the stock they brought.

3) Do we just tend to buy things that we don't actually need because it is on 'cheap' and that makes it OK?

Yes. It is the age-old, misguided feeling that we have got one over on the seller by getting a bargain. It's all lies!

[Mike]

I went shopping with the gals in Trafford Centre yesterday. We were looking for Bridesmaids dresses (which we got!) and were shopping from 10:00 till 16:30.

All in all I would say, yes there are bargins and Yes some people take it way, way, way too seriously! I managed to walk away with a nice pair of trousers and a couple of DVD's which I was very pleased with.

[johnriley1uk]

You went shopping for how long?

However did you do it? Did you survive?

[Andy]

Six and a half hours! You deserve a medal! At the very least a beer.

When I went shopping in Glasgow with Rowenna's dad we took six hours and had four refreshment breaks that last a 1/2 hour each. By 5 we were merry enough not to care!

Where did you get your bridesmaid dresses from? I am curious as we shall be needing to purchase them next year.

[Mike]

We went looking in the sales in Trafford in Oasis, Coast, Selfridges, Debenhams, John Lewis and lots of others that I can not remember. Eventually we went for the first dresses we saw at Debenhams. They were the right colour and gave the bridesmaids a choice between a long or short version. They chose a long version which I think suited them very well. :D

[Andy]

Eventually we went for the first dresses we saw at Debenhams.

Isn't that always the way? You see something, tell her it looks nice and then spend four hours trawling round telling her she ''looks nice but yet, not as good as the first one dear'' only to be given a frown and dragged off to the next exotically named store with crap music playing to be shown another outfit that is completely different because it sewn together differently! She then says that she thinks she was right and you should have convinced her more and goes back to the first shop and first item! Women!

On a side note, B+Q had a sale which was good and it wasn't busy, which was also good. This meant I managed to purchase a nail gun at a reasonable price and get the beading done on the laminate which made my front and back rooms look 'finished'. They also had some really good deals in the ''special offers/discontinued/slightly damaged'' section which were purchased. All in all, that was the best one I have been to so far for value and safety.

[Mike]

lol, they should have a slogan - B&Q a real Mans Sale! We had to go to B&Q in stockport yesterday because we could not find a single curtain rail which was 1500mm wide anywhere else. The sale was rubbish partly because half of the store was closed for refurbishment. I am not really sure how you refurbish a shed but I bet it will be good when finished.

[Claire]

2) Is the bargaining worth the hustle and bustle of annoying queues and screaming kids for the sake of saving a tenner? That we probably then spend on a coffee and a piece of cake to calm us down!

I like this idea; it appeals to me greatly. anything that allows me to have cake and break even on the cost has got to be worth serious consideration (father's a Yorkshire man, you know)
as for sales in general, i think that there are some real bargains to be had. i've bought a few odds and sods for my house that are half price like utensils, but it seems the real savings are to be had on bigger items like sofas and beds which it's pointless for me to buy yet what with completion still being some weeks off! i think that's why people go mad in the sales - it's the panic of thinking i've got to buy it NOOOOWWWWW or it'll cost me ?3,490 more next week. i'm certainly peeved that i'm having to hold off because sometimes it seems that you could buy a washing machine or a TV one week and it could literally cost you ?200 more when the sale's off - and that's the cost of a whole other appliance.

[John Knight]

yes we just bought a 3 piece suite, and a new dining table and 8 chairs in in the sales. Just need lawyers to get fingers out of arses and complete the sale of our house so instead of being in a very large pile in boxes i can get it in use.

[John Knight]

and its a 10 week delivery on suites at dfs so we should be completed and moved by then.

[Mike]

Do you have a move date yet? Have you any photos of the new place? Where is it? So many new year questions, so little time. :D