Shop Free

I started this new year with a vow not to shop, actually not to buy, any clothing or accessories in the month of January.  Never mind whether I've stayed true to my goal,  the real story is in the why and how.

Typically, for me, a shopping-fest occurs in the post-Xmas days.  It usually lasts through January.  Great deals, great stuff.  Not just impulse purchases either; rather, I find items I've admired from afar for months.  One time it was a pair of over-the-knee fur-lined boots reduced from $1300 to $400.  Another was a similarly priced handbag.  We're talking 65-75% off here, folks.  Practically free, in shopper vernacular.

But this year, nothing.  Not a thing from the deeply discounted holiday deals.   And, now, mid-January, it's basically over - the big sales stuff has left, or is about to leave, the big stores.   The on-line selections are meager.

So why did I do it?  Yes, I didn't want to spend the money.  No, I really don't need anything.  And there was nothing I coveted from the fall/winter selection.  I didn't want to fall prey to the "it's on sale, so I'll buy it" mentality.  Yet, I did check out my favorite websites on December 26.  I wasn't even tempted.

Here's what I found:  if I didn't want it at full price, it's no big deal to pass on the discounted price.   More importantly, the sales aren't what they used to be.  No more double and triple reductions.  Not much selection.  Clearly the stores have successfully reduced their inventory and are selling more at full price.  Top store sales associates told me that a delayed price reduction in top designer merchandise led to higher non-discounted transactions.  In other words, if prices stay high, people buy at those higher prices, at least  during the holidays (we're talking high-end here, folks).

On the surface, it sounds great.  No discount deluge.  But here's the downside:  full price buying.  That's where I got tripped up by my vow.  Cryptic, perhaps - just read between the bar code lines and don't tell my husband.    :)