Mid-August is a good time to shop for Canadians.  Our retail stores are putting a lot of their inventory on sale and getting ready for the back-to-school rush.  One can definitely find some bargains on shoes, clothes, furniture and pretty much all summer (last season’s) items.  But with the sales come the crowds, and depending where and what time and day you go, the shopping experience can be a little less easy and relaxed than one would like.

My boyfriend, “S”, and I just finished his once-a-year big clothing shopping spree yesterday afternoon, a Saturday, at Metrotown Mall, one of the biggest and busiest malls in the Greater Vancouver area.  It was not an easy ride because the mall, naturally, was overflowing with bargain hunters rushing and very eager to get the best deals and the last of their desired clothing items in their size and preferred colours.  There were long line-ups for the fitting rooms, half the items S wanted were not available in his size.  There was pushing and shoving and few rude words spewed from some harried shoppers (but not from S and me, we are very polite, hehe).  Not only are the shoppers stressed, but the salespeople experience much pressure on them, too.

I find that in these situations and environments it is especially important to be extra vigilant with money, debit and credit cards, receipts and purchases.  I have left a package or two behind in the fitting rooms in the past and once a pre-occupied retail clerk gave me back the wrong credit card after a transaction.  And I can’t even remember the number of times the wrong amount of change was given back to me from a purchase made with cash.

After a few times losing purchased items and being short-changed, I strive to be a little more organized each time while shopping:

a.  I now bring a couple of big, sturdy bags with me where I can stuff several stores’ worth of goods inside with the logic being the less packages you have to carry, the less likely you will lose or leave one behind.

b. I also keep all my purchases’ receipts and never leave the receipts in their shopping bags for 3 reasons - if I go home and am unhappy with the item I bought, I can go back to the store for a refund and not just an exchange because I have the receipt; I can calculate how much I spent; and in the odd event that someone lifts one of my packages and I catch him/her I can prove to security that the package and items are mine because I have the receipt.

c. I look at the purchase total before I sign a credit card receipt or punch in my debit card number and I never let my cards leave my sight while they are with retail clerk.

d. I count my change carefully while still at the till after a cash purchase.

e. On a particularly large shopping spree, I take a break and bring the packages I currently have to the car (if I drove there) before continuing on to buy some more.

A little extra attention to the above details while shopping at any time has saved me from more costly errors!  And I hope they help you save some cash, too.

Happy back-to-school shopping!

Looking for more tips to save some cash?  Then be sure to visit the Saving Tips section of this website.  For more organizing tips and stories, visit the Organizing section of this website.