Cyber Monday is a spin-off of Black Friday that debuted in 2005 and is the biggest online shopping day of the year. It always takes place the Monday after Black Friday, with December 1st being the 2014 date to mark on your calendar.
Forget Black Friday when it comes to building your wardrobe with purpose. Seriously, who really is going to come out of that madness with a well fitting garment!
Let’s begin by stating the obvious barriers to coming out of Black Friday as a well-dressed woman:
- What are the chances, after you have navigated from your sidewalk beach chair, that a dressing room would even be available? How will you ever try anything on?
- How will you even compare sizes – trying to find 2 sizes to try, or buy, is virtually impossible when they do not pick any of the clothing up off the floor (literally the floor) until Saturday.
- How are you going to ask a question of a sales associate when the lines are 10 deep – can you imagine the mob madness if you try to approach the cashier to ask a question?
- You went through all of this for a black pair of pants only to find they are only available in purple. Out of sheer madness, you buy the purple. What are you going to do with a purple pair of pants other than look like Barney the Dinosaur?
- What other day of the year are you forced to take public transportation, pack water, food, a change of clothes and bump up your liability insurance just to buy a damn black (purple) pair of pants?
Ditch the Black Friday madness, pour a glass of Merlot and engage in Cyber Monday from the comfort of your couch.
As with any other shopping excursion, I recommend the methodical approach.
Plan the Products ~ As much as you might want to add that fabulous new bit of frosting to your wardrobe, first make sure the cake is ready! Check your bras, your hosiery, your black pants and skirts, your winter coats, boots and even socks. My point is to make sure you have the essentials in your wardrobe covered. The essentials are on sale too you know! Everyone restocks the basic household items when they go on sale – don’t forget to restock your wardrobe basics too! Be wary of the shiny object syndrome once online. Pop-ups that tell you to buy now, only 2 left, blah, blah, don’t believe a word of it. Stick to your guns and only look for what is on your list. Open several browsers to comparison shop before you hit the buy button. Stand strong and stick to your list!
Plan the store discounts and coupons ~ Sign up for their emails now, you can always unsubscribe later, but be sure to take advantage of the first shot of goodies! They may include an immediate coupon code that can be used on top of the Cyber Monday sale price. Also if you participate in Groupon or receive special offers from your favorite retailers, gather your coupons the night before. Be sure you read the fine print, as some merchants may exclude use on certain days like Cyber Monday.
Plan the Price ~ Just because it’s on sale, doesn’t mean it’s on sale – what? Are you really aware of the regular price? Was that high-ticket item really EVER sold at that high ticket price? Be a savvy shopper. If you are really planning on shopping on Cyber Monday, then you should already know what you are looking for and what you should pay. Do your homework – Google the item itself, open the top five links and check the price at different retailers! Your best price might already be out there even before Cyber Monday!
Plan the Savings ~ Shop early! Shop your favorite stores online in advance. Here’s a super secret tip – put your items in your shopping cart and leave them there. Monitor them daily to see if they have been marked down. If you are on the store mailing list in advance, chances are very high that they will not bump your stuff out of your cart. Just be sure to log in before shopping away. Check back on your cart often – it’s kind of like playing the slot machines, every time you pull the handle the price just might change! Just be careful because they might sell out if it is that ever-so-special Michael Kors handbag – purple of course so it can match your purple pants!
Create a budget before you power up the computer. As with any shopping endeavor, know the limits of what you can spend before you shop. Don’t be lead down the path of credit card over-load as you will spend more time thinking about how to detour the UPS truck away from your house.
Comparison price shop and check each site’s shipping policy before Cyber Monday. Generally speaking, free shipping and free returns are the goal.
Know the return policy in advance of purchase. Know their policy, as well as shipping coverage for returned items. Some stores allow exchanges and cover the shipping costs for returns while many others don’t.
Hit the sales early, with the best advice being to fill your shopping carts on Sunday. If you are fearful the cart will get dumped (and that is always a chance on a cyber shopping day) take a screen shot of the cart so you can quickly duplicate it once the clock strikes Monday. As with shopping in the stores, some online merchants offer the equivalent of “door buster deals”, which means the offer only stands for a limited time.
Keep all receipts from your purchases, always a prudent idea. If anything goes wrong, such as the item not turning up, the item turning up damaged, the item not being what you ordered or it just isn’t what you want, you’ll need those receipts as proof of purchase to be able to fight off the ‘final sale’ syndrome.
If you don’t plan, you either buy the wrong thing or pay the wrong price. That’s how you end up with one-shot wonders in your closet – lonely items with no mates!
Remember, plan the products, plan the discounts, plan the price, plan the savings, create a budget, comparison price shop, know the return policy, hit the sales early and save all your receipts.
If you don’t pre-shop, compare prices and search out additional coupons in advance of Cyber Monday, you will no doubt be leaving money on the table! Still challenged? Contact me!
Doreen Dove empowers women to use style as a tool to take strategic control of their image. She is an image consultant, personal stylist, professional speaker and author. Her extensive background in all aspects of retail has uniquely qualified her to work with women of all ages and professions, coaching them to personal style success.
Book a complimentary Boost Your Image Breakthrough Session with me. We’ll chat about shopping with purpose. Then we’ll move on to your closet, your image and whatever else comes up! I look forward to ‘meeting’ you on the phone!
Need your own style guide? My newly published book is now available.
Confidence Is Always In Style www.ConfidenceIsAlwaysInStyle.com
Cyber Sleuthing for Cyber Monday
Forget Black Friday when it comes to building your wardrobe with purpose. Seriously, who really is going to come out of that madness with a well fitting garment!
Let’s begin by stating the obvious barriers to coming out of Black Friday as a well-dressed woman:
Ditch the Black Friday madness, pour a glass of Merlot and engage in Cyber Monday from the comfort of your couch.
As with any other shopping excursion, I recommend the methodical approach.
Plan the store discounts and coupons ~ Sign up for their emails now, you can always unsubscribe later, but be sure to take advantage of the first shot of goodies! They may include an immediate coupon code that can be used on top of the Cyber Monday sale price. Also if you participate in Groupon or receive special offers from your favorite retailers, gather your coupons the night before. Be sure you read the fine print, as some merchants may exclude use on certain days like Cyber Monday.
Plan the Price ~ Just because it’s on sale, doesn’t mean it’s on sale – what? Are you really aware of the regular price? Was that high-ticket item really EVER sold at that high ticket price? Be a savvy shopper. If you are really planning on shopping on Cyber Monday, then you should already know what you are looking for and what you should pay. Do your homework – Google the item itself, open the top five links and check the price at different retailers! Your best price might already be out there even before Cyber Monday!
Plan the Savings ~ Shop early! Shop your favorite stores online in advance. Here’s a super secret tip – put your items in your shopping cart and leave them there. Monitor them daily to see if they have been marked down. If you are on the store mailing list in advance, chances are very high that they will not bump your stuff out of your cart. Just be sure to log in before shopping away. Check back on your cart often – it’s kind of like playing the slot machines, every time you pull the handle the price just might change! Just be careful because they might sell out if it is that ever-so-special Michael Kors handbag – purple of course so it can match your purple pants!
Create a budget before you power up the computer. As with any shopping endeavor, know the limits of what you can spend before you shop. Don’t be lead down the path of credit card over-load as you will spend more time thinking about how to detour the UPS truck away from your house.
Comparison price shop and check each site’s shipping policy before Cyber Monday. Generally speaking, free shipping and free returns are the goal.
Know the return policy in advance of purchase. Know their policy, as well as shipping coverage for returned items. Some stores allow exchanges and cover the shipping costs for returns while many others don’t.
Hit the sales early, with the best advice being to fill your shopping carts on Sunday. If you are fearful the cart will get dumped (and that is always a chance on a cyber shopping day) take a screen shot of the cart so you can quickly duplicate it once the clock strikes Monday. As with shopping in the stores, some online merchants offer the equivalent of “door buster deals”, which means the offer only stands for a limited time.
Keep all receipts from your purchases, always a prudent idea. If anything goes wrong, such as the item not turning up, the item turning up damaged, the item not being what you ordered or it just isn’t what you want, you’ll need those receipts as proof of purchase to be able to fight off the ‘final sale’ syndrome.
If you don’t plan, you either buy the wrong thing or pay the wrong price. That’s how you end up with one-shot wonders in your closet – lonely items with no mates!
Remember, plan the products, plan the discounts, plan the price, plan the savings, create a budget, comparison price shop, know the return policy, hit the sales early and save all your receipts.
If you don’t pre-shop, compare prices and search out additional coupons in advance of Cyber Monday, you will no doubt be leaving money on the table! Still challenged? Contact me!
Doreen Dove empowers women to use style as a tool to take strategic control of their image. She is an image consultant, personal stylist, professional speaker and author. Her extensive background in all aspects of retail has uniquely qualified her to work with women of all ages and professions, coaching them to personal style success.
Book a complimentary Boost Your Image Breakthrough Session with me. We’ll chat about shopping with purpose. Then we’ll move on to your closet, your image and whatever else comes up! I look forward to ‘meeting’ you on the phone!
Need your own style guide? My newly published book is now available.
Confidence Is Always In Style www.ConfidenceIsAlwaysInStyle.com