don't be fooled

Please don't misunderstand my love for shopping by thinking it's a 'quick fix' by any means. Shopping is definitely time-consuming and it's even more so when you are trying to do it on a budget (or you're just plain picky like me). It's no fast task to hunt through tons of clothing jam-packed so tight on a rack that you can barely get a finger between 2 items to search for your size. And then on top of that, each item has a gazillion price stickers on it and it might take a few moments to locate the most current one. Then the retailer might have another 'discount' or percentage off the price so you get to stand and do some math in your head before you know what you'll be expected to pay. And you hope that you're doing the math on the correct number because you sure don't want to fall in love with something and get all the way to the counter, only to realize it's too expensive and you have to leave it in the store. This is all before you even get to the dressing room to try it on and find out it doesn't fit! Of course, if you have children that have accompanied you on your shopping venture, you've now doubled or tripled the time it will take to find what you want.

Okay, so I didn't mean to discourage anyone. I still love to shop despite all this nonsense, believe it or not. I think I just really love getting a steal of a deal. I don't really love dealing with whining kids or sore feet or miscalculated math. But, it takes a watchful eye to make sure that your efforts aren't for naught after all is said and done. Retailers definitely don't like selling clothing off so dirt cheap. And they'll do all they can to get you to take some full-priced items out the door with your pile of clearance stuff. So here are some things to watch out for...

ALWAYS FIND THE TAG! Don't ever assume that because the items you want are next to each other, that they all come from the same sale. Don't ever think that because 2 items look alike that they will be the same price. Even if 2 shirts are exactly the same and ONLY differ in color, one can be full-price while the other is on clearance. Check EVERY tag on EVERY item that you're looking at. If one is marked on sale and the other is not, take it to the register with you and ask for a price check. Or if you're like me, you try to act like you thought it was on sale because it looks like the other one and was sitting right next to the other one. Sometimes the store will give you the clearance price because it was misleading. But don't EVER assume that they will! You don't want to get home and find out later that you spent way more than you thought you did.

ALWAYS FIND THE TAG! Don't ever trust the size on the hanger. Lots of retailers have hangers with sizes printed on them. Many retailers just throw clearance items on whatever hanger is available. I will say that the more expensive stores are more careful, but there is never a guarantee. Make sure you check the size of the item on the tag that is sewn into the item, and not the paper tag hanging from it or the size on the hanger. This holds especially true if you're shopping for someone who is not with you! Remember the Doc hates to shop! It's his kryptonite! So I do it all for him. (pitiful, I know) I buy what I know he needs, and bring it all home, and then he tries it all on. He picks what he likes and what fits, and I take all the rest back. How spoiled is he! Anyway... the same happens with my kids now that they aren't always with me. And I can tell you from experience that it's super annoying when you find you've purchased a size that is WAY off from anything they should be trying on!

WATCH THE REGISTER I always watch my items ring up. Time and time again I have caught the register ringing an item up for more than it was priced at. Either the extra discount wasn't applied, or the item didn't ring up at the price on the sign or the tag. Whatever the case may be, you want to make sure you pay what you thought you agreed on in your head when you picked the item up. Okay, you might not remember every single price tag after you have 200 items in your cart. But you should remember approximately and be able to know if the price isn't quite what you thought it should be when it pops up.

READ CAREFULLY Sometimes signage on special deals can be tricky. Retailers always try to entice you in with things that look so great and cheap. Sometimes signs will look so much alike that if you're shopping quickly, you'll miss the differences. They'll be the same color, same shape, same size and sitting over similar items, but then if you look closely they will have a small number different. For instance, I saw in Bath & Body Works one saying 4 for 10 and the other saying 3 for 10. The items looked exactly the same and the tables were next to each other. The set up was the same and the signs were the same, except for that one number. Children's Place also had a sign in their storefront that says 50% off clearance items. It's their standard sale sign. But all through the store all the racks were 30% off clearance items. Only 1 rack had 50% off clearance items. Be careful with those signs!