How to Shop at This Year’s Memorial Day Sales
If you’re watching a big shopping holiday like Memorial Day or Black Friday and still don’t understand what you want to buy, where you want to buy it, and how to know if you’re doing it profitably, I have four pieces of advice for you. :
- If it exists, it is likely for sale.
- If it is not available for sale, do not buy it.
- The “best deal” you can get is an item that you already intended to buy at a price that fits within your budget.
- Buying something on sale that doesn’t fit your budget, even if it may cost less now than it did when you saved up, is a bad move.
This last tip is especially important right now, as many of us are at least a little worried about our job stability and income prospects. As we get closer to the fourth (fifth?) Pandemic / Recession Uncertainty Month, staying on budget is more important than buying a 5-foot lawn sprinkler in the shape of an inflatable corgi – even if Kohl’s doesn’t currently account for Big Mouth Inc. Corgi Yard Sprinkler $ 59.99 to $ 53.99.
(Which, by the way, is only $ 6 off, and it doesn’t even look that much like a corgi.)
You should also think twice before buying a bottle of Augustine Bader’s cream, which the strategist told me was a very famous skin cream worn by celebrities, because when I went to the site, it turned out that a single ounce of trendy cream was no longer for sale. You will pay $ 170 for this if you really want to, but if you remember Rule # 2, you shouldn’t.
Another review of the “Best Memorial Day Sale ” – which isn’t true, by the way – suggested that I buy a pair of Levi’s Wedgie Fit Women’s Jeans for $ 49.99 ( off $ 98). Yes , they are designed to lift the glutes slightly higher than in the normal configuration. No , I won’t buy them.
What will I buy this Memorial Day weekend? Will I shop for appliances, furniture or mattresses ? Okay, maybe. I’m kind of thinking about getting another set of sheets. My current sheets are three years old and there is room in the budget for a new couple.
But before I buy anything, I’m going to follow my own good advice: I’ll decide what sheets I need (probably percale), then check if they are on sale, then wonder if the selling price fits into my budget. … If I can’t find exactly what I want at the price I’m willing to pay, I won’t buy anything.
Because if I know anything about sales, it’s that another big holiday sale is just around the corner. The fourth of July will come before we know about it.