SAVVY SHOPPER IN THE SALES

We’ve all been there - frantic sales shopping leaves us with clothes we will never wear and items we’ve already got and simply must buy again.

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But before rushing out to hit the sales, stop and think, make a list then start shopping. “You need to dive into your wardrobe and see what you’ve already got, said Asbjorg Dunker, a personal stylist from Henley. Many times people go to the shops they are familiar with already and they buy what they have in the wardrobe already. It’s not what you need. If you’re going to benefit from the sales it doesn’t mean spending for the sake of spending. It actually means trying to get things at a reduced price.

You must always try on anything you buy because it can look wonderful on the hanger and you get it home and it looks awful. So it ends up with the label on, in the bag, at the bottom of the cupboard.

Next time you’re confronted with the item is when you get your credit card statement and think why did I do that? Boutiques and smaller shops are often shops where you can get real bargains. They are dependent on getting all the stock out, in order to get the new season in.”

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In Reading more than 30,000 shoppers stormed Broad Street Mall on Boxing Day alone. “The numbers are fantastic,” said centre manager Steve Fawke. “I was a bit worried with the snow coming down just before Christmas that we wouldn’t have a very good one.”

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“On Sunday, 27 December, we saw a 39 percent increase in footfall last year, and from Boxing Day through to Monday, 28 December we’ve had over 120,000 people through Broad Street Mall.

I think people come to Reading because it’s a one-stop-shop to get everything you need and at the moment with the sales on it’s a real bargain time.

I think people are out to grab a bargain,” said Steve.

If you want to grab something, such as a large item, then now is the time to get it before it has another 2.5 percent on it.

(by Jenny Milard, BBC Berkshire Reporter/ Adapted from BBC website).