Today I had a a little trip to Manchester city centre, I'd heard a rumour that Boots might be further reducing their remaining sale items today so thought I'd take a look.
The rumour was true! And it seemed everyone else had heard it too! When I got there around 1pm there were hoards of people grabbing reduced stock here there and everywhere!
The shelves were half empty, and impromptu aisles of plastic crates containing sale items could be found on the floor. The staff couldn't get new sale stock out quickly enough, as soon as they appeared with a new trolley people were starting to rummage through it before the wheels had stopped turning.
It was like a crazed jumble sale! Those in the know had got there early waiting for the store to open, ready to pounce on the best bargains.
I've never seen so many people carrying so much stuff. There were shoppers with four baskets each, full to the brim! And others leaving the store laden down with at least a dozen carrier bags...and no, I am not exaggerating!
The sale was 70% off, so there were some good buys to be had but the level of impulse or even panic buying suprised me. When I got there the sale mainly consised of leftover stock from Boots' Christmas gift selection. Bath and beauty gift sets, photo frames, celebrity perfumes as well as a few toys and a small selection of children's clothes.
The queues for the tills were horrendous, (fortunately I went to the photo counter where there were only a few people in front of me) but at least the long queues seemed to provide people with a cool-off period where they could re-evaluate what they'd hastily put into their baskets. I could see people looking through their acquisitions and asking themselves if they really wanted to buy what they had picked up. There was a plethora of items abandoned on the shelves lining the path to the tills after many last minute changes of heart!
It's easy to get caught up in the moment when everyone around you is shopping like there's no tomorrow! And at 70% I can understand why. But..even if it's in the sale, it's only a bargain if it's something you need or want. Otherwise it's just a heavily reduced mistake! It may just be a couple of quid, but why bother spending that couple of quid on something to put away in a cupboard if it's not something you are really going to use?
And if you buy half a dozen items just because they're cheap, you could have spent the best part of £20 before you know it. Just something to bear in mind...as well as remind myself!
I didn't escape without buying anything, I couldn't resist picking up these two Vtech Toot Toot Animals for my little girl for £2.10 each at Boots today (normally around £6 or £7). However, at one point I must admit I had five of them, all different, in my hand. I had to take a step back and tell myself 'she doesn't need five'. Just because they're on offer doesn't mean I should buy them all! My self discipline is improving!
I also got this Baylis & Harding beauticology gift set for £2.40 (originally £8) as had been looking for something like this for a while. All will be revealed at some point in the future ;)
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