Why You Should Stop Shopping in October and Other Holiday Bargain Tips

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Oct 27, 2013

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Maybe the idea of gearing up for your holiday shopping in October doesn’t sound appealing to you? You’ll probably be happy to hear that experts advise against shopping this month since we will see the really great sales in the next couple of months.

Author of the book Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World, Mark Ellwood is featured in Business Week offering some tips and tricks to get us through this holiday shopping season without breaking the bank.

Ellwood warns that we should steer clear of shopping in October. Since it is smack in the middle of back-to-school sales and holiday discounts, retailers tend to raise prices in order to see more profit. April is another month he advises we refrain from shopping since we’re more likely to spend more with tax refund money.

Ellwood also warns against the too good to be true price mark down. If the price tag shows a huge mark down, it’s probably a fabrication. Ellwood explains the tagging system some stores use to sell more products. He says, “But the tags didn’t say the nixed price was ‘original’ or ‘retail,’ they simply read: ‘Compare at.’ What does that mean? Nothing. Almost none of these clothes ever sold at those prices. It’s just a way that they can legally imply they did.”

Perhaps Ellwood’s best piece of advise is to simply ask nicely. It never hurts to inquire about special sales or whether a price can be lowered and the whole “you catch more bees with honey” thing will often work in your favor. So the next time you pull up to a cash register Ellwood suggests saying something like, “I’m such a flake. I haven’t checked my e-mail in ages—are you running any promotions or sales?”

What do you think of some of the tips offered to help you save this holiday season?

Please share your tips and tricks to get the best deals!