5 Factors To Consider Before Your Next Clothes Shopping Spree

Photo by Crew on Unsplash

Shopping for clothes can be a daunting task or a relaxing and rewarding experience. If you love shopping, you would prefer the latter experience. However it all depends on how you approach the shopping experience. If you don't want to return home disappointed and stressed out, you should consider some important factors. 

Choose The Right Venue
The first thing you need to consider is where you'll be shopping. This usually depends on the type of clothes you're looking for and your budget. While high end shops carry luxury and designer fashions, their prices might not be feasible for most people. Mass market stores are less expensive but their items are usually far less unique while department stores carry a little bit of everything. Another thing you might consider is whether you'll be shopping online or visiting a physical store. Each option comes with it's own benefits. Shopping for clothes online is convenient and gives you the chance to compare options from different site before making your purchase. The disadvantage is that you can't try anything on prior to purchasing and there is a chance of not receiving what you ordered. At a physical store, you will be able to try on items before buying but you might have crowds to contend with.  Be sure to also consider the ease of payment and checkout options. Today most customer prefer "cashless" payment so make sure that your preferred shop has a swiper for credit cards and other electronic payment options.

Shop Your Closet First and Have a Plan
Before you even begin to shop, you should shop your own closet and take inventory of what you already own. That way you can assess needs in your wardrobe and be able to focus your shopping so that you're not looking at blouses when you should be shopping for a new coat. Going through your closet first will also help you to avoid purchasing something you already have. And this way you're not wasting time in the store or wasting money either online or in-person. You will better be able to avoid impulse purchases and spending money on things you don't really need especially if you're working with a set budget. And this leads to the next point.

Consider the Cost Per Wear Equation
Before you decide to purchase any item of clothing, it may be worth the time to work out the possible cost per wear equation of that piece. The price of the item gets divided by the number of times you expect to wear it and it's maintenance. If you don't expect to wear a particular often like a dress for a special occasion, it's best to go for a less expensive option. If it is an item that you can foresee getting regular usage from like a pair of jeans or a classic blazer, it makes sense to choose the higher quality option even if it costs more because it becomes an investment piece. The more you wear it, the less it will cost you in the long run. Doing this will help you build a more sustainable wardrobe in the long run.

Be Careful of Impulse Purchases
If you're not sure whether you need a particular clothing item, don't buy it immediately. According to experts, you can avoid impulse buying by giving yourself a waiting period of a week. In most cases, after this waiting period is over, most shoppers realize that they never really needed what they wanted to buy in the first place. This is especially true when it comes to trendy items.

Consider Your Budget
A pretty significant factor you need to consider is your budget. Unless you have a heap of cash ready to burn, financial experts advise that you should not spend more than 5% of your monthly income or regular source of income on clothing.

This is a contributed post.

2 comments

Ivana Split said...

5% percent is a number that makes sense to me.

Jackie Harrison said...

I been minimizing my wardrobe so these is so helpful.