It’s hard to resist the big red sale signs that appear in retail outlets during the Boxing Day sales. Some of us wait to furnish our homes only to be disappointed that what we want isn’t actually on sale or out of stock. Which means we have to make some comprises in the furniture and homewares choices we make. So I wanted to share my Boxing Day shopping tips, gained from years of experience buying furniture and homewares for clients.
Boxing Day shopping tip 1 – make a list and check it twice
Personally, I’m a strategic shopper, I know what I want and don’t really like to browse. I think going to the boxing day sales knowing what you want is wise. This way you don’t get distracted or confused by browsing around.
Knowing what you want requires knowing what your style goal is and what your colour scheme is and making a list. Having a list means you don’t overspend and undo the savings achieved on the pieces you actually need.
Boxing Day shopping tip 2 – set a budget
The sales are designed to make you spend. Possibly more than you intend to spend. That’s why having a budget is helpful. Setting a boxing day sales budget will also help you make some decisions about what to spend on and what to leave behind.
Take the next step and set a budget for big ticket items. Items that are generally considered the focal piece of a space from a functional perspective eg: sofa, dining table or bed head.
Then you can set a budget for décor such as cushions, throws, ornaments and so on. Include some money in your budget for quality pieces. It’s fine to combine pieces from Kmart with more expensive pieces.
Boxing Day shopping tip 3 – do your research
I have no doubt you’ve been browsing either online or in the shops for awhile and have a good idea of what you want, which is great.
Knowing the price of items before the sales is helpful to know whether you’re getting a good deal or not. But in assessing the value of each piece understand the materials, country of manufacture, and warranty.
Boxing Day shopping tip 4 – know your rights
Understand the return and/or refund terms and conditions on the items you buy. The sale might be final, which means you can’t return it.
It’s important to have the option to return or exchange something in case you don’t like it when you take it home. Before you decide to return something, figure out why you don’t like it or why it doesn’t work.
Knowing why you don’t like something means your next purchase will be more successful.
Boxing Day shopping tip 5 – take measurements
For large pieces of furniture be sure you know the dimensions of the space you’re working with. Nothing worse than falling in love with a piece and not being sure if it will fit in the space.
Also good to know is the size of doorways and staircases, to ensure you can fit the piece inside the house in the first place.
Don’t be surprised by big delivery charges either. Some suppliers only deliver to the door, they won’t bring the item inside the house or upstairs, so remember to ask what kind of delivery service they offer.
Use these boxing day shopping tips to enjoy the sales. Try to have fun and to keep your options open too. Sometimes you can go shopping for a particular piece and come home with something else that is just perfect.
Cover Photo by Justin Lim on Unsplash
