Dear Sparkly,
What are your views on online shopping? Any hints, tips or tricks?
-Stressed Out Shopper
I have to admit, rarely do I just mall crawl for fun. I know, that may come as a shock to many of you because I'm a woman and I enjoy talking about clothes and fashion. The truth is, I really don't like crowds. My favorite time to be at the mall is 10am on a Monday, when everyone is busy. But since I work a full time job, I don't usually get that luxury. Instead, I learned the art of shopping online. I will preface this by saying- DO NOT GO INTO DEBT! Only buy what you can absolutely afford. I never advocate credit card debt simply because I've been there. Okay, on to my online shopping guide:
1. Sizing. I probably don't have to tell you this but not all store sizes are created equal. To avoid returns, take measurements of yourself and record them. You'll need a measuring tape and a friend. Important places to measure are the chest/bust, waist, and inseam. That goes for men and women. Once you've recorded those, you'll pretty much have no problem figuring out the sizing guide on websites.
2. Know Your Style. Online shopping has one major disadvantage and that is the lack of a fitting room. You won't get to try anything on before you buy. So be sure to know yourself and your body type enough that you will purchase items that will look flattering. If you're not sure what your body type is, check this out: Shopping For Your Body Type.
3. Know The Return Policy. Make sure that the place you order items from will either include a return postage label, allow you to return it to the store for credit, or exchange it for the correct size, color, etc.
One thing I do is watch for my favorite items to go on sale. The biggest advantage to online shopping is that you can find almost any item and not have to worry about it being out of stock as quickly as it would be in the store. Many sites allow you to select an item and find it in a local store, this saves you to cost of shipping. Sometimes you can also have items shipped to the store at no cost to you.
Happy Shopping!
What are your views on online shopping? Any hints, tips or tricks?
-Stressed Out Shopper
I have to admit, rarely do I just mall crawl for fun. I know, that may come as a shock to many of you because I'm a woman and I enjoy talking about clothes and fashion. The truth is, I really don't like crowds. My favorite time to be at the mall is 10am on a Monday, when everyone is busy. But since I work a full time job, I don't usually get that luxury. Instead, I learned the art of shopping online. I will preface this by saying- DO NOT GO INTO DEBT! Only buy what you can absolutely afford. I never advocate credit card debt simply because I've been there. Okay, on to my online shopping guide:
1. Sizing. I probably don't have to tell you this but not all store sizes are created equal. To avoid returns, take measurements of yourself and record them. You'll need a measuring tape and a friend. Important places to measure are the chest/bust, waist, and inseam. That goes for men and women. Once you've recorded those, you'll pretty much have no problem figuring out the sizing guide on websites.
2. Know Your Style. Online shopping has one major disadvantage and that is the lack of a fitting room. You won't get to try anything on before you buy. So be sure to know yourself and your body type enough that you will purchase items that will look flattering. If you're not sure what your body type is, check this out: Shopping For Your Body Type.
3. Know The Return Policy. Make sure that the place you order items from will either include a return postage label, allow you to return it to the store for credit, or exchange it for the correct size, color, etc.
One thing I do is watch for my favorite items to go on sale. The biggest advantage to online shopping is that you can find almost any item and not have to worry about it being out of stock as quickly as it would be in the store. Many sites allow you to select an item and find it in a local store, this saves you to cost of shipping. Sometimes you can also have items shipped to the store at no cost to you.
Happy Shopping!
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