We will start with a tragic story...
It is 10:30 pm on Thanksgiving, my family is laying around various sofa's trying to let our digestive system do its thing, while I was looking for some good sales on the famous Black Friday. I came across a Midnight Madness Outlet shopping in NY state, the next semester I was going to be working full time at an internship which required a category of clothing I had none of, professional suits. What a perfect time to get a deal! They boasted 50%-75% off at hundreds of stores all located in one outdoor mall.
My mother was up for the adventure, ensuring me I would not have to worry about receiving any christmas gifts that year. Oh boy, we did not know what we were getting ourselves into...
Standing in line; to raid stores like Guess and Calvin Klein. Don't get me wrong, we had a blast, and I still use some of the items I purchased that night/morning. We went berserk, suits, sweaters, button down shirts, shoes, for both my mother and myself; presents for family, my sister some new shirts.
You will never truly understand the term "Shop till you Drop" unless you non-stop shop from midnight until 10am. This was the wrong way to go to am Outlet Mall....
Now for the To Do List:
- Before you get to the mall, make a list of things you need so you don't get enchanted by the big discounts on something you might wear based on the discounted amount... 75% off of $600 skirt is a good deal but it is still more money than you would normally spend on a skirt.
- Try to fill your list with things that out of season a.k.a. in the summer shop for coats and boots.
- Before you get to the mall leave most of your credit cards at home. You can get shop drunk and not even realize, and once the receipt hangover sets in, you have used your backup credit card as well as your backup-only-emergency credit card too.
- When you do get to the mall, make a game plan. Put the places where you will spend the most money at the top, maybe after the first sticker shock it might slow down your ambition to pull the trigger on something you don't like as much later on your shopping adventure.
- Come to terms that you are going to spend more than you plan on. It's not like a regular mall that you have set prices, this place is going to make your eyes bounce like a cartoon coyote, where else are you going to find 90% off of Coach bags. There is going to be at least one point that you are going to buy something you know you will regret years later that you did not purchase. Really, I mean haunt your nightmares.
Example of creature in its natural habitat. I went to return a pair of broken pants and left with this. But its ok because I learned these lessons I can pass of to you and I like Rammen.
