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These days, we are inundated with online sales events throughout the year from 1.1 to 12.12. At the time of writing, we are on the eve of 5.5 sales.
The dizzying e-commerce sites and persistent add to cart reminders may be effective for the average shopper, but it certainly did not influence the most stubborn of customers – my mother. Growing up in an Asian family, we were taught to turn a blind eye to sales. There isn’t really a sale, they just want you to spend money, my mother used to say. As a teenager who wanted in on all the latest trends, I must admit I was mildly annoyed at that. However, I fully appreciate the think twice, think thrice mentality that was instilled in me.
So before you check out of your cart today, here are some things to consider (courtesy of my very Asian mother).
1. Quality vs Price
For over 10 years, my parents continued using the same household items. It wasn’t until long later when the items finally reached the end of their life span that they were duly retired.
Back in the day when there wasn’t e-commerce, my parents were great at sourcing out quality products at a reasonable price by browsing through their options dilligently.
These days, the prices of some items have gone down drastically, but so has quality. If you’re fishing for a deal, consider the quality vs price conundrum. Is it worth spending that $5 if what you’re buying will disintegrate after a few uses?
And if you’re eyeing something that’s more expensive…
2. Can it wait?
Because the best sales are usually the year end ones. Think 11.11, Black Friday, 12.12, Christmas and New Year’s sales.
There are some decent discounts this 5.5, but certainly not as impressive as the year end ones. If it isn’t something that’s particularly urgent, it’d do you good to wait till the end of the year before you check out.
3. How long will you use it for?
If you have a room full of stuff lying around, it’s time to reevaluate if you really need more stuff.
What I do is to delay some gratification. It’s always a good idea to wait a little while to see if you really need something; whether it can really add value to you.
I tend to look for value in products, and maybe this is an age thing. Can this improve my quality of life? Can this improve my day to day experiences? Does this make me happy in the long run? Because if it’s only going to end up in a forgotten corner of the house, then it probably isn’t serving you in the long run.
If you’re worried that the product might get sold out – I do think that you can find dupes for most things. As my mother would say, you can always find another company making the same thing.
Happy shopping folks!