I can’t remember the last time I walked into a store at the mall and paid full price for an item. It’s not because I don’t love shopping—believe me, I do. In fact, I often long for the days when you would visit a store and receive the kind of personal service that would make you feel like the only person there. Unfortunately, the world of retail has made a rapid descent into over-priced merchandise and under-paid employees.
So it’s mostly out of necessity that I have found new hope for my shopping desires online. Anything you could buy at the mall, a department store or even your favorite boutique, 99 percent of the time you can find it online for less. My rule now is that if I find something I have to have, a pair of shoes, a new purse, I note the brand and style number or name and go online to find it. And if I just feel like browsing, well there are websites for that too.
So here is a list of my favorite sites for bargain hunting and some good old-fashioned retail therapy.
1. Gilt
Gilt is a shopping site with daily “events” or rotating deals on a variety of brands and designers. Although you will still find a lot of very expensive merchandise—a Prada bag for only $2,000!—it’s worth checking back for some great deals on mid-range brands like Theory, French Connection and Free People. Gilt also allows you to rack up points by visiting the site everyday and making purchases. Then you can use those rewards for further discounts and free shipping.
2. Hautelook
Hautelook is a Nordstrom-owned company with great deals on clothing, accessories and home goods. Basically all your favorite Nordstrom brands can be found in the rotating daily sales events on the site. The great thing abut the site is that if you order an item and decide not to keep it once you get it, you can easily make returns to Nordstrom Rack, which has a variety of locations around the DC area.
3. The Find
The Find is a price-comparison site that allows you to search for any item and compare the prices of both online and in-store retailers. You can be as specific or broad in your search as you like, and can narrow down results by budget, color, size and more. The Find even has a coupon page where you can find online and in-store discount codes organized by store.
4. Birchbox
You have probably heard about this beauty subscription service that sends you a box of product samples every month. What you might not know is that you can get great deals by buying from the Birchbox shop. After signing up for Birchbox, you can review every product you get and earn points in return. Once you get to 100 points, that’s $10 to spend in the shop! You also earn points with every purchase you make, and many of the items in the shop come with free shipping. Make sure you watch your e-mail too, as Birchbox will frequently send discount codes for you to use on your favorite products. It’s safe to say that my Birchbox pays for itself with all the money I have saved on buying my beauty supplies in the shop.
Yes, I am talking about the department store that your grandmother once frequented for her cardigans and panty hose. Lord & Taylor has some fantastic online deals on top-quality products and modern brands, so it’s always worth a look at their sale page for newly discounted items. Their shoe department is particularly good for bargains—I recently purchased some Kenneth Cole leather and calf-hair slip-on sneakers for $40!
I hope you know now that you don’t have to be rich to enjoy the shopping for the brands you love. It’s all about being a savvy shopper, comparing prices and taking the time to look at multiple online retailers. So go forth, keep calm and shop on!