This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Helsinki chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Hullut Päivät, the five days when you are officially allowed, even encouraged, to head for the shops and go crazy, are here again! As you know, for the next few days Stockmann will be absolutely packed with people hunting for bargains. Many people decide to avoid the whole thing, but if you’ve already flipped through your catalog five times making notes (like me) and are determined to go, make sure to read our tips first to make the most of your shopping time.
- Choose your time of going wisely. Whatever you do, DO NOT go there around 4 and 5 p.m. That’s the time when everyone is getting out of work and heading straight for the stores. Make use of the student life’s flexible schedules and aim to go early. From Wednesday until Saturday, the store will open already at 7 a.m., so if you’re an early bird, you could try going there first thing in the morning. Although, it is likely that there will be some workers, too, trying to squeeze in some shopping before going to work. You sure won’t feel lonely no matter what time you go, but, earlier in the day you might be able to avoid the longest queues and everything will still be neatly in its place. In the early evening when the crowds are biggest, there will be clothes thrown all over the place and it will be impossible to find what you’re looking for, let alone your size.
- Wear good shoes. Unless you’re absolutely sure that you will buy only one thing and know exactly where that thing will be, do not wear heels. There will be a lot of stuff, LOTS of people in front of you preventing you from moving swiftly and very long queues. Be prepared for a long day.
- Eat a proper breakfast. See above.
- Be zen. Yes, there will be annoying people using their elbows. “Cool, calm and collected” is the mantra today.
- If the crowds are getting too big for you, remember that you can also shop online at stockmann.com or hullutpaivat.com. No-one stomping on your feet, plus, a limited amount of special offer products will come on sale online every evening at 6 p.m.
- Don’t be blinded by the idea of “sales”. Even though it’s called “the crazy days”, everything isn’t actually crazy cheap. As Hullut Päivät isn’t officially a sale but the store sells products specially purchased for this event, they don’t tell you what the full prize would be. Thus it is sometimes impossible to know if you’re really getting yourself a bargain or not. Also, even if something has a designer name on it, it doesn’t always mean it’s of good quality. Check the labels and only consider quality products that you know to be normally much more expensive.
- Only buy things that you would need in any case. Don’t buy anything just because it’s “cheap” or because everyone else is filling up their baskets and you’re getting hyped up. Focus on things that you’ve been planning to buy anyway and know will be of use to you. It’s not a bargain if you didn’t want it in the first place.
Hullut Päivät at Stockmann, The Academic Bookstore, Stockmann Beauty and the online shop from Wednesday until Sunday, 8.-12.10.2014.