Lessons learned in Shopping in US
Kishore
(March 2002)
Like I described in my other articles,
adjusting to American life and environment has not been so easy. One of the
critical aspects I learned was in 'shopping'. One major difference I found in US
economy compared to Indian economy was:
In India price of an item is marked on the
item and will be same irrespective of the shop you buy in. Price difference for
similar product varies across brands. Price difference can be a differentiator
in terms of quality of the product, brand of the product we want to buy. Once
you have decided to buy a brand item say TV, the price will be almost same in
any shop.
In complete contrast to this I was surprised
to note in US that you may get same item for varying prices in different places.
The price range can also vary a lot. The following is a list of lessons learned
-
Always compare prices before
buying any major item. It is possible that you might be getting an item of
500$ at 240$ in one place and even 490$ at some other place. If you made a
purchase and realized you missed a better deal, you end up unhappy. Of
course, if you realized early you can always return the product and undo the
damage. Once I have learned this critical aspect, I am more cautious in my
shopping. When I plan to buy an item, I first find what stores are having this
item and then go about comparing prices. There are some web sites which do
compare prices and they are useful.
-
Watch for SALE items. I didn't
understand term SALE for quite sometime. I always assumed that everything in
a store is always on SALE. But I gradually found that SALE here really means
it is being offered at lesser price than actual price. From that time onwards
looking for Sale fliers in newspapers has become a major occupation. If you
find something on sale, you flock the shop. Having also seen 'Thanksgiving
SALE' in US in November 2001, I understand how important this special
holiday sale means. Thanksgiving day marks beginning of Christmas Holiday
Season and on that particular day most of the stores offer major discounts.
Stores open early in the morning at 5/6 AM and offer special deals for a few
hours. You may end up saving big bucks if you are able to grab those items
on sale. Shops/Malls are crowded on that particular day. Some items will be
available at less than 50% of the actual price and that is LOT of
money.
-
Look for coupons. There is no lack of
coupons which are available in junk mail that is delivered and also in
newspapers. Most of the times I found I could not use the coupons because
they are products I don't buy much. But saving a few dollars saved on these
coupons can be used to spend on some other items.
-
Also look for clearance
sales. I also
found that clearance sales quite attractive where items are available
sometimes at 75% of their original price. I can't believe such vast price
differences. Once I got a 15$ video cassette for 3$ dollars on one site in a clearance sale.
-
Also look for deals. Lot of times some
shops have special deals where by buying in a pack or in a deal you get
better discounts. Buy 3 for 5$ kind of deals whereas each item is
individually priced at 3$ saving 4$ on the deal. I was surprised even items
like milk are available at different prices. I have seen in one store each
milk can is sold at 3.75$ and at another store I can get two milk cans at a
price of 3.95$. What a difference!! This price differences exists not only
in items you buy but also in everything including apartment rents. This is
highly competitive market and some one is always offering you better choices
if you are willing to take them.
-
Buying in bulk: Buying in bulk saves
good amount of money and Costco is one wholesale shop where items can be
purchased in bulk and save money.
-
Garage Sales: This is another practice
in US where someone will do a Garage Sale where they sell items they don't
use anymore. You get items at very cheap price. Items are generally in very good
condition and you may be lucky to get good items for cheap prices. When I
moved to US I got some good items in a 'Garage Sale' and they are very
good items.
-
Quality of Goods: During this
whole experience there is one thing you don't have to worry about. Quality
of product. Most of the products you buy are of guaranteed quality and if
you are not satisfied you can also return the product within certain period,
no questions asked. This was a different experience. In India I have rarely
experienced this luxury and also had couple of bad experiences trying to
return items.
Shopping is a nice experience as long as you
feel you are getting worth for your money and you got a good deal. One needs to
cultivate this 'smartness' to ensure this nice experience in US.
Simple words of advice:
- Always do comparison shopping
- Watch out for deals
- Create your circle of friends where you can exchange information of 'Sale'
Enjoy shopping in US by being a
smart shopper.
