Beating Shoppers Stress

There's no denying that shopping can be stressful. Sometimes it becomes so overwhelming that we turn around without having made a single purchase that day. We want so badly to have a successful trip at a distant mall or day devoted to the outlet stores while on vacation that we psych ourselves out and take all the joy and pleasure out of shopping. Buying goodies for yourself should be an enjoyable experience so let it be! Think about these three tips on your next retail rendezvous!

---

#1. Don't Have Any Expectations; you can't always have a predetermined list of everything you'd like to find because everywhere you shop is different. Instead go with the flow and be open minded. Now keep in mind I'm not saying you can't head out in hopes to find a summer dress. I'm saying unless you know for certain it exists, don't go looking for an emerald green, cotton blend, spaghetti strapped, sweetheart neckline, knee length summer dress. 

#2 Don't Spend More Than 30 Minutes in Any Given Store; I strongly advise this tip for many reasons. The longer you spend in one store, the less time you give yourself to search through other stores, assuming you're on a shopping "trip". Get in, get the deals, and get out. If you've been combing through racks for nearly 20-25 minutes without any luck, it's time to move along. 

#3 Buying A Lot Doesn't Necessarily Constitute a Successful Trip; I'd rather spend 3 hours on one particular trip and come away with only 2 pieces that I'm nuts about as opposed to 7 pieces that I could probably live without. Again, we're practicing smart shopping here. That being said I have come away from a trip with multiple items of clothing, all of which I was very happy with. Every trip is different. You've got to learn to be a good judge. An ideal trip is one where you and your wallet are happy. If you can do that 9 times out of 10, you're definitely on your way to becoming a savvy shopper!