Beware the Scarlet Letters

Beware of those beautiful scarlet letters. Not the book. Not the story. Not the history.

The ads.

“Clearance” “Sale” “One Day Only” etc etc.

There’s a phrase that goes “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Well at this point in the year I advise you to forget this saying and bring it back in mid-January 2011. It’s officially Christmas shopping season. Why? Because the stores tell us so. Every single circular has amazing deals on products. Coupon codes, online only sales, 1 day shopping in-store sales, rebates, discounts, free products with a purchase…these deals EXIST and THEY ARE GOOD. It’s just like hell – it exists to all but is often sugar coated in candy red letters so we don’t feel the flames as we fall into its alluring traps. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic but let’s think about this.

Today is November 10th. Christmas is a month and a half away. Have you bought or been tempted to purchase gifts because of a deal you couldn’t pass up? Retailers started early and man they’re good this year.  Falling prices, coupons for every store and black Friday ads circulating since Halloween. The perfect way to stimulate our economy so the stores make money and more and more people end up in accidental debt. Don’t think so? Well, how many people are going to finish the bulk of their Christmas shopping by December 1st and then spend a month not buying anything else when the deals are going to keep getting better? Are you strong enough to not go in the mall for a month during “the best time of the year?” And if you’re daring enough to enter, are you strong enough to resist a 75% off nothing you really need but something you want deal? You may pick up an extra gift or 2 for someone because it’s the “perfect gift.” Or maybe you’ll treat yourself because you’re done shopping for other people.

The stores may seem like they’re helping you out but long-term, are they?

My advice is to do your research before you go shopping, stick to your lists, print out your coupons, use your rebate sites, use your coupon codes, save on the not rushed deliveries but most importantly, if it’s not the absolute perfect gift for the absolute perfect price, wait. It’ll be hard. But it should pay off.

This year before purchasing anything I ask myself these questions:

• Who is it for?
• Will they love it?
• Is it what I would pay if it were full price or am I buying it because it’s on sale?
• Does it exceed the amount I want to/can afford to spend on this person?
• Will it get even cheaper?

I’m not saying don’t shop – I myself have already bought a few presents. What I’m saying is be wise. The stores are not your friends, they’re looking to make money. They don’t care how many times you purchase from their store and whether it’s full price or clearance priced. They don’t care if you use cash or credit card (unless of course it’s THEIR credit card they can charge you interest on). And most importantly, they couldn’t care less if you have a debt/balance in January 2011 that wasn’t there in October 2010.

Wishing you all a conscious shopping season – good luck out there!