Mar 1st, 2008
Do Discount Stores Help You Spend Less?
One of the national discount chain stores, Ross Dress for Less, which is known to carry old stock from higher end stores, has been in Hawai’i for some time. It’s frequented by many (including myself) who are trying to find deals on clothing or other items (my favorites there are shoes or bags). I’ve even gotten iPod cases and computer keyboards there.
In addition to national stores like Ross, I imagine every big city has smaller discount stores (two on O’ahu are Stupid Prices in Waipahu and Saveco on Waiakamilo). These stores often get damaged or returned merchandise from large vendors (the Kirkland brand items are a Costco giveaway) and resell them at lower prices. I sometimes frequent these stores as well, looking for bargains. But do “bargains” equal spending less money?
The allure of these stores is somewhat lower quality or out of style items for a lower price. However, the purpose of that “allure” is to “lure” you into the store where you’ll spend money. Remember that the archenemy of frugality is waste, and if you go into one of these stores and buy things that you never intended to buy when you stepped foot in them because they seemed to be an unbeatable deal, it’s a sure sign you’ve succumbed to waste–wasting money on an item you didn’t really need and didn’t even want all that much until you saw it was a bargain.
However, if you go into one of these stores and get items that you were definitely going to buy anyway–just at a lower price–then you have indeed succeeded in getting a bargain. If I need a new shirt for a dinner with some friends, I’ll often stop by Ross and see what they have in my size, but if I exit with more than the shirt in hand I’ve probably succumbed too.
So in the end, do these “discount” stores really help you spend less money? It’s possible, but it all comes down to the same thing in the end: discipline. If you can avoid spending money on things that you weren’t planning to spend money on, you may indeed meet your goal of frugality, but if you purchase something because it was just too good a deal to pass up, check to see if you indeed met your goal of spending less.
In the past I’ve had that problem with such stores. However, I now feel burned enough by those experiences that I guard my purchasing very carefully.