How much of a saving would make it worthwhile to you to return an item and repurchase in the sale?

[Sundaycoffee]

If you bought an item of clothing and then it went into the sale the next day, how much of a saving would it need to be for you to faff around with returning and repurchase at sale price?
I bought something for £80 in the shops and then see it has been reduced online the very next day to £63 (free delivery).
Would you bother?

Yep but it depends where you bought it

I would for that amount if returns were easy - John Lewis/ Waitrose for e.g.

It's from Mango. Would mean a trip to the shops again to return which is about a 20 min drive away! Bloody annoying when this happens

I might for say, £50. For less than twenty quid I couldn't be bothered with the faff.

I probably would for £17 but only if the return process was easy and convenient

I’ve done this on Amazon for as little as £5, but I’m at the parcel shop most days so it wasn’t out of my way. For the shop, it depends if I was going there anyway, do I need to pay to park and most importantly, will I spend more than the reduction because I’m going to be by the shops.

I wouldn't for that. Driving, paying for parking presumably, I couldn't be bothered with the faff.

£30 minimum for me. Time is precious, an hour plus petrol and parking means I wouldn’t do it for £17.

If I had another reason to go into town yes, but with parking etc., would it be cost effective. I did return items to M&S, as DH bought two suits and then saw they had an on-line promotion for 20% off, so definitely back the next day, after checking that I could buy the same items on line. It saved £80 and when asked why I was bringing the items back, their comment was well you should have shopped on line then - not sure they liked their job very much or grasped that their job depended on not buying on line!!

With petrol and parking is it worth it?

I can make £30/hour tax free matched betting.

So I use that as my benchmark for whether money off is worth the effort.

Yes, but I have a shopping mall with free parking nearby with the shops I buy from so would easily return to store next time I was there

The saving would have to be about £15 greater than the temptations I would encounter on the journey (I.e. take away coffee, special offers in food shops).

After all costs taken out of equation I would want the money I would earn in an hour at work or I could just not be bothered.
Online returns I do for over £10 though tbh as it's effort free for me.

If it is John Lewis there is a form to fill in on their website to get the difference refunded if it is less than 35 days after, it's called 'price drop refund request', I have used it.

So that'll be an hour of your time plus travel costs. My time is worth more than that, only you know the value of your time.

Usually you have 28 days to return so would maybe be visiting the shops anyway in that time

Phone them up and see if they will refund part of it without it going back.

It's from another retailer that sells the brand rather than buying directly so don't think that would be possible

My salary is about £30 an hour, so that's my benchmark for jobs like this.

In your situation - returning the original to a shop 20-minutes away and waiting for the reduced one to turn up, I personally wouldn't bother my arse for less than £60.

Assuming free delivery/ returns I'd do it for a tenner.