to not understand why anyone would pay full price RRPs for clothes these days

[Ninetydegreeseastoflondon]

I can't remember the last time I paid full price for an item of clothing.

I have some good stuff from brands like Whistles, Reiss, Musto, French Connection, Hobbs, LK Bennett and loads more, all of it from Ebay, TKMaxx or picked up in the sales at a fraction of the normal RRP selling price.

Does anyone actually buy full priced clothes from high street shops these days?

Oh god yeah the Next sale.

Getting up at 3am to buy loads of shite and work trousers.

< shudder >

TXMaxx is nowhere near my town centre; ebay requires you to have a lot of savvy (which I definitely don't have!) and a lot of time. The sales require you to be good at pushing and shoving and so on.

I pick up quite a lot of my stuff in sales or at the outlet and it's great, but there are pretty obvious reasons people pay full price, not least because (obviously) once you think about mistakes/petrol prices/cost of your time, it's often cheaper.

Me.

I hardly ever buy clothes, only when something needs replacing and I cannot be doing with not knowing what size, returning things, diving through sales racks that don't actually have the most popular sizes (i'm a size 12) or definitely don't have odd lengths (i'm short).

I buy a few things a year and I pay full-price for the calm of the non-sale season and for the ability to try on the full size range.

NotMadeOfRib - I think Whistles is a poor example of a non discounter as you get 25% off everything vouchers in Grazia every season (which I always wait for!).

I'm curious as to whether non sale shoppers have actually never bought anything that has subsequently been reduced in the sales. Higher end retailers put absolutely everything in the sales e.g. the vast majority of Mulberry bags each season don't sell out but every seasonal bag end up in sale at 20%+ off. Is that honestly all tat? Even a retailer like Next which is known for putting tat in the sales sells off all its branded Converse and Hunter shoes for half price at the end of the season so if you are quick there are definite bargains to be had.

I buy fully priced clothes all the time...

YANBU, I have bought loads of clothes from eBay at a fraction of the RRP. You just have to know what you are looking for and set up a watch for it. My last purchase was a Whistles Bella dress the colour way was still being sold in John Lewis etc at full price. I bought it for less than half price BNWT.

TKMaxx is brilliant, the lady few things I have bought there I was going to buy anyway, a hello kitty liberty dinner set half RRP, le creuset kids baking set RRP £35, I paid £8. I had been trawling the internet looking for the best price for both of those items and found them both in TK maxx.

The only time I will buy something full price is if I really want it and googling has failed to throw up any online codes.

It does take time though so I can understand why people can't be arsed.

YABU- plus, some 'discounted' items can be more expensive than some 'full price' items... so none of it really means anything anyway, does it?!

I do. I like to browse in nicer cluttered shops and try things on before buying. So that rules out TK Max or online discounters.

I generally buy clothes at full price.

But online sales are fantastic, you just have to be quick as all the good stuff goes out of stock very quickly.

With All Saints most of their clothing goes in the sale and usually 50% off so these days I never buy full price from there.

But generally why wouldn't I pay full price? If it's something I like and in my size.

A lot of people here seem to be implying that if you buy from sales / TK Maxx you will be buying the 'dregs' that no one else wants. Ok so a lot of the stuff in sales / TK Maxx is not to my taste, but I have got a few really well chosen pieces that receive a lot of compliments, most recently a gorgeous cable knit jumper from TK Maxx that everyone wants to know where I got it from (£16 down from £70)

And I have made full priced fashion mistakes in the past

Well, you are buying stuff that wasn't bought in large quantities full price, aren't you? To do that and look good/feel confident you need a good eye or to be very sure that you will like whatever item it is, and you're not swayed by the price. I'm not great at that.

I don't shop there myself but, Pikey?! Really?! FFS.

Things are often discounted for a reason.
Also I seem to have a popular size so things are often sold out before they get discounted.
If I really love something and have the money, then I will buy it.

Ninety, you'll be one of the lucky ones who have the ability to spot potential where people like me need everything framed and presented in a certain way.
I don't have the eye (or imagination?) for discount shopping.

Our tk maxx is new and fab. I've had 7 for all mankind jeans in there for £20 and converse, fat face and French connection for a fraction of the price. Plus some gorgeous children's clothes.

If that makes me a pikey I don't give a flying toss.

I love expensive brands, but virtually always get them with an offer.

I have got a few bargains in my time, but generally I can't be bothered with the sales. I don't have the time to trawl through racks on unsaleable crap to find that the only decent thing isn't in my size. I hate note being able to try things on (because the queues are huge or the fitting rooms are closed at sale time). I hate that customers get pushy and rude so you just can't have a relaxing experience.

I'd rather buy fewer things - things that I really like and need - at full price than have a wardrobe full of bargains.

Sometimes I buy full price, sometimes (but very very rarely) sale & often eBay (for children, furniture etc).

You can't get everything discounted. My biker jacket sold out of topshop and was never in the sale. I tried eBay, but to no avail.

I cannot remember the last time I shopped in a "normal" high street shop.
Today I visited my much loved charity shop and got 2 French connection dresses, 2 monsoon skirts, a fat face dress, 2 next skirts, a next trench coat and a coast jacket. They all had the original tags on so never been worn and they cost me 25p each.
I will never waste my money on high fashion when I can get classic items elsewhere for a fraction of the cost.

Wow thismouse where do you live? Our charity shops are all soooo expensive!

They have a "clear out " every so often where all clothes are 4 for £1.
Sorry can't tell you where as then I would have to kill you :)

Wow, wish I'd seen the deleted post! Any chance of a pm?

I bloody love TKMaxx. Guess I must be a pikey then!

I buy full price as

1. my size often sells out well before the sales.
2. I don't know where 'current stock, new with tags' ebay bargains come from. I can guess.

It's easy to look a a seller's history on eBay. If all they sell is BNWT then I wouldn't buy. If for example they have a history going back a few years and all they've sold is some second hand DVDs, good quality used furniture and good quality second hand clothes fairly sporadically and then they sell a BNWT dress its fairly unlikely they are a career shoplifter. Although you never can be sure.

The alternative to buying full price isn't necessarily trawling through TK MAXX, EBay or the sale rails - it's simply spending 5 minutes checking MSE to grab a 20% off voucher. Surely nobody ever pays "full price" for GAP or Boden? And yes, Whistles, Hobbs and Jaeger will always have a blanket 20% discount if you can wait a while.