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Original poster

How often do you buy clothes at full price?

60 replies

RitaPanda · 14/12/2017 10:49

I love a browse in higher end high street shops (Reiss, Whistles) etc but would never consider buying anything at full price. 90% of my wardrobe is from sales, TK Maxx or eBay.

The only things I really buy full price are 'basics' such as long sleeve T-shirts that I wear under jumpers from Primark or H&M, but these are inexpensive and not the kind of things that do on sale.

My current posh frocks (for weddings etc) are Reiss via eBay and TK Maxx - most of which cost around £30.

Just wondering how common it is for people to buy clothes at full price (other than shops that are very cheap to start with). I just can't imagine paying full price when there are so many discounts to be had all year round.

OP posts:
BlueButTrue · 14/12/2017 11:45

OP, my wardrobe is the same as yours Grin

All my basics are brought brand new (they are cheap anyway).

My wardrobe is made up of sale items, second hand from eBay and TK Maxx

I love it, I've no issues with it and don't feel like I'm missing out.

Oh, but I do buy my jeans brand new Smile

Cactusjelly00 · 14/12/2017 11:51

Always buy good quality stuff in the sales. Wouldn't ever shop in primark or similar places so it's not practical to buy full price

Battleax · 14/12/2017 11:52

Almost never. It's a personal challenge for me now to not pay full price for anything. I hate buying non-bargains.

CantChoose · 14/12/2017 11:57

I buy full price most of the time. I hate 80% of clothes once i try them on. Id only buy from eBay if I'd already tried on in a shop and to be honest I can't be arsed.
I've bought from eBay before and ended up keeping things that really didn't do me any favours because I'd already bought them.
I buy occasionally from tk maxx but usually I'm shopping for something fairly specific so I'm far more likely to target a particular store as TK Maxx often won't have what I'm after.
I don't buy anything very often though, I def see clothes shopping as a necessity not a hobby...

fruitlovingmonkey · 14/12/2017 12:06

I rarely pay full price. I'm a sales fiend and I have to be to match up my preferences with my budget. At the very least I wait for a '20% off everything' type offer, but I mostly shop in 50- 80% off sales.
The only thing I regularly buy full price is COS t shirts because they are only £12 and just as good as Whistles ones.

TonicAndTonic · 14/12/2017 12:15

I'd say quite a few of my clothes are full price (though not very high prices!). I do almost all my clothes shopping online and nearly always have a fairly clear idea in my head of the item I'm looking for. If I find the thing I want, I'll buy it when I see it, I've been caught out before by waiting till the sales and the things I want going straight out of stock in my size.

Redcrayons · 14/12/2017 12:17

Hardly ever.
I fantasise about being rich and not automatically navigating to the outlet part of a website.

Mulberrysilk · 14/12/2017 12:18

I rarely pay what they're calling full price but with the current retail model of very regular sales and discount code it's hard to know what full price actually is. I always assume the retail price is inflated to allow for near constant reductions.

lirpaloof · 14/12/2017 12:35

I'd say only about 20% of my wardrobe was bought full price and that tends to be the cheaper, basic items. I get bored of my clothes too quickly to spend a lot on them so even the full price items are from the cheaper high st retailers such as H&M. I get a lot of tops/skirts/dresses/coats from charity shops or clothes swaps and I either wear them a few times and donate them back or give them to friends.

LoniceraJaponica · 14/12/2017 12:38

Nearly always. The sales and charity shops round here are full of rubbish clothes or clothes not in my size.

I do have some clothes bought in the sales and a brilliant pair of brand new Next trousers bought from a charity shop, but usually I am never lucky enough to find what I want at knock down prices.

Floisme · 14/12/2017 12:43

I try and buy mostly second hand because it means I can afford clothes that would otherwise be out of my league plus I'm trying to wean myself off fast fashion. But I don't like EBay - Yes it can be bargainous but it's far too easy to piss money away on duds. Or is that just me?

If I'm buying new I try and be focussed. I'll often stalk an expensive item until it's reduced but I also think it's sometimes worth saving up and paying full price just to get it when I want it. I've had some great sale bargains but I've also wasted money stuff I don't really need just because it's reduced. Same goes for TK Maxx.

DancingHouse · 14/12/2017 12:46

knickers, vests, leggings, tights, socks and pajamas are probably the only things I would buy full price everything else I would try to find in a sale or second hand on ebay and in charity shops.

PNGirl · 14/12/2017 12:58

Fairly often. I'm a buyer and I understand that the brands I like cannot afford to sell everything in their end-of-season sale at cost price.

I have learned the wisdom of just paying for the thing I want rather than trying to find a similar thing cheaper. E.g. I tried on and loved £42 Topshop jeans then spent £30 on 2 cheap ASOS pairs trying to replicate them.
It's also a false economy to buy a different colour because it's in the sale. My mum wanted a camel coat last winter and found a beautiful bargainous brown one instead. Guess what she's been shopping for this weekend?

There is the odd thing I will pay a lot for without that being the full price. I recently bought a Burberry coat which was significantly discounted but not cheap.

LoniceraJaponica · 14/12/2017 13:11

The charity shops round here don't sell high end clothes.

NameChanger22 · 14/12/2017 13:19

Apart from socks and underwear and one cardigan I haven't bought myself any clothes for three or four years. I think the last time I bought any clothes at full price was before I had DD. I buy clothes for her at full price in Primark, H&M and occasionally from M&S but also in the sales and on Ebay.

MikeUniformMike · 14/12/2017 13:22

Same as DancingHouse. Charity shops here sell decent stuff but you need to rummage. Got a lovely Boden dress in my mother's size for 99p and she loves it.

AnaViaSalamanca · 14/12/2017 18:34

I usually am very particular about what I like, so I do buy it full probably 50% of the time, unless it is from a store that has sales all the time, or I am sure the item is not very popular and will end up in the sales. For the basics such as jumpers and jeans I try to stock up on during the boxing day or summer sales. This works very well for me and over the years I have noticed that I get a lot more wear out of the things that I wanted and bought as opposed to pieces that I bought because they were reduced.

Lweji · 14/12/2017 18:37

Very often, as I'm not keen on sale crowds and the choice tends to be much more limited.

From more expensive brands, mostly sale or some form of discount.

RestingGrinchFace · 14/12/2017 18:43

I buy most of my clothes in sales. I would rather wait for a sale (it feels like everything is always on sale these days) and buy something nice than aliens the same amount of money on sonething a bit blah.

eurochick · 14/12/2017 18:47

I buy most stuff full prices. I hate rummaging through jumble sale style sale racks and don't have time to hunt for things on eBay. I don't buy loads though - mostly good quality stuff that I wear for years.

LoniceraJaponica · 14/12/2017 18:51

"I would rather wait for a sale (it feels like everything is always on sale these days) and buy something nice than aliens the same amount of money on sonething a bit blah."

I find it is the other way round for me. The nice stuff never goes into the sales as it gets sold. I only ever find size 8 or 16+ in the sales and anything in my size is shit - like that M and S pink dress. I also can't do with rummaging as if in a jumble sale. I just don't have the patience.

Judydreamsofhorses · 14/12/2017 18:53

I have a student card (perk of my job, I’m a lecturer) and get 10 or 20% off in a lot of places with that - I buy a lot in Topshop, Warehouse and on ASOS which all do student discount. I have quite a bit of Whistles stuff but that has all been sales or price match. I get pre-sale emails from quite a few places which is handy too. But ultimately if I want something which has no discount, and I can afford to buy it, I will.

MikeUniformMike · 14/12/2017 18:53

If you really love something, it is exactly what you need, you can afford it and will get a lot of wear out of it, and there's no sale or discount, then go for it.

TotemIcePole · 14/12/2017 18:55

5-10%

Lweji · 14/12/2017 18:57

I only ever find size 8 or 16+ in the sales

I wish! I rarely buy sales because I can never find 8s. Grin

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