Help! I need a shopping strategy

Roxanna

I was inspired to post this after jackiec posted about how the exchange rate is making her shop less these days. One of my wardrobe goals for this year is to buy less but better - investment pieces that I will love and that have quality, fit and unique details. I'm willing to spend significantly on these pieces and to add a few to my wardrobe at a time. The trouble is, being Canadian, i don`t have access to the brands all our American friends do online. I can go into brick and mortar stores and shop, of course, but being a working mom of two kids under three, it is very difficult to find the time to go into the boutiques and try on everything. Anyone else in the same boat? What have been your solutions?

11 years ago

Shopping

5 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Alassë

Veteran

I like Twice, eBay, and ThredUp for online stores with a variety of brands (plus return policies). Otherwise, my strategy is to browse online retailers every so often (3 kids, 6 and under).

If a brick and mortar store is near your errand route, you could try a few things on once in a while. What I do is pre-shop the online website first, then check to see if it's in the store location I'm visiting. That way your rare brick and mortar trips are very focused.

11 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Bring the girls shopping with you, send the boys off with their father (!) And also, do just one store a day. And shop with a friend whom you give power over your children - it's good for your children, I must say. Don't make me talk about my cousin's bad kid...

11 years ago

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I shop online at places like BR, Gap, the Bay, who all have free shipping, then do a return run. I'd much rather try on at home with my own clothes, lighting and in my own time... either way you go to the store, but this way it's a quick visit.

11 years ago

Dimity

Active Member

When I lived in Canada, I used to run down to the States a few times a year to shop. It was a day trip with a lot of driving, but I was able to get a much better variety of things and generally no duty coming back. I think I paid duty once in more than a decade.

11 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Where in Canada are you? I live in a small city without decent brick and mortar stores. We do have a few boutiques that I try to frequent occasionally but that can only be for a lucky find. Our Bay is hopeless. We have a pretty poor Winners.

So...my system is like this:

For most basics and essentials, I order online as Elizabeth P does, mostly from Banana Republic, GAP, and Zara. I can get a good fit there at least in some items. BR has decent essentials and Zara has fun fast fashion. I tend to stick with tops and jackets at Zara (with the rare bottom); at BR I have more flexibility.

Sometimes I also from Club Monaco and/ or J. Crew, because I like the modern styles and can get a good fit from those stores, at least now that I have a fair idea of my size. I'll also do online orders from The Bay and return for free in our (hopeless) store. Their website is the pits, but they do have a ton more there than they have in our store, and yet I can return locally. So it's worth it.

I will say it took a year's worth of ordering and returns before I got that sorted, but I'm much better at guesstimating accurately now, and knowing my body type, I have a good idea about what might or might not work on me.

I also spend about a day or two each year shopping in Toronto and/or Montreal in brick and mortar stores. (I live about equidistant between these cities). It is actually by doing this that I learned which sizes I needed from the aforementioned BR, Zara, J. Crew, CM. In other words, I tried on like crazy even with no intention of buying -- just to determine fit. I made sure my daughter was being taken care of so that I could have the alone time for a real shop.

In the past, when the exchange rate was better, I ordered about once or twice a year from the US and had it delivered to a "My US address (Kinek)" and then picked it up at the border. I tried on then and there, and if I didn't like it, I took advantage of free US returns. Of course if I returned it, I didn't have to pay duty.

At other times, I would save my shopping for a US trip. I usually go to the US at least once a year for a few days. If you're gone more than 48 hours you can bring back considerably more without duty charges.

11 years ago

Category