Zannee’s Blog at BargainsLA.com

Every month I get an e-mail from some under educated, self righteous, discount shopper who is under the impression that price is what makes something a bargain. This person complains a store I have recommended is not a bargain because of the pricing.

Wrong!  A bargain has to do with value, quality and what the real worth of an item is. It is not a cheap item for cheap.

A new 2007 Lexus ES 350 at $20,000 is a steal, unheard of and should make any buyer cautious. That’s cause you know Lexus construction and quality put it up in the $30,000 plus range. So you can’t compare it to a Hyundai. But if you could get a Lexus ES350 for $27,000 when the MSRP was $33,400, you’d know you had a good deal.

Anyone can buy cheap. There are 99 Cent Only Stores, Walmart’s and Targets everywhere. You don’t have to do your homework, know the market place, understand construction or content to shop at these places. These kinds of stores have a range of goods from okay quality to super cheap. They have a place in our culture and yes I do shop them (except Walmart).

You can’t compare the goods theses stores sell to the rest of the retail world. I wouldn’t expect Chanel quality and design inside a discount store. I wouldn’t expect to find designer showroom furniture inside a Macy’s.

If you see an item “all over town” and then see a similar item at an outlet for a designer furniture showroom… it is not the same item. Real designer showroom furniture is not all over town. It is not mass produced. The copies are massed produced and all over town.

If you think the Vera Wang dress that you can now find at Kohls is the same quality Vera Wang dress you’d get at an upscale boutique… then you are not thinking. It is a lower quality dress with less attention to detail, lower quality fabric and construction. It may still be a cute, well designed dress but, it is not the same in quality.

If you are looking at high-end designer furniture and comparing it to furniture found at Pottery Barn, you are looking at two completely different items. The quality is different, design and construction are different.

You pay for quality.

The old adage, “You do get what you pay for” is true. I don’t consider price until I know about the product I am looking at. When I research a store and review it, I always tell you how or why the product is there and where it originally came from.

If you haven’t shopped high-end showrooms, boutiques or stores, you should; even if the product is out of your range. Ask the sales help questions. Learn why it is priced the way it is priced…the quality, design and construction.

Otherwise you’ll end up comparing apples to bananas and being an under educated shopper. Knowing the market place will help you get the best quality and save you money.

Some retailers still do things the old fashioned way. So Friday late when I pick up my mail there’s a postcard from My Fair Lady announcing a Parking Lot Tent sale starting Saturday.

Even if I didn’t run a bargain hunting website, notifying me by snail mail the night before is usually too late for me to take action. An e-mail earlier in the week would have received a timely posting. But I was able to stop by on Saturday to scope it out.

Not only was there the tent sale by My Fair Lady, where women’s sportswear was priced at $5, $8, $10 and $12…there were also racks out at Dressed UP and Sulma’s Handbags with discounts at 75%-90% off. Dressed UP had a ton of knit tops by Alberto Makali at $5, $8 and $12. But, I ended up going inside and rummaging through several racks of 50%-75% off designer goods. Two tees by Aeve were originally priced at $48, but were now just $12.99 each. 100% Pima Cotton and beautifully cut… I couldn’t resist.

Nothing like a last minute sale that no one knows about. Guess I’ll have to chastise them about timely notification.

BTW….If you didn’t catch the article in the Business section of the Daily News on Sunday titled, “Bargain Beware” here’s a link. http://www.dailynews.com/business/ci_6546148

DN staffer Julia Scott quotes me a few times. She also has her own Bargain Hunter Blog.
http://www.insidesocal.com/bargain/

Looks like she’s a woman after my own heart.

For more Dressed Up Pix go to our Flickr account
http://flickr.com/photos/bargaindawg/sets/72157601240822612/

Just as I am getting into the groove of summer fun, I am besieged with back to school ads. TV ads, radio ads, print ads…. Please make it stop! I am totally ticked at retailers raining on my parade. My kid so totally want to see these ads. Like we so want to be reminded of the inevitable.

Okay, here are some truths….
A lot of college kids do head back in August and yeah most schools go back in September.

But, most parents wait till the last minute (like Labor Day weekend) to buy back to school supplies… I do. Buying ahead does not get you a better deal in supplies. It just gives you a bag full of school stuff to store till school starts.

The truth is the weather in Southern California is hot in September and outside of shoes (and uniforms) all other “back to school clothing” needs can wait till October…oh yeah, that’s when they go on sale… Duh!

By the time your kid is in Middle school, parents should wait to buy clothing to see what the new ”hot” fashion statement is. You’ll have to buy it anyway. Might as well get it right the first time and not buy stuff your kids wouldn’t be caught dead in.

Lastly, by 12 years of age most kids don’t want to be seen by their friends shopping with their parents. During the hot months of August and early September, a lot of kids hang out at the malls to stay cool. You show up with your kid to get them back to school clothes and OY!… the embarrassment, the humiliation! If they need stuff, buy it online.

In the meantime, please don’t spoil the lazy days of summer with Back to School pitches.
I am still working on my tan.