Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

The Changing Face of Bargain Shopping

The face of bargain shopping has changed a lot over the past 2 years. There have been soo many goods available at lower pricing that many of us are forgetting what quality goods really cost. The large volume of goods at bargain basement has made some of us giddy with our stellar prizes. We are now used to lower prices. But the volume of stellar deals is drying up some and costs are going up as well.

Some manufacturers who haven’t gone out of business have slowed production and or lowered quality to stay profitable. And clothing manufacturers are cutting to order with few overruns and production overages. They have streamlined the manufacturing process to keep their costs at a minimum.

In general terms, there will be less brand new product to hit the market. Less product will be available for discounters and liquidators to snatch up at bargain basement prices.

Then there is the slow boat from China….
Shipping companies are slowing their ships to save on fuel. Thus some products are not showing up in time for “in-store “or “seasonal” promotions. Retailer will have to pay a lot more to get them here on time. Plus do to the global economy slowing there are now fewer ships and the competition for space on those ships is fierce. This increases the cost to retailers, which increases the cost to us…. The consumer.

The deals will still out there, though fewer in numbers. Bargain Hunters will simply have to hunt more and search in different areas to find them. The hard part is not settling on a lower quality item because you had to work a little harder to find quality at a deal.

Of course, I’ll keep doing my best to find the new outlets and secret bargain hunting venues for ya.