What is fashion without a spot of insanity? For the past two months shopping meccas across the country have seen some of the madness of a consumer’s zeal to get that bargain price item. Some have been waiting all year to nab that dress/ scarf/ shirt/ shoes that they have been stalking all year. And sale season happens to be the best time to dive into the insanity of buying, snatching and battling it out at long trial room lines.

Speak to sale junkies and they will tell you that running a marathon will seem easy after the obstacle race that they encountered at sales at high street fashion stores across the cities. Zara, Mango, Jack and Jones, Vero Moda, Forever New, Forever 21… high-street shoppers have never seen better days. The advent of these brands have also brought with them the culture of clearance sales. And with India on the destination of all international retailers, the pleasures of high-street shopping are many but not fraught without some battle wounds. 

The thing about such sales is that getting your precious suede bag or that adorable dress has a battle scar and a story to it. Apparently at one such sale, two girls led an ‘I-saw-it-first-bitch’ scuffle over a divine little red polka dot skirt. Amidst the scrapping, it was the poor little skirt that got torn first!

In an effort to bring the global model of super sale to India, a Mumbai outlet of a well-known brand organised a day long sale. The response as most fashionistas know was implausibly crazy. From a 300 metre long line waiting outside the store to catfights over coveted cat-printed skirts with giant LCD screens recording the madness, it was many fashion firsts’ seen in Mumbai.  Talking about her sale buying spree, stylist Surbhi Gupta said, “It was craziness. Going by the turnout, it seemed as if the store was giving away stuff for free. Our quest began with us joining the outrageously extended line of savvy sale shoppers already waiting ahead of us. It was a true shopaholic’s challenge.”

Model Priyanka Khimani said, “I did expect a touch of madness but what I saw completely took me by surprise. The last time I saw such fashion fervour was at a sample sale. Never before have I seen such a sight in India. I’d come in the morning and left almost immediately seeing no point. Strangely, when I passed the store in the evening, it wasn’t that packed, so I was lucky enough to pick a few dresses and scarves.”

At all the sales, people waited their turns outside the stores for hours. The queue extended from the entrance of the store right through into the adjacent lane. Shoppers scrambled to find clothes in their size before someone else got to them. Amidst all the chaos, devoted shopaholics still managed to make their trip worthwhile with some great buys.

Gloating about her haul, Preeti Arora, HR executive, says, “There are these pair of boots that I have been flirting with for a year now. And I decided to buy them when the store announced its sale because at the original price, it’s almost quarter of my salary.” Sale season is the biggest event in the diary of budget fashionistas all across the world. So if you have your hearts set on that one little dress, get geared and get shopping.

A SALE JUNKIE’S GUIDE
Be Mr Scrooge all year if you plan to go on that sale-buying spree.
Make a list. Don’t get tickled by whatever you see.
It’s the best time to pick up basics.
Outfits that you can mix and match make the best buys.
Don’t buy any outfit with a fashion trend that will change at the end of the season. For e.g. those Star Wars shoulderesque t-shirts or dresses.
Accessorise now.
Even though cheap, quality is still a must.
Hydrate yourself. Be calm.
Hit one store every weekend or else your nerves will be torn to shreds.
Dress for comfort.
Check for online sales and auctions too.