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With the sales going on, it's bargain-hunting time! Shop 'til You Drop
[Anna Rebecca DiBenedetto]
Okay, you have arrived. You are now officially a student abroad and you’re starting to settle in and get a feel for the place. Finding your way to school is no longer such a challenge and you’ve stopped getting your fork out every time someone says ciao. So it must be time to shop for souvenirs and presents for family and friends. Yeah, we know you just got here and aren’t planning to go back for a while anyway, but consider this: Saldi. Sales. It is a now or never situation in Italy. Unlike in the States and elsewhere in the world - where stores almost always have a promotion or two going on - Italy has a set sale season when almost everything goes on sale; but when the sale is over, it's over baby! No more bargains for six more months, till the end of the next season. There are two sales a year, one in January and the other in July. So you are here just in time to take advantage of the winter offerings. This year the winter sales will officially start on January 7th and the season closes on March 7th although many stores finish their sales earlier because they literally run out of merchandise. Whether you want to buy some new threads to try and look like a native or if you want to even out the euro/dollar exchange rate a little, the sales are a great opportunity to save some money. Almost all types of stores have some items on sale and many clothing stores have absolutely everything on sale. Most stores offer between twenty and fifty percent off regular prices on a lot of their merchandise. So whether you are looking for designer fashion or simply need a new t-shirt for the gym, now is the time to get it on sale.
Shopping here is a cultural experience in and of itself. Yes, money still exchanges hands but that is pretty much where the resemblance wears off. If you have had enough culture shock for the moment and want "simple" shopping, then go to a big department store and you will feel pretty much at home. They are open all day long and close around eight. Otherwise, there are a few good rules of thumb to remember if you are going shopping elsewhere. For instance, most smaller stores close for lunch; generally they are open from 9 or 10am to 1pm and then again from 4pm to 7 or 7:30pm. And, no, shopkeepers are not happy to stay if they see you rushing in at 12:59. In most cases they are hungry and want to go home to their pasta. So if they see you eying out their window at 12:56 and you look like an indecisive type they may very well close just a few minutes early because they figure that if you are serious about buying something you’ll come back later, and if not they still had their nice lunch for good measure.
The most important thing to remember when you go shopping in Italy is buyer beware. If it's clothes and shoes you're looking at, be careful to try them on because sizing can be tricky and often varies from store to store. Alos, most stores won’t take sale items back under any circumstances, so make sure that it's exactly what you want before you fork over the cash. Read the tags carefully because they are loaded with relevant information and you can make sure that you are really buying something on sale. If the item is more than 30 percent off the original marked price, you may want to double check that it's something the store normally sells and not some merchandise they have brought in just for the sale, or else something left over from years past. And while your grandmother may not realize that your brand new Gucci jacket is from 1992, almost everyone else will. Some stores even raise their prices right before the sale so the reduction looks larger than it actually is, so beware if the original price is not clearly visible.
The last thing to remember is that most Italian stores are smaller than their American counterparts and as a result they don’t keep as much merchandise on hand. If you have a common size or want the hottest pair of shoes on the market it is probably a good idea to shop early. If you have an unusual size or you like taking risks you may want to wait a little longer because some stores lower their prices even further as the sale goes on. But if you can’t live without that pair of lime green shoes you might want to snatch them up as soon as you see them. Happy Hunting!
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