Cure for impulse purchases?

Have you ever bought clothes or shoes, only to find out few days later that its on sale? Perhaps kick yourself for making such an impulse purchase? Even contemplate returning the perfect clutch that complements everything in your wardrobe in the hope that you’ll be able to re-buy it at the sale price? If you’ve felt my pain, then read on.

US department stores can be pretty generous and have policies to make sure that you are a satisfied customer. One of these is the price adjustment policy, which allows you to receive a refund should the item go on sale within one or two weeks of your purchase.

So when I found out that my ‘I have to have it’ Marc Jacobs dress went on sale from US1,500 to US900, I became a woman on a mission. That 600 bucks was going to get me a pair of Manolos to complete the outfit. The only thing was I didn’t know about the policy at the time so I had to put some effort to make my money – I returned the dress with one sales assistant and then bought the same dress at the sale price with another. I thought I was running a stealth operation but the first sales assistant saw me and kindly explained that I didn’t need to go through that ever again. That it is as simple as bringing the receipt!

Price adjustments also apply to internet purchases so if you are surfing the web, check the prices of your recent purchases. It is a great way to make some money back as struggling retailers are offering more sales and other discounts to lure in shoppers.

Only if I could convince Australian department stores to adopt the same policy…