When it’s the middle of summer, purchasing a new winter coat might not be top of your agenda.
But did you know that buying clothes out of season could just save you a pretty penny?
What’s great about this hack is that high street names through to designer brands often dramatically cut the cost of their items just because it’s ‘the wrong time of the year’. If you’re willing to wait a few months to use your item, you could pick up a fantastic deal, and avoid having to pay full price for the same thing once the colder or warmer weather rolls around.
For cold weather winter essentials especially, purchasing clothes out of season is one of the best ways to save money.
Here are our top tips for off-season clothes shopping from the Fair For You team to help you maximise your savings.
What Is Out Of Season Clothes Shopping, And How Does It Work?
First, a quick crash course on out of season shopping for anyone who is new to the concept.
Simply put, when you buy out of season clothes, it means you purchase winter clothes in the summer, or summer clothes in the winter.
Clothes can be cheaper when purchased out of season because:
It costs retailers money to store stock that isn’t selling, hence they need to get rid of it fast.
There is low demand for clothes that don’t match the current weather conditions.
Retailers also have to make way for new stock and so will look to shift stock from the previous season if it hasn’t sold.
In short, out of season clothes cost retailers money and this can add up to big savings for consumers who pick up any bargains as a result. This is especially the case for those staple winter items such as coats, jumpers, boots and gloves.
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How To Snag The Best Out Of Season Deals
You could grab a cheap summer holiday wardrobe by buying clothes out of season. But given the Cost of Living Crisis and particularly those high energy bills, winter clothing is where we think your money will be best spent.
Investing in warm layers of clothing can help keep you warm and comfortable for when that cold weather hits. So our advice is to look for quality fabric and thick layers of thermal protection, rather than being led by trends.
If you have a favourite retailer in mind, you can sign up for their mailing list to be the first to know when the sale will start. Look for winter clothes and arrange the prices in order of ‘lowest to highest’ to find the very cheapest deals.
As for timing, sometimes it’s possible to find cheap winter clothes as early as the January sales. However, it is typically as the weather warms up that the likes of coats, knitwear and boots experience the biggest price reductions. After all, few people require a thick coat in July!
By thinking about your wardrobe over the longer term rather than just the current weather conditions, you can find deals that simply can’t be found when new stock is released in season.
Fair For You - Helping You Afford The Things You Need For Less
If you’ve never shopped for clothing out of season before, we hope you’ll give this trick a try!
While you’re here, be sure to check out the products and Shopping Cards available at Fair For You.
Fair For You helps those who are financially excluded to afford the things they need through our flexible repayment system. Take a look at our website to see how Fair For You works, plus the items you could purchase through us without having to turn to a high-interest lender.
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