Summer means a lot of things: Hot weather, beach parties, time off of school, road trips, and sales. Lots and lots of sales. Now is the time of year when stores give some of their biggest discounts. You may have noticed some of the summer sales popping up already. As many have come to find, sales can be frustrating. However, they can also be extremely rewarding if you know how to shop them. Below are a few things to keep in mind while shopping a sale:

1. Get to a sale as early in the day as possible. Obviously, a sale will be easiest to navigate early in the morning when no one else has had the opportunity to shop it. Sales associates will have had closing time and opening time to make sure that the sale section is in tip top shape for your convenience. There’s nothing more irritating while shopping than the time you have to spend endlessly sifting through a mess of clothes to even find if there’s anything, well, worth finding. Attempting to shop a sale when it’s messy is just a waste of time and effort. Avoid the hassle, and go early. You’ll be doing yourself a HUGE favor, promise.

2. Ask yourself a few crucial questions: The rules and questions you ask yourself while shopping normally shouldn’t go out the door when shopping a sale. When doubting your decision to buy something ask yourself: Do I need this? Do I already have something similar to this in my closet? Will I really wear this? and most importantly, Would I still want this even if it wasn’t on sale? No, this doesn’t mean would you buy this item for it’s original price but do you even like it at all? Often times, an attractively low price tag can convince you to buy something that you otherwise would never even take a second glance at. A sale can be a great time to purchase something you wouldn’t normally go for, however, don’t let all of your shopping standards go out the door.

3. Check store policy on sale items: The return policy on sale items, specifically items that are on sale because they are damaged, can sometimes be really strict. This may mean you have less time than normal to return something, can only exchange your item, or possibly not even able to return what you bought at all. You’ll never know what the case may be unless you ASK, so make sure you do so. The possibility of there being a strict return policy, leads me to my next point which is…

4. Try on sale items before you buy them: This is absolutely crucial if you can not return the item. Things are on sale because they couldn’t sell at the rate the store wanted them to. This may due to a number of reasons, one of which may be, the fit. Therefore, it’s important to try it on rather than assume it’ll fit you. Although trying on something may seem time consuming in the moment, it’ll actually save time in the long run. When you try something on you, unless you just happen to change your mind, you completely avoid the shock of getting home, finding out what you bought won’t work for you, and having to return it.

5. Patience is key; prepare yourself mentally & physically: Shopping a sale takes the phrase “shop til’ you drop” to a whole new level. Sales are chaotic and going to one after another can be overwhelming to say the least. Therefore, it’s important that you prepare yourself accordingly. You should begin your day with a good breakfast, wear comfortable shoes, stay hydrated, and carry a lighter purse. Give yourself a break if you need one and remind yourself that it’s just a sale; if you can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s not the end of the world.