A Lot About Nothing – Wordpress

Category: Shopping

  • Shopping in Downtown Buffalo

    This has got to be my most “productive” shopping trip to the U.S. yet! I haven’t been shopping in Downtown Buffalo in about a year (I usually opt for tax tree Pennsylvania), but I didn’t want to drive too far this past Saturday. This time I followed my own advice and didn’t forget my shopping list at home. I planned out all my stops ahead of time (Walden Galleria area) and visited the store’s websites beforehand to check out all the sales.

    JCPenny has a great After-Christmas Sale going on: 70% off all gold jewelery. I wish I had a few extra bucks with me or I would’ve bought a pair of white gold hoop earrings on sale for $150 (from $500). I picked up a nice white gold cross pendant with a cubic zirconia for $90 ( reg. price $299.99). Burlington Coat Factory (one of my favourite stores to shop at in the U.S.) had some great deals as well. Scored this amazing Kathy Van Zeeland handbag for $44 (reg. price $89). Best of all I finally found the medium-length wool winter coat I’ve been looking for all season. Guess how much? $49.99! Spending 45 minutes browsing through the wide array of coats on all those racks in Burlington Coat Factory was worth it! It fits me so well, and I copped a scarf for $2.99 to match. On the way out my eye caught this gold-coloured fitted jacket for $15.99 so I snatched that up along with an adorable baby outfit for my mommy-to-be friend of mine . My sister got this cool, reversible JLo winter jacket for $79.99.Border’s Bookstore is another favourite of mine. Got myself a large photo album and a beautiful Bible for $3.00. Payless Shoesource (the only store which carries my size) was good to me this time around. I finally found the pair of black pointy-toe pumps I’ve been looking for for ages! Only $16.99! Steve and Barry’s had everything in the store going for $8.98 (2 for $15), so I picked up two cute t-shirts. Marshall’s had some good deals on clearance clothing. I got several long sleeve T’s and sweaters for under $30.00.  Bath & Body Works had great deals.  Got a bunch of lotions, creams, body sprays and soaps, all for under $25.  They smell soooo good!

    So as my brother, sister and I were driving back into Canada I urged them to organize all their receipts, total them up and keep them handy. As I reached customs the female CBSA officer asked me the usual questions: Where we were from in Canada, where we were during the day, how much we spent and what we purchased. We told the truth and were waived through (she didn’t even ask for our I.D.). We didn’t have to pay any taxes or duties on our purchases. We had left Toronto around 8am and got back home by 6pm.

    So almost $300 later, I think my trip to the U.S. this time around was definitely worth it!

    Wool Jacket Kathy Van Zeeland BagWhite Gold Cross NecklaceBlack Pointy-Toe Shoes

  • I Love The Smell of Boxing Day Sales in the Morning…

    I think this year was the first of many that I didn’t feel my usual drive for Boxing Day shopping. Which is good, because I ended up saving a lot of money.

    Usually, I gear up every December 26th and head to a mall like the Eaton Centre, Yorkdale, or Orfus Road, but this year the deals really didn’t get me. I did manage to pick up a few things. Got Super Paper Mario from Zellers for $34 (which I recently found out was actually $10 cheaper, so I may have to go back for a price match). Picked up Wii Play which comes with an extra Wii Remote for $39.99 from Superstore (reg. $59.99). Finally got myself the Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes 4-6) for $28, and picked up a couple sweaters from Winners because they had an extra 25% off all clearance items.

    If I had the extra cash (and a larger place) I probably would’ve purchased one of those LCD or Plasma TV’s that were going on sale at Futureshop/Best Buy for up to $1100 off the regular price. I did participate in Future Shop’s online Boxing Week sale though (on December 24th). Got Scarface/Spy Games for $24.99 (Scarface is regularly $60) and a Sandisk 2GB USB Drive for $16 (over $50 off).  The site was so bogged down with visitors that the online check out didn’t work properly until 3 hours after the scheduled start time.

    Turns out that I’m making a last minute run to the border tomorrow (actually in 5 hours, I should really get some sleep), because I wanted to see what type of post-Christmas Day deals they have down there. Stores like Macy’s, JCPenny and Burlington Coat Factory have “After Christmas” clearance sales of up to 70% off. So I’m just heading down to Buffalo for 1/2 the day, so I’ll keep you informed about what deals I score! :)

  • Online Stock for Nintendo Wii Going, Going… Gone!

    All you people searching for a Nintendo Will console this Christmas were in luck today. Futureshop.ca had two separate stock replenishes of the popular gaming system of 350 units and they were all gone in a matter of minutes. If you didn’t already have your customer profile set up, or were busy fumbling through your wallet looking for your credit card then you were probably out of luck.  Many of their stores sold some of their last shipments before Christmas this morning as well.

    This screen grab was taken at 4:18pm (click for larger version):
    Futureshop.ca - Wii Sales at 4:18pm

    And just over 10 minutes later:
    Futureshop.ca - Wii Sales at 4:30pm

    I’ve never seen such a demand for item since the Tickle-Me-Elmo. I for one wasn’t about to wake up at the crack of dawn this morning in the cold to head to Future Shop and purchase one in store. All the people who managed to get one before the holidays are pretty lucky because this is one hot item (two years running). It sucks when many of these people buying up all these Wii’s are scalpers trying to make a quick buck from the high demand of this product, while there are eager children waiting on them as Christmas gifts.

    Other online retailers that had the Wii in stock at various times today: Costco and Best Buy.

    Next online rush: Wii Fit

  • Money Matters: Tips On Avoiding the Post-Holiday Blues

    I know it may seem like a bit of an oxymoron with me giving financial advice, but trust me, I’m not that bad of a shop-a-holic! :D

    Here is a excerpt from a 9-tip article I wrote for Passion Magazine on how you can help ease the strain on your wallet this holiday season:

    1. Plan it out
    Budgeting is key to tracking and saving your funds. Estimate how much money you’ll spend for the holiday season, write it down and stick to it.

    2. Make a list and check it twice
    Do you really need to buy your mail carrier’s brother a Christmas gift? Or even your neighbours whom you’ve only said “Good morning” to on occasion? Probably not. Make a list of people you intend to exchange gifts with in order of priority. You should also brainstorm gift ideas for each as well as jot down approximate prices to keep things organized. Trim the list if necessary.

    3. Don’t procrastinate
    Yes, the adrenalin rush of Christmas Eve shopping is tempting, but be the early bird for once. Avoid waiting until the last minute to shop so that you’ll have more time to compare prices at different stores. You can also take advantage of year-round sales this way. Boxing Day is a must if you want to save big on holiday items and future presents that you can hide away in your closet until next year.

    4. Cash it
    It may seem so much easier to swipe and sign, but paying with cash will benefit you in the long run. If you see the money leaving your hands, you may feel less inclined to part with it. You’ll also avoid being struck with bills and high interest come January.

    Click here to read the rest of the article on PassionMag.ca.

  • My November Cross-Border Shopping Trip Review

    Okay, I promised to update you on my shopping trip to the States that I went on back on the 24th, so that’s what I’m doing (even though it’s a little late :) ).

    I got some amazing deals, and I’m planning on heading back there again before Christmas, b/c not heading my own advice, I forgot my shopping list at home and forgot to pick up some things I planned on purchasing State-side.

    The drive down there was good. We left Toronto around 5am and reached the border around 7. Virtually no line up, so we ended up waiting only 5 minutes for customs to check our citizenship. Then it was off to Erie, PA (Millcreek Mall specifically). Reached the mall around 8:30… great selection of parking spots. First stop was Burlington Coat Factory. I love this store. I saw a nice coat there, but opted to window shop a little more to find the right one. Got a nice pair of dress pants for $7. Marshalls had some great deals as well. I bought myself a gold leather Calvin Klein belt for $15 (regular price $45). Also got a BCBG Max Azria white, sleeveless, turtleneck sweater for $10. Guess what the original retail price was? $110!!! Picked up another sweater as well for $7. Got a software tutorial book I wanted at Borders for $40 (over $70 here). Picked up some Revolon makeup at Big Lots for $2 (I paid $10 for the same thing here in Toronto!) We then stuffed our bellies at Wal-Mart Supercenter (love their $8.99 mixed chicken buckets!).

    After we were done in Erie we went on a 1 hour drive to Grove City. I wish we headed there first b/c there were even more deals! All the outlets are outdoors, so thankfully it wasn’t too cold, that we were able to visit most of the stores. The Nike Store was great. I ran out of extra spending money so I couldn’t get the nice Shox that were on sale for $39. They also had hoodies for $20. The GAP had a good sale as well. Sweaters 50% off (sooo comfy!). I finally got some BearPaw winter boots (in my size!) for $50. They are so warm!

    We left Grove City around 9pm after packing the SUV with our purchases well and trying to avoid deer along the highway. We reached the Canadian border at 11ish… all nervous about our declarations.  We were waiting in the line at the Peace Bridge for about 15 minutes which wasn’t too bad.  We were honest (well, most of us were) and we had to go in to pay taxes, but it was only $20/person (we all claimed between $150-200). Ironic thing is the girl who bought the most stuff end up only paying $11 (she bought a lot of children’s clothes… so there’s no PST).

    All in all a good trip! :) Next time I just have to make sure I get enough sleep the night before!  P.S. The Hyundai Santa Fe SUV is a dream to drive!