Out and about shopping in Bath, Somerset

High Street Shopping

On Wednesday I was lured by an email that popped into my inbox.  Lookfantastic.com wanted to tell me about their offer of ‘20% discount to our first 250 customers.’

And off I went!  Shopping until my basket was bursting at £145. Whoa, time to stop!  Login, check my basket, delivery, and pick my free sample.  Now where is that discount code? Apply code.  What?  Invalid code! Try again, maybe it is case sensitive.  Nope, invalid, exclusions apply!  I supposed everything I’ve put in my basket is not eligible for discount. Well sod that, empty basket.

A couple of hours later and I find myself down town as I am desperate for a new pair of trainers as mine have just blown out on me, and I have a half marathon to run in less than four weeks.  This is the last thing I want as I prefer to run in trainers that have seen some mileage, and now I’m worried that these new trainers are going to hurt or give me blisters.

As I stroll around the city centre I pop into Marks & Spencer as they have a beauty department that stocks some of the products I just placed in my basket online.  After a lengthy browse I purchase two of the items. One I get for £10, whereas online it was £12, the other I get for £14.50, again this was £16 online!  There is no discount on offer as this is the regular price. A saving of £3.50!

I then visit The Body Shop as I have just completed a job application for them.  Again, two of the products I wanted to get are reduced.  A men’s kit for £25 down to £15, and a cleansing kit for £15 down to £12.  Get In!

After visiting two sports shops and not having any luck on trainers, I visit a dedicated running shop, where the trainers all seem to retail at over £100. I get served straight away.  This didn’t happen in the previous two sports shops I visited!  After being allowed to run up and down the corridor in my potentially new trainers, I make my purchase.  I have only chosen a pair that are reduced! Another bonus and I didn’t even know about it.  They where £105 but now down to £75.

I am so glad I chose to visit the high street shops.  I have become an internet shopper and compulsive returner of goods, as I either don’t like them or they don’t fit.

It just goes to show that shopping on the internet is not always cheaper.  Clever marketing just lures you in then, if you don’t spend enough, you have to pay the postage and wait days for it to come, only to then have to go to store to return it or wait in the ever-busy post office queue to return it.  Discounts are not always what they seem, or they don’t work with the goods you actually want.  Then there is the conversation.  By the time I left the running shop I had found out that there is a free running club each week from the store.  It’s good to talk, especially when so many of us are isolated in our daily working life.

The thing that has made me most happy is that I actually saved money and enjoyed my couple of hours out in the shops.

Do you like to shop on the high street and come home with bargains?  Let me know your stories.

Tracy x