From seasonal strategies to near-obsessive price comparisons, we all have our ways for finding good deals online. For kids’ clothing, some of us buy winter coats from an outlet store when they go on sale in the spring, while others buy designer stuff at flash sale websites. No matter what your approach, the online shopping environment goes through changes in the form of new stores and new sales far more often than traditional retail stores at your local mall.
The local mall isn’t even the No. 1 holiday shopping destination anymore. It’s been usurped by an ever-evolving collection of retailers hawking their wares on the Internet. And this shift didn’t only apply to gifts — or to the holidays. Year-round, online retailers are becoming an increasingly popular destination for those who shop for kids’ clothing, too.
There are a few key strategies that can help you get the best deals on quality clothes for your kids. We have collected five of our favorite tips — and it all starts with refusing to pay retail.
If you work a 40-hour week, you may be tempted to schedule shopping trips for weekends when you’ll have plenty of time to walk around the mall or drive from store to store. However, making two simple changes to this habit could save you money. First, opting to shop for children’s clothing online in the middle of the week will usually garner the best deals. According to a survey of more than 100 online retailers, a Wednesday is the best day to get kids clothing — with an average discount of 40 percent. Second, shopping online eliminates the transportation costs you’d incur for in-person sprees, and you can easily use a search engine to find the stores with the lowest prices.
But you can use a search engine to avoid paying retail any day of the week. Start your search by typing the name of the store you’re browsing plus a term like “promo code” or “coupon code” to find codes you can enter during the checkout process to earn additional discounts. Or sign up to receive text-message or e-mail discounts via the store’s e-newsletter. Some retailers even offer discounts to shoppers who “Like” their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.
