VYNES APPAREL LEARNING CENTER

Understanding how retail works will help you decide what to pay more for and what you can spend less on.  Outside of living in a small, barter community, if you live in the US, your buying and selling is ruled by capitalism. 

 

What things are worth is subjective, and if you don't understand how the system works, you can spend a lot of money unnecessarily due to lack of knowledge.

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When companies buy their inventory, they are buying them at wholesale prices.  When operating in the wholesale world, the more you spend, the bigger discount you'll get. 

 

If you're a large corporation, you can afford to spend more on inventory and therefore, you're spending less on the items you're selling.  

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Every item has a MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price).  This is the value that the manufacturer has placed on the item.  Sometimes this price is based on the quality and cost of materials for the item.  Other times, this figure is pulled out of the air, with no real reference to the quality of the item.

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Retailers mark-up items as much as 400% or more.  For best savings, only buy things once they're on sale or clearance.  Or be objective and evaluate the true value of the item, to decide if you want to buy another brand in entirety.

For the Home

 

One way to be affordably chic is to mix and match by incorporating garage sale and thrift store finds.  

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It all boils down to your color theme and how uniform you want your room to be.  There is a range to the eclectic style and you may be surprised to discover that your home can still look modern and anchored with finds from various sources.

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TO THE RIGHT | Here's a picture that shows a lot of colorful expression.  It displays a more eclectic look. but  still incorporates anchor colors to pull everything together.  The hanging artwork is used for this rooms' anchors. 

 

The art frames are black which helps in defining the main anchor.  Color in the pictures are used to draw in the rest of the decor.

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Clothing

 

In terms of apparel, styles rotate about every 20 years.  You can easily incorporate a 1980's jean jacket, into today's modern fashions.

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You'll be surprised to find the great deals out there when you know where to look.

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Using auction sites are also a good way to find a deal on clothing and  items for your home.  A site like Goodwill Online not only sells used items, but sells New with Tag items as well.   Most items are in very good condition and can be used for resale.

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Chic Tip 

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When Shopping on a site like Goodwill

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• Pay attention to descriptions when bidding in Goodwill auctions.  Items are sold as-is and there are no returns. 

• Most items have very good descriptions and you can gauge the condition (for the most part) by descriptions and pictures. 

• Be sure to read the description thoroughly to ensure the facility will deliver to you. 

• You can also filter to only pull items in a location near you for pick-up.

• Try to order from the same facility and bundle your purchase.  You'll save a lot on shipping and handling.

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For the Home

 

You may be surprised to learn that you can find new scratch & dent furniture and appliances. These are furniture and appliance items that cannot be sold at full retail price because they are technically damaged, even though they are completely new, but have scratch and dent flaws.

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When shopping for furniture, ask about the scratch and dent department, stores don't advertise this section and you'd be surprised to find how much money you'll save.

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Clothing

 

In the clothing industry, this includes items that are irregular and cannot be sold at regular retail, due to the threading or sewing flaws.  Stores like Ross and TJ Maxx are able to sell name brand items at much cheaper prices due in part to irregular inventory.

For the Home

 

According to "thespruce.com", furniture stores re-stock twice a year.  The best times to buy furniture is January or July, right before the re-stock months (February and August).

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Other sites also state that September is the best month to buy large appliances for your home.

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Clothing

 

When purchasing clothing, attempt to shop in the Off-season.  Stores have a certain amount of time to promote items and once items are out of season, they are marked down drastically, to get them moved out of the store.

 

Many (if not all) items marked as "clearance" have gone through this process, and are in the final stages of being on the shelves before being sold to a liquidator or bulk distributor.

The art of re-purposing for your home is not just about upholstery and screwing things together, it's also about taking and old shirt and turning it into a pillow cover.  Or, turning an armoire into an entertainment center.  If you can imagine it, there's a way to create it.  

 

For the Home

 

Turn the old into the new.  You can use paint, fabric and re-purposing to redesign your home without having to spend a lot on your custom look.  

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A change of upholstery or updating door handles are also good ways to change the look of your decor.  Re-upholstering takes time and a lot of detail, so this may not be an option for you, but there may be businesses in your area that can do the job for you.

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Clothing

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Like items for the home, the old an be transformed into an entirely new piece with the right tools.  Get ideas >

For the Home

 

Price comparisons are essential when searching for items you need for the home.  This process requires a lot of online research or footwork, this takes time and can even make the decision making process a difficult one.

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"Furniture.com" is a site that does the footwork for you.  They offer direct links to over 10K Products from various retailers in many styles.

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Clothing

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When it comes to apparel, if you're already in the swing of buying invnetory, you've gotten to see the variation of prices and have a better understanding of the actual cost of items.

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Use this knowledge of the market to compare prices effectively.  What you're willing to pay changes dramatically when you understand how much items really cost.