The perfect period for shopping in Italy: here are the 2011 Winter Sales

The Christmas holidays are behind us, and, after the frantic days spent trying to find the perfect gift for our beloved friends and relatives and to balance the budget so that everyone will be happy and satisfied without our spending a fortune, it’s high time we took care of ourselves, listening to our inner desires and wishes, renewing our image by updating our wardrobe!! And what better time to purchase what we are longing for so much, when it is on offer at a very discounted price? Yes, dearest readers…it’s that time of year again: the winter sales have finally arrived!! Are you ready to plunge into the vast and varied ocean of sales shopping?

As usual, this year too in Italy, the great sales rush started in the southern cities, Naples in particular, where shops began to display their long waited sales signs from January the 3^rd, followed by the other most important cities such as Rome, Milan, Florence, Bologna from the 6^th of January; the last place to start the sales season has been the Valle d’Aosta region, which started offering fabulous discounts from the 10^th of January.

According to statistics and reports from the Confesercenti Association, the sales season marks an important period for shops and traders, especially during this hard time of economic crisis, constituting up to 25% of the profit for the whole year: this is especially true this year when shops and department stores saw a very low number of consumers, even during the Christmas period.

Everyone has been waiting for the sales and, about 6 Italians in 10 are going to take this opportunity to make their important purchases: it’s extremely exciting and highly heartening and satisfactory to purchase at a bargain price that exact item that we have been admiring in the shop windows for so long without any hope of affording it, because we were too concerned with what to buy as a gift for others!!

What will be the most popular items during these winter sales? Traders are fully convinced that consumers will be looking towards clothing and accessories, especially high-quality and refined articles, such as coats, sweaters and jackets, but also handbags and leather products, while a decrease will be registered by shoes. Moreover, a real boom of online purchases is expected, since on the web it is possible to find a great number of reliable virtual shops offering fantastic bargains, with sales discounts of up to 50%.

Even though shopping is often considered a woman’s priority, sales do attract men too, who are expected this year in great numbers, while the age will vary from the younger range, between 18 and 28, to mature adults, especially those who live near the bigger metropolitan areas, who will literally fight to achieve the best bargain ever.

Thanks to the fact that the beginning of this winter sales season coincided with the close of the Christmas festive season, many Italians have prolonged their holidays, deciding to spend a weekend or just a few days in big cities, such as, Rome, Naples and Milan, thus enjoying, besides the tourist and cultural attractions, the opportunity to make unimaginable purchases too, grabbing the amazing offers about.

Don’t forget that the winter sales have also started in the most important European capitals, such as Madrid and Paris, while London is famous for its Boxing day sales, starting on 26^th December, which registered phenomenal queues this year outside some shops, with people waiting for up to 12 hours outside the doors.

Wherever you decide to look for your best bargain, we invite you to follow some easy rules and quick tips, so that you won’t be disappointed by these winter sales and can avoid filling your bags with unnecessary items. With a little bit of caution and without going crazy, you can find that precise item you really want at a truly fabulous discount:

• Check the prices long before the sales start, so that you’ll be sure of what you are going to save during the sales;
• Don’t spend all your budget in the first shop, but make a comparison and see which shops are more reliable;
•  Avoid wasting time on unnecessary things, but keep in mind what you really need;
• Goods on sale should clearly display on the label: the original price, the percentage  discount and, finally, the discounted price;
• Don’t trust discounts over 50%, because they are likely to conceal old products from past seasons;
• Keep the receipt after the purchase, because if you realize that the purchased item is damaged, defective or does not conform to the description, you can change it within 60 days.

With these few tips in mind and a little bit of patience, we are sure that you’ll find that perfect object to update your wardrobe and rejuvenate your image, so that you can get through this final part of the winter season in exquisite style.

And, if you are looking for a bag, don’t forget to check our online shop at www.gleniboutique.com, where you can find great opportunities and fantastic bargains in terms of high quality exotic leather products!