Lifestyle of a Fashionista

The New York Times has inspired another blog entry with an article titled, Mobile Deals Set to Lure Shoppers Stuck in Line. This article is about finding deals that are only available by using your phone. I will pass only the tips from this article as well as discuss which stores/sites let you shop from your phone. I realize the latest entries on my blog have been more about shopping than fashion trends but you need to know where to buy the trends!

Before I write about shopping on your phone, I want to briefly identify some apps that are helpful when you are out and about doing your shopping. First, there is Cardstar. This app allows you to enter in all of your reward card information so you don’t have to carry around all those plastic cards. I strongly recommend using this app if you have a lot of these cards.  Second, I want to mention the bar code apps. RL classic, Red Laser, let’s you scan barcodes and it will tell you where the best deal is for that product. Also, if you haven’t noticed yet a lot of products, stores, etc have these crazy looking codes you can scan with RL and get deals or enter a sweepstake.

Back to shopping with your smartphone: The NY Times article was about retailers trying to get people to shop for deals while waiting in line during black Friday events. HSN (home shopping network) and Amazon are trying to lure shoppers with deals starting on Thurs. If you like to shop with these businesses download the app and starting shopping! The flash sale sites mentioned in my last blog entry are also having online deals starting on Thurs. If you have accounts with these sites, download their apps. I have used Gilt, Ideeli, and Rue La La. These apps allow you to preview upcoming sales as well as order products from your phone once the sale has started. I recommend creating accounts with these sites. They have great deals on name brands.  Shop at home on your computer or on your smartphone.  Gilt has a black Friday sale that starts at 6 AM in case you are up that early looking for a good deal but don’t feel like fighting the crowds. Or use this app if you are waiting in line at a crowded store and want to check out the deals.   

A lot of stores have their own app. I couldn’t possibly mention all of them. Here is a list of some that I found:  Best Buy, Target, Nordstrom, Walgreens, Banana Republic, Macy’s and New Balance as well as online retailers such as Amazon, Endless, Zappos, and Piperlime. New Balance has an app only offer, 10% off plus free shipping on orders over $50. Target has daily deals on specific products. Best Buy also has deals on specific products as well as a preview of upcoming sales. For example, today’s deal is a Dynex 37” LCD HDTV for $239.99 (regularly $399.99). There is a deal for everyday this week. Nordstrom doesn’t have any smartphone deals but you can shop the sales and buy what you want on your phone.  Banana Republic works the same way as Nordstrom.  Macy’s has daily deals for up to 20% off certain products but shop fast, they have an expiration date.  On the Walgreens app you can sign up for mobile offers.

So, search for your favorite stores and retailers in the app store. These apps are free and can help you find some good deals. Happy shopping!