The January Sales (Department Stores in Dublin)

Member Name: kenjohn

Product:	Department Stores in Dublin
Date:	02/01/01 (248 review reads)
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~ ~ Hardly have the cash registers stopped ringing from Christmas, and before you’ve even had the chance to use up all the leftover turkey, and the shops are open again.
Indeed, here in Dublin’s “fair city”, a lot of the major stores now start their “January” sales on St. Stephen’s Day. (that’s Boxing Day to you Brits)

~ ~ As a Scotsman by birth, I was reared on the saying“look after the pennies, etc”, so I look forward in anticipation to these annual “free-for-alls” as a way to stock up my wardrobe for the year ahead, and to do what comes naturally to every true Scotsman and “save a few bob”.

~ ~ I am no longer any shakes in the fashion stakes (not that I ever was; mind you, I still think I look great in my full Highland Dress!!) and nowadays am looking for things like cords, shirts, boxers, tee-shirts, and so on. It no longer concerns me over much if what I buy is the latest style or fashion, only that I obtain the best “bang for my buck”.

~ ~ But it is always best to remember that the shops are not holding their sales out of any sense of altruism, but to maximise their profits and to move out stock that has been slow moving over the course of the year and cluttering up their stock rooms.
They will sell anything and everything that will turn them a shilling, so it is better if you realise this, and also "“know your rights" when it comes to returning faulty items or obtaining a refund.
They may be selling some goods for “next to nothing”, but the Sale of Goods Act still applies, and your rights as a consumer are not affected.

~ ~ First and foremost be aware that a store is under no statutory obligation to either exchange items or to give a refund, unless there is actually something wrong with the goods purchased.
Over the years we have grown very used to shops being very obliging in this rega
rd, and exchanging items we discover we don’t like once we get them home. But during the sales, this goodwill is not always so forthcoming; so always check a store’s “returns” policy before you purchase. That bright orange leather suite that looked so attractive in the shop may turn out to be a very expensive mistake, if you later discover it matches nothing else in your living room, and the store refuse to take it back.
But pay no heed to notices declaring “No Refunds” or “ No Sale Goods Exchanged”. The simple truth is that these are illegal, and your rights are not affected in any way.


~ ~ If there is a fault with a sale item you also have certain rights. All goods sold, even “seconds”, must, by law, be of a “saleable” quality, which in simple terms means they must be safe, in good condition, and should last a reasonable length of time.
If this is not the case then you are entitled to your money back, with one exception.
If you buy an item like a fridge or a washing machine that is scratched or dented, or an item of clothing with a broken zip, then provided these flaws are pointed out to you at the time of purchase, you give up your right to complain later.
But even in this situation, if there is another fault you were not made aware of at the time, (let’s say the fridge won’t cool anything) then you can demand your money back.

~ ~ There is even legislation these days on how goods are marked for sale.
Sale items must have been on offer at the higher price for at least 28 days at some period during the previous six months.
But again, take care. Some unscrupulous dealers will get around this by telling you it was sold at the higher price in one of their other branches. This is nearly impossible to check, and it’s also legal from the shop’s viewpoint.

~ ~ Be VERY wary of items labelled with signs proclaiming “
;Special Purchase” or “80% Off”. This is usually the very worst rubbish in the whole shop, and is sometimes even “bought in” at very low prices from poor quality manufacturers in the likes of Hong Kong or China, especially for the “Sale”.

~ ~ If all else fails, then you can always resort to a slightly dubious tactic which, over the years, I have found to be very useful in all sorts of situations, not just the “January Sales”.
Complain very loudly and very vocally in front of other customers, and refuse point blank to be “fobbed off”. No retailer wants a complaining customer in their establishment, and nine times out of ten, you will be given your refund or exchange just in order to “shut you up” or get rid of you.

~ ~ So go on, get out there and grab some “bargains” before they’re all gone.

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