Tips on bargain hunting in the Gap (Gap)

Member Name: Rosani

Product:	Gap
Date:	01/11/01 (825 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: if you shop right, it can be a great bargain, great looking clothes

Disadvantages: selection isn't as good as it is in the US

I have shopped at the Gap for over 10 years, and I love it.

My first encounter with Gap was in the US, where I lived for a while. I remember this was the mid-80's and it was THE super-trendy shop in all the malls and I actually didn't like it. I'd never actually BEEN in one but I just didn't like it for no reason.

Fast forward to the early 90's and again I am going into the Gap in the US, this time with a friend and I actually found that I did like their clothes and even bought a pair of jeans and some tops and such. That was also the first and only time I bought something from the Gap at full price.

I then became a big fan of the Gap when I discovered their rotation cycle: clothes are out for a few weeks on full price but are then quickly discounted more and more until, if you are lucky and patient, at the end you can get real good bargains. Of course you have to hope that they'll end up with your size in the end, but I have always been lucky enough to find it (and if not I just lay the blame on destiny).

Shops in the UK function in much the same way, so if you visit a Gap head straight for the back and keep your eyes peeled for the SALE signs and be prepared to find some gems. The best times are usually around the end of their advertised sales (January for example) when the sale items are discounted even further as they have so much of it in stock. I have bought a coat originally marked at £80 for only £15, tops for £3 and even some nice tops with a hidden bra for only £1.5; I got one in each color and the kicked myself for not buying more!

My favorite all-time buy has got to be their pijamas. The nice warm cotton pijamas they sell around Christmas time are usually very discounted in January and once I got some for only £5!! So now I have started a tradition in buying my Xmas Gap pj's for as little as I can.

The good thing also is that the clothes Gap sells are, for the most part, qu
ite classic and can last a few seasons. T-shirts, jeans, sweaters, jackets they all are simple and will look good next season too. They also sell perfume, accessories like purses and handbags (very nice ones too), underwear and leisure wear and things like scarves and gloves and such.

Fortunately I have got a big Gap near me (Milton Keynes) which I visit almost once a week, just to keep up with what they've got and what is on the sale rack. Sometimes I see items down from, say, £20 to £16 and I just know they'll come down further so if I can be patient enough to wait, I sometimes find I was right and snap them for £8 or so.
The trick is just getting to know the items and how long they've been out, etc and how much you think they'll go down.

The ultimate bargain, however, is buying from a Gap outlet in the US: not only is it cheaper with the dollar-pound exchange rate, but also the prices are cheaper anyway AND as it's an outlet it's even cheaper. Plus the selection in the US Gap is always much more varied than it is in the UK, especially for summer items. In the US you can also try Old Navy which is owned by the Gap and many items are exactly the same, only much much cheaper than they are in the Gap.

If you browse on the Gap site you can see how much cheaper things are in the US, but unfortunately they do not ship to the UK yet. When they do, that will be the way to go!

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