How To Survive Riyadh's Sale Seasons

Brace yourself for yet another sale season, fellow Tarhas! The sale season is starting and bet your bottom dollar riyals that it will be chaotic, crazy-fun, and stressful (lol)!

But we have to be realistic here. In our opinion (as veterans of the sale seasons in Riyadh, ehermn, lol), the sales have diminished in value, both in quality and quantity, over the years. It's not like before when we can find really good items at rock bottom prices in large quantities. Now, every thing is just so-so and there are some shops that don't hold it as fervently anymore. But the sale season is still worth going mad over because you'll never know what you'll find. We like surprises! So kung galit ka sa pera, go lang ng go!

Are you set?!

Here's a few tips on how to experience the lows and highs of our favorite season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

1. There are two basic huge sale seasons: the start of the year and the middle of the year. (There are also the less stellar mid-season and end-of-season sales.) The latter is the one beginning this month, if schedules are still the same. Although we enjoy the mid-year sale season, it's the end/start of the year sale (December-February) that we usually wait for when shops go all out!  However, let's not disregard this coming sale season because good deals also come this June to August. Prepare your fulos, ladies! They're about to go to battle! :P

2. Take note of the periods of a sale season, which we'll liken to the stages of "cooking water" here. (Sorry, water is the only thing I can cook, lol. #S)

a. Poaching. This the beginning where the water is kept warm but there's no visible bubbling to indicate heat. In this period, the sale season has started but they're still not advertised loudly. Merchandisers are preparing and any minute now, they'll be amping up the temperature so we can all feel the heat! You should power up your sixth sense shopping radar so you get the latest sale scoops. Also during this time, the department stores are already on sale. Centrepoint and Citymax just went on sale three weekends ago so that's a good sign. They wouldn't want to compete with the bigger brands during the sale season so inunahan na nila. Lol. For those who are eyeing the more known brands, wait for the next period before unleashing your cash... As you know, the "poaching" stage this year is over last week. Hope you got good finds in Centrepoint, Citymax, and Iconic. I know I did. *wink*

b. Simmering. Here we will see bubbles forming and gently rising to the surface of the water, but the water is not yet at a full rolling boil. You will see the red signs hanging and you'll probably think, this is it! It's here, it's sale season so let's go! Okay, hold it! The stores don't go all out at once. If you noticed in past sale seasons, they usually begin at 25% to 50% off. 25% and 50% off are good because well, you still get to save something. But we all know they can get lower two weeks, or even a month, from now so you can wait it out further. However, the advantage of having a major shopping spree during the "simmering" period is you get the first dibs on every thing. There will still be a lot of items that come in your size. The clothing, shoes, and accessories are in tip-top shape. Unlike when you wait out the 75% discount, you get items that were already handled many times. We're currently in this stage now. MNG, New Look, and Parfois are simmering and my wallet's suffering from a first degree burn from yesterday's visit to Othaim Mall.

c. Boiling. Of course, the hottest point among the periods! It's the most exciting part but also the most damaging (to your wallets). During this time, the stores are already offering 75%-90% off, the lowest they can get. The red signs are blaring and glaring and they’re utterly tempting. Unfortunately, this is also the time when a lot of people have already caught on the sale season virus and are in the malls almost all the time scouring for more goodies. You have more competition! You now need to dig deep in the bins for undamaged items and search the racks with passion for your shoe size. Lol. We say that this period is the most damaging to your wallets because even if you don't notice it, you buy a lot! You are attracted to the SR 10 necklace or the SR40 pair of shoes... which leads you to buy more stuff you're not even sure you need or want. Just so because they're cheap. Well, hold on for dear life! The boiling stage this year might be 2 weeks before and after Ramadan, which falls on August this year.

d. Cooling. Every thing is naghihingalo by now. The salesmen rearranging and replenishing stocks over and over, the racks losing shape and stuff, the pockets (of your husbands, lol), your wallets... you. You'll be tried from all the sprees that you will need to rest. And you will need to give the discounted stuff a rest too. By this time, latak na lang ang natitira. These are the stuff left behind by every one else and you will need to let go of them too because they're no longer worth it, even if it's so cheap. Alright, we had that time in our lives that we still went out and check out the latak just because we wanted to and unbelievably, we still had the energy to do so. But now, we know better (we do?!?). We let those stuff go... because we'll prolly see them again next sale season. Hahaha.

3. Mind what you buy. It's easy to get lost in the euphoria of the sale season but it will be a good thing to think before you buy (yeah right!). During the "poaching" period, head to the malls to check out the brands you love and take note of the products you'll want to buy when they go on sale. It’s also a good thing to be chummy-chummy (friendly) with the salesmen so you can ask the exact date when they’ll go on sale. During the "simmering" period, buy the stuff you really, really want (tipong hindi ka makatulog sa gabi sa kaiisip) even if it's just on a 25%-30% off because you'll never know if you'll still see it again during the boiling period. Wag nang maging super kuripot noh at mag-intay pa ng 75% off para sa mga bagay na gusto mo talaga. Sabi nga nila, "The early bird catches the worm." May gan’on?!  Grab and buy the clothes, shoes, and sandals that you love (and can never let off the hook) during the simmering period because they still have it in your size. During the "boiling" period, go crazy in the stores! By that we mean this: get a shopping bag, grab all the stuff you want without thinking, and sort later. During sorting, that’s the moment you think about it. Take the stuff out one by one and debate (in your head or with friends) if you need it or just want it. Discard those which do not make the cut. It will actually be helpful if you return them to the shelves and racks where you got them so other people can check them out immediately. During the "cooling" period, the only thing worth buying are prolly the small accessories that didn't get beaten up in the duration of the past three periods.

Oh my, oh my!

4. Mind your budget. We're the number one offenders of this rule. We go over budget during the sale season and we usually say we'll not gonna repeat it in the next sale season but we do repeat it. (Bad girls!) However, please feel free to not imitate us and work with the money you allotted for the sale season. Allot a specific amount for the sale shopping spree. It will be hard because we're betting you'll want a lot but just try and spend your money wisely. If you're having your vacation on the latter half of the year, then it might be wise to spend some money on pasalubong already. When it comes to saving, we're probably the worst persons to give you advice so we end this tip #4 now. Lol.

5. Have fun and enjoy the experience. It will be more exhilarating and fun when you shop with friends and your family (only if your husband is supportive, lol). You get to ask them their opinions. You get to eat lunches and dinners together. You get to wait out the salat with them. And you get to laugh at yourselves when you think how crazy you are for acting on your shopping impulses. Wives, please don't fight with your husbands when it comes to taking you to malls, orayt? Ask them nicely and sweetly. Threaten for a separation only when he gives you an almost ultimate refusal. Hahaha. Just kidding. It will be good to have one person who’s more decisive than you are. Chances are you will regret a lot of things you didn’t get but don’t fret, there will be more gorgeous stuff coming your way on the next seasons. 'Nga pala, wag namang parang end of the world na at mag-hoard ha?

6. This is the most important: Read The Pink Tarha for sale alerts so you always get informed! :)

Orayt, that’s it. We'll see you in the malls, ladies! Say hi when you bump to any one of us. Hopefully, we don't fight over the same stuff. Haha.

§undrenched