Black Friday regret: Spending thousands of dollars then crying and selling out quickly

Craving for bargains, shopaholics go crazy shopping on Black Friday, buying discounted items without thinking twice. When the items arrive, the amount of money they have to pay is up to tens of millions, and then many people cry. Items pile up in the closet, many of which cannot be worn because of wrong size, poor quality, have to be liquidated at super cheap prices, only tried on once.

The Black Friday shopping atmosphere is getting more and more bustling. On social networks, many Facebook groups receiving orders for foreign goods are always in a state of "exploding inboxes", frantically searching to buy clothes and handbags from the West. On the street, fashion stores are offering attractive offers, with discounts of 50-70%. The buying and selling scene is bustling. Motorbikes are packed tightly on the sidewalk. Inside, customers are jostling to pay, happily holding large and small bags in their hands.

Also because of the psychology of wanting cheap prices and taking advantage of discounts, many women rush to shop, without thinking about whether the item is suitable or not, what the quality is like, how to combine it,... Many people even see beautiful advertising images on Facebook, at a bargain price, so they immediately transfer money to buy without careful consideration.

As one of the biggest spenders in her office on Black Friday 2016, Ms. Phung Vu Ha Giang, a bank employee on Xuan Thuy Street (Cau Giay, Hanoi) was miserable when she remembered that on this occasion last year, she lost more than ten million because she had to liquidate unusable sale items.

“During that Black Friday, while ordering from overseas, I also took advantage of my lunch break to go shopping with my colleagues. I swiped my card for 50 million VND to bring home handbags, shoes, shirts, jackets, and dresses of various brands. There was a time when my card ran out of money, so I borrowed my friend’s card to try to pay for the skirt that was 70% off the original price, even though the price after the discount was still around 2 million VND.”

However, after the "Black Friday shopping storm" passed, when she checked her purchases, she was shocked to find that there were things she could not wear.

For example, a skirt from the famous designer brand E. was 50% off on Black Friday. She was so busy fighting with two other people to buy it that she didn’t check it carefully. When she got home to try it on, she found the style of the skirt too fussy, not suitable for work or going out, but only for fancy parties. She had to hang it in the corner of her closet, not touching it for several months.

“Not only that, I also ordered nearly 20 items online via Facebook, costing up to tens of millions of dong, but when I sold them, I only got back 6 million dong.”

On Black Friday, fashion brands compete to offer attractive discounts to attract buyers.

She explained, for example, the Zara handbag was too small for her needs, the Coach bag looked so shiny on the website but the color and pattern were old and difficult to match with clothes. Or the Mango dress on sale for 400,000 VND, when she tried it on, the shoulder seam ripped, the shape was much wider than the original size,...

She had to take pictures of such items and post them on forums and groups at half the price of the original purchase, or even a third of the original price. However, it took her several months to sell most of the items she never wore.

Also having a funny experience while hunting for cheap goods on Black Friday last year, Ms. Do Hai Yen in Quang Trung (Ha Dong, Hanoi) had a grimace when she spent tens of millions to buy clothes, shoes, bags and wallets for the whole family, but the number of items that were suitable for use could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

“I bought my husband two belts, priced at VND2.4 million each, advertised by the store as genuine leather, with a deep discount of up to 50%. But after using them for 3 months, the genuine leather is not damaged but the belt buckle is rusted, looking like it is sold at the market,” she said. Of the more than 10 pairs of shoes she ordered online for her three children, only half of them could be worn. The rest were the wrong size, some were too tight, some were too loose, and some hurt her feet, so she only wore them once or twice before throwing them away.

Among them, the most regretful thing for her were the 3 Zara jackets that she ordered from an acquaintance overseas because they were 70% off, and they cost about 2 million VND each. When she received the goods and tried them on, she found that one of the jackets had an unsuitable color, and the other two were beautiful but revealed flaws when worn. She had to sell them for a few hundred thousand VND, hoping to recoup whatever money she could.

Therefore, even before the end-of-year sale season, when foreign order sites open a clearance corner, hundreds of people post photos and resell the goods. The comments section for posting clearance photos is so long, you can't finish reading it all in a day. Most of the clearance items, according to the ladies, are due to the size not fitting, the shape not fitting, the color not liking,... Not to mention, sometimes the quality is poor but no one dares to say so. Some sell at least 1 item, some 3-4 items, but not many people ask to buy.

“After last year's 'painful' experience, this Black Friday, I had to refuse all shopping invitations from my colleagues and unfollow Facebook pages selling clothes to avoid being tempted to shop,” said Ms. Do Hai Yen.

Not only that, Ms. Yen advises, if you want to buy discounted items this time, it is best to go to the store and try them on directly. As for foreign ordered items, do not rush to buy them because these items cannot be returned or exchanged because the size of this type of clothing is not suitable for most Vietnamese people.

This Black Friday, Ms. Giang is not in a hurry to shop massively online, but must carefully check the size, style, quality, and available clothes... before ordering. If buying at stores, even if there is a sale, she must look at the items over and over again, touch them with her hands, and check them carefully before taking out her wallet./.

According to VNN