Few would disagree that the January sales aren’t quite the thing they were a few years ago; murmurs in the retail world have suggested that Black Friday is the big event nowadays.

Nevertheless, it’s still a prime shopping period and one that shops brace themselves for. This also means that the majority are more than happy to plaster their marketing with January sales deals – all in the bid of getting us to spend a little more money.

London is arguably the capital for January sales. Bearing this in mind, how exactly do you prepare for this period of intense shopping? Let’s review some tips to help you along.

Go with a shopping list

It sounds utterly boring, but January is also the month where most of us are looking to save money as well. Ultimately, you don’t want to be purchasing anything that catches your eye on the high street, there needs to be a genuine requirement for it.

This is where the shopping list comes into play. Yes, it’s structured, but if you happen to be heading over to Covent Garden firstly research if the shops with sales on are there. In truth, it’s not really a conundrum with this area of London due to the sheer number of retailers there, but the advice is universal.

Keep both eyes open with new or unusual brands

We all love a bargain, and when it comes to sales season it can be tempting to pledge your money with a new brand that seems to be offering something completely out of the ordinary. Electronics brands usually fall into this category, as it’s so easy to catch consumer’s eye with tech buzzwords.

For example, a 4K TV from an unknown brand might sound the real deal from the packaging, but delving deeper into the spec may give you the real reason it’s priced so much lower than Sony.

Always ignore the ‘saving’

Nowadays, shops tend to advertise huge ‘savings’ wherever you turn. Across January especially, it can be tempting to think that all of these savings mean that you will pay significantly less than the original price.

As such, simply look at the cost and compare to other shops. Even if there appears to have been a 50% drop in the price, there’s no guarantee that this original price is in line with the market anyway. This is another reason why it is so important to make sure that you have researched what you are buying beforehand. It doesn’t just mean that you don’t buy “wasteful items”, but it can help manage your price expectations correctly as well.

The returns policies can vary

There are a lot of misconceptions about returns policies. By law, shops don’t actually have to have them. Of course, the vast majority do, but this is worth investigating if you think there is a risk of your returning items.

At the same time, over Christmas returns periods tend to be extended. Find out whether these extended returns policies extend through to the new year or not.