1. Chapter 15 Being a Smart Shopper
Making the Right Purchase

2. Prepare Ahead Gives you shopping confidence and reduces errors
Fashion conscious means being aware of, and wanting, new fashionable items, usually for self-expression and peer approval
Money conscious refers to staying aware of how much each item costs and of individual monetary resources
Just as important as doing the actual purchasing
Evaluate past purchases in terms of price, care required, and wearing qualities

3. Prepare Ahead Make a list Gather Information Evaluate Advertising
Consumer aids offer information put out by fiber producers, pattern companies, fabric stores, and trade group associations
Estimate the costs of the needs on your shopping list by studying catalogs and advertisements
Information about the latest apparel trends can be gathered by reading fashion magazines and newspapers
Evaluate Advertising
Purpose of advertising is to sell and to inform

4. Choosing Where to Shop Price versus quality and services
Store policies are rules of a retail establishment, often for the safety and protection of shoppers
Wise consumers make the decision to buy when the find the best planned item at the best price
Location and store hours
Near your home or place of employment
Additional shopping hours
Types of merchandise
The purchase of expensive items should be spaced out, so those purchases are not made all at once
It is wise to put more money into items you will wear constantly then in items you will only wear once or twice
Advertising or loyalty
Some people prefer to always patronize the same stores because of loyalty

5. Deciding When to Shop
For a wide choice of styles, colors, and sizes, shop early in the season
“Top of the Season” shopping usually has higher prices
For lower prices, shop late in the season
Many stores are almost empty from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Stores are busiest on weekends and near holidays
Shop for shoes after you have been walking a while or in the afternoon
Allows for a good fit over normal foot expansion

6. The Actual Shopping
The best way to do serious shopping is to do it alone or with a knowledgeable relative or close friend
Don’t give in to impulse buying
Making purchases that are sudden and not carefully thought out
Exhibit sales resistance
Have self-control to avoid making unplanned purchases while shopping
Demonstrate good shopping manners and don’t shoplift
Shoplifting is the stealing of merchandise from a store

7. Hangtags, Labels, and Packaging
Hangtags are detachable “signs,” often hung from buttons, buttonholes, zippers, belt loops, or underarm seams
Provide promotional information
Labels are small pieces of ribbon/cloth permanently attached to a garment
Provides information, most of which is required by law
The fiber content
Country of origin
Care information
The manufacturer or distributor
Registered number indicates the identification of a “responsible party”
Packaging is the covering wrapper or container in which some merchandise is placed

8. Government Legislation
Flammable Fabrics Act
Requires flammability or burning, standards for fabrics and clothing
Especially concerned with children’s sleepwear.
Fur Products Labeling Act
Requires that clothes with animal fur have labels that lists the animal(s) that produced the fur
Must tell if the fur has been bleached, dyed or otherwise treated
Must tell the country of origin for imported furs
Permanent Care Labeling Rule
Requires manufacturers to attach clear and complete permanent care labels to garments
Labels must give clear and complete instructions for care and maintenance of the items
Textile Fiber Products Identification Act
Requires labels to tell what fibers are in textile products
Wool Products Labeling Act
Labels must specify the percentage of each type of wool in the fabric

9. Consumer Rights and Government Responsibilities
Standards are criteria set by authorities, such as those at testing labs or government agencies, who judge products
Most government consumer laws are enforced by the Federal Trade Commission
Consumers, as a group, have “voting powers” with their money and purchase choices

10. Comparison Shopping
Comparing the qualities and prices of the same or similar items in different shops before buying
Evaluate apparel purchases in terms of:
Good design and construction
Durability of fabric and ease of care
Suitability to you and your lifestyle
$16.99
$24.99
$19.99

11. Judging Value and Quality
Quality refers to the level of performance of a product
Has a lot to do with long-term performance of appearance, fit, and wear
Buying the best quality you can afford is a good investment
Overall quality
High quality garments have the best construction, materials, and design
Emphasize cut, line, and fabric
Have an extra button of each size sewn inconspicuously inside the garment
Medium quality garments have reliably good construction, materials, and design
Usually quite durable
Low quality garments have only fair standards of construction, materials, and design
Value is the degree of worth or measure of benefit of something
In clothing, the best value is the highest quality of materials, construction, and fashion for the lowest price
Better quality clothes are usually more expensive but may be better value buys

12. Specific Points of Quality
Being cut on the proper grain enables garments to hang well without twisting
Plaids, stripes, and other fabric patterns match at the most obvious seams and edges
Interfacings are extra layers inside garments to support certain parts or styles
Quality checks
The fabric
The cut
Stitching
The hem
Reinforcements
Zipper
Fasteners
Buttonholes
Collars
Lapels
Waistbands
Pockets
Lining
Trimmings and decorations

13. Evaluate Proper Fit Determine your size category
Apparel sizes are, in general, categories by figure types of silhouette and proportions
Know and use your measurements
Double ticketing is garment sizing that combines two or more specific sizes into general categories, such as small, medium, and large
A shirt sleeve measurement is from the back center base of the neck, across the shoulder, and down around the bent elbow to the wristbone
If your top and bottom are different sizes, it is probably best to wear separates most of the time
Try on garments
The garment industry uses uniform sizing but because each manufacturer uses different body proportions and amounts of ease, their garments fit differently
Wearing ease is the room you need to move comfortably

14. Trademarks & Labels
Trademark is a product’s own brand name, often represented by a logo, that identifies it as belonging to a particular seller or manufacturer
Private label
Brands that can be sold for less because stores buy them in quantity
Not advertised nationally
Designer label
Gives status to the wearer
Adds to the retail price of an item
Usually a mark of quality

15. Evaluate Bargains Shopping at sales Types of sales
Bargains are favorable purchases that provide a high value of merchandise in exchange for a relatively small amount of money
Evaluate sale merchandise in terms of whether it fills a genuine need for you
Types of sales
General sales are often held throughout stores during holiday times
Clearance and inventory sales clear out old stock to make room for new merchandise
New items are sometimes put on sale to encourage customers to become acquainted with them
Some stores have mail or newspaper coupons that are only valid on certain days or at certain items

16. How to Pay
Buying is the exchange of money or credit for goods or services
Cash purchases occur when you pay the full amount of the purchase with money, which also includes checks and debit cards
Overdrawn means that an account has checks written against it for more money than it contains
Layaway purchases allow stores to put items away for a certain length of time while the buyer makes periodic payments
No finance charges but usually a nominal fee to complete a layaway purchase
Credit purchases are a promise to pay for goods or services at a later date
Credit rating is an evaluation of someone’s financial standing based on past records of debt repayment, financial standing, etc.
Credit limit is the maximum financial amount a person may have outstanding on a charge or other credit account
Installment plan is a credit arrangement by which a down payment is made toward a specific large purchase, and a contract specifies the periodic payments and finance charges