Sam Gerson, the fast-talking, fast-moving, quite affable chief of Filene`s Basement stores (who also admits to being an avid Basement shopper-” I get a discount”), offers his own shopping tips to Chicagoans:
– Have your track shoes on.
– Reconnoiter ahead of time. You`ve got to know where everything is.
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– Get there early.
– Be ready to make a decision.
– Read the newspaper the day before you shop. The store is on sale every single day (20 to 60 percent off regular or department store prices) so you`ve got to shop frequently. But, a couple of times a week, a newspaper ad announces the arrival of new merchandise or a special sale.
Regulars add these tips:
– Don`t be shy.
– Grab as much as you can hold as fast as you can snatch.
– If in doubt, buy. (You can return anything in two weeks.)
Hard-core regulars claim ”early” means early enough to block a door before the store opens. ”Often” means every day but ”every five minutes is better.” ”Don`t be shy” means it`s OK to push, to strip down to a slip in the middle of an aisle and it`s OK to grab anything that`s not being held by someone else. ”As much as you can hold” means slinging purses over the right shoulder, keeping the left one free for dresses and coats while the right hand keeps grabbing, reaching, checking labels; regulars drop rejects as they go along, for example, as noted in Boston, leaving a pink sequined dress on a table of men`s shirts, a Valentino bra among the Avia athletic shoes.