Mango Sale

Mango no longer connotes a fruit. It is also a Spanish brand whose twice-a-year sales often draw queues and crowds. I am not exaggerating because I have tried to fight these crowds or contribute to the queues on many occasions.

Sssshhh, I have even taken leave before so that I could go to their sales on the first day. Actually, this is not much of a secret because my colleagues are my ‘partners-in-crime’. Some of them do not take the day off but take 2-hours time off. This is possible because there are already numerous outlets within walking distance from our office and the outlets open its doors to the public at 830am on the first day of the sales.

In the current ongoing sale, I do not know the sale date prior to the sale. It is a coincidence that I have taken half day leave for another matter on its first day of sale. Surprisingly, the crowd is not as overwhelming as before. Have most of its regulars already made their purchases and went off? Or is this sale so discreet that many of the regulars have not known of the sale? Regardless, the lesser the crowd, the more fruitful will be the shopping with easier view of the items, more of the items in the correct colour and sizes and less daunting queues to the fitting rooms and cashiers.

Perhaps you wonder what is there to be so excited about a sale when in Singapore, sales happen almost every other month? To a ‘not-so-novice-yet-still-cannot-qualify-as-a-veteran’ shopper like me, there are some sales which are genuine and some which are simply an occasion for the shrewd businessmen to clear their obsolete stocks. Mango sales belong to the former. Items on sales are indeed retail items during the non-sale period. For those sales which are not genuine, the sale items are items which you have not seen during the non-sale period and are often of a lower quality than the non-sale items.

For the regulars, mango-hop is not uncommon, ie going from one outlet to another, especially if one outlet does not carry your size or colour, there may be better luck at another outlet. Sometimes, many regulars will go on different days because sometimes there will be new stocks that get replenished. Spending a couple of hours in a single Mango outlet is not uncommon because time flies while searching through the racks, waiting in the queue to get into the fitting room, trying on and deciding which items to buy and finally doing a thorough QC check to ensure that there are no defects.

Over the years, Mango sales have almost become the sale of the year just as the techies look forward to Sitex and Comex. Over the years, I have also gained some experience in triumphing in a Mango sale. Here are some tips which I hope will be helpful for your next Mango sale trip:

1) Wear Capri, tank tops and comfortable shoes.
a. When there is a shortage of fitting rooms, one can have a preliminary trying out by pulling over those tops and skirts.
b. This is first round of filtering to sift out those worthy items which you can bring to the fitting room for final trials.
c. Such clothes are easy to change in and out of, so that you do not need to take too much time in the fitting rooms.
d. Comfortable shoes are important as there are hardly any places for you to sit down and long-hour of walking and standing are inevitable.

2) Equip with a sling medium-sized bag
a. The bag can carry water bottles and a cardigan in case you feel thirsty or it gets cold.
b. Too big a bag may mean that there is a hassle of getting the bag bound in plastic bag before you enter the shop and getting it unbound before you leave.
c. A sling bag will leave both hands free to look through the items and to carry those you want to buy.

3) Go with 1 or 2 close friends
a. It is difficult to move in big crowds and Mango sales are hardly the right venue and time for chit chats.
b. Avoid bringing your boyfriends as they will feel bored and can lead to more conflicts because I have witnessed more than one quarrels outside Mango outlets when the boyfriends grow impatient of waiting
c. Avoid bringing your babies along too because with the flurry air, the heat and the pushy crowd, Mango sale is hardly the ideal place for a baby.

4) Carry more cash
a. Sometimes there is a shorter queue for shoppers who can pay with cash than NETS or credit cards.