How to shop smart and avoid getting confused by the variety of post-holiday discounts? – advice from public figures

2020-01-17

The beginning of a new year often comes hand in hand with massive discounts in shopping centres. Winter sales with impressive discounts and great offers take place also in shopping and entertainment centre Akropole. How to avoid getting confused by the quantity of offers and purchase things that will be useful to you in your everyday life? Local public figures – stylists Anita Altmane and Juliya Verbickaya and famous mums – Aiga Zviedre, Zane Milzarāja un Terēze Aploka share their tips.

“Winter sales is the perfect time for bargain purchases that will be useful in this season as well as the next ones. Each and every one of us can appreciate bargain shopping that allows us to save money from our own or the family budget. This is why in this season of generous discounts each store in Akropole has provided a wide array of goods so that visitors can buy everything they need for substantially lower prices,” says Zane Kaktiņa, head of the shopping and entertainment centre Akropole.

Closet review – a must have before shopping

In order to effectively shop during sales, you must first clearly understand and evaluate what is it that you need. This way you will be able to buy the necessary things and save money. “Before going shopping it is good to go through your wardrobe – best of all, of course, with a stylist. Throw out or donate unnecessary clothes you have not worn for months, and then, when you have gained some space in the closet, take a fresh look and see what is missing. This is the best way how to avoid the problem called “closet full of clothes but nothing to wear”,” says stylist Juliya Verbickaya.

Anita Altmane, known and beloved stylist, also urges to shop responsibly and considerately during the big Akropole sales. “It is best if you can go through your closet and find what is missing. I recommend getting more of your favourite and most worn apparel for low prices rather than spending money on experiments that will gather dust in the darkest corner of your closet. It is a good investment to create the basic wardrobe or the so-called capsule wardrobe. A good coat, cashmere knitwork or white shirt be useful to any lady at any age. Fashion trends should be followed regarding accessories – shoes, bags, hair clips and scarves,” advises Anita Altmane.

Shopping list – a great helper

Each and every one of us has a different budget and a different price range in which we plan and can afford to buy what we need. Taking that into account, as well as considering our taste, body shape and style (if we plan on purchasing apparel), it is recommended to do a bit of research to find out in which stores we can find things that correspond these criteria. It is also beneficial to make a shopping list in order to avoid getting carried away by the variety of stores in the shopping and entertainment centre Akropole. “You will save both time and money if you prepare a list beforehand, even if it is on a tiny piece of paper. If you have a plan, you will not get tired of pointless walking and you will not feel disappointed. Three, four stores and a delicious meal after shopping is an easily doable task,” points out Anita Altmane.

Do young families also make shopping lists? “Our family tries to avoid getting disorganized in the discount madness and to evaluate, before heading to the store, which are the things we really need. If they are offered for a discount price it means saving money from the family budget! We often shop exactly during sales. Already at home, we write a list of things we need and want, and often we also check the best offers for each of them. We rarely shop impulsively and thus we save a quite a lot,” says the popular mum Zane Milzarāja.

Aiga Zviedre, a famous mum, also agrees with Zane: “The good old trick of the shopping list also makes reasonable shopping in the sales season easier for me. Just writing on paper or noting in the mobile phone what are the things that are currently necessary and arranging them according to their priority or how necessary they are right now. It is also worth deciding what is the allocated budget so later you do not have to ask why is the wallet is empty. Ideally check out the goods available at online stores and then go and search for the particular thing on the spot or ask the vendor to measure and see. Then the shopping process is much faster.”

How to shop smart and avoid spontaneous purchases?

The key to smart shopping is clearly planning. If you have to choose among more than 170 fashion and leisure goods stores in Akropole, a shopping list and effective planning will help to quickly purchase everything necessary and save both time and money. For some people it can also mean changing their habits, because not everyone does careful planning before heading to shopping centres, and many people often shop spontaneously. “To shop smart, in my opinion, you need a strong conscience, strong will, constructive dialogue with yourself as well as developed critical thinking. When you do not have all of that, it is very hard to define what is it you really need, especially during the big sales, when the price tags are so shiny and tempting everywhere you look. For me, a previously created list including what I and the children need and what is necessary for the home, helps. I recommend browsing the available material regarding offers that you are going to hunt in order to process information timely and decide what is a necessity that cannot be postponed and what is not. This way you will save money by not buying something you don’t need, and you will also save your time. Peace is essential for shopping. Thus I recommend planning this process so the chaos created by the rush does not confuse you and so you do not have to be surprised to see what you have purchased when you come home,” the popular mum Terēze Aploka shares her smart shopping tips.

Aiga Zviedre also believes that shopping is a process that requires some planning and some time. “It is important to plan appropriate time for shopping so it could be done without any rush – and then it will be easier to slowly consider, feel and really choose the particular thing instead of grabbing something unnecessary. And, to preserve a good mood, it is crucial to have a good meal before and after shopping so you have the energy and avoid the stress – this is something I have noticed in both adults and kids.”

Akropole shopping and entertainment centre is the newest and the most modern shopping centre in Latvia. The biggest business centre that is connected with a shopping centre, is located in Akropole. Akropole is also home to the only Van Graaf multi-brand store, the only Deichmann footwear store and the only USC and adidas Originals sports and leisure stores in the Baltics. Furthermore, Akropole has the biggest Zara, Reserved, Oysho and KidzOne stores in Latvia, as well as the only River Island brand store which offers also a collection for men. The wide range of stores is complemented by restaurants and cafés to suit various tastes, a large all year skating rink, a cinema with nine movie theatres (including the first IMAX movie theatre in Latvia), a spacious and elegant Maxima XXX supermarket, a modern gym, and an outdoor kids’ playground. The O’Learys entertainment zone offers bowling, billiards, sports game simulators and other exciting leisure and entertainment options for the whole family.

Working hours

Shops
I-VII 10:00-21:00
Maxima XXX
I-VII 08.00-23.00
Euroaptieka
I–VII 9.00–22.00
Lemon Gym
I-VII 00:00-24:00