Dubai: The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) has proven to be popular yet again to buy gold and silver jewellery and diamond, platinum, and precious gemstones at attractive prices. Moreover, the costs involved in retailers making gold jewellery during the DSF sales have been lower due to discounts offered, compared to other months.
The list of products to buy during the DSF also includes a wide range of home décor products including quality carpets imported from in and around the Middle East. Look out for attractive deals on carpets and rugs ranging between 50 per cent to 75 per cent discounts. Exotic spices and dry foods are also in demands among the shoppers during the DSF.
One can choose to buy cars that will be sold at lower rates in the malls in Dubai during the shopping festival. Also, with the global village bringing together weavers from various parts of the world, clothes of all types are available at a lower price than any other place during the event.
The malls in Dubai have also offered appliances and electronic items like mobile phones and televisions at comparatively lower prices under the umbrella of the Dubai Shopping Festival.The DSF Sale Season promotion began on December 26 and will go on until January 30, with 3,500 outlets offering savings of between 25 per cent to 75 per cent across 800 brands.
How raffles and cash prizes entice some buyers to save big
Dubai shoppers, who are getting a chance to win Dh1 million in total, are making big purchases to increase their chances to win cash prizes during the weekly raffle draw - now left to be hosted at participating malls on January 18, 25 and 30.
With every spend of Dh150, Dh200 and Dh300, customers are entitled to vouchers, that can win them either Dh250,000, Dh350,000 and Dh400,000 - depending on how much they spend. Additionally, this includes winners who will be selected from the raffle draw to get a chance to win prizes ranging from Dh2,000 to Dh20,000.
(The malls participating in the Dubai Shopping Malls Group promotion this year include: Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, Al Quoz Mall, Arabian Centre, Bin Sougat Centre, Burjuman Centre, Central Mall, Dubai Outlet Mall, Jebel Ali Mall, Karama Centre, Marhaba Mall, Oasis Mall and Reef Mall.)
3 pitfalls when bargain hunting while shopping at mega sales events, and tips to avoid them
Although a bargain shopper may be quick to find oneself a massively discounted deal, they are also more likely to fall victim to some of these shopping pitfalls, so it helps to keep these tips from matter experts handy.
1. When shopping during sales events, keep in mind that just because an item looks like it's marked down, you shouldn't assume you're getting a bargain. Know what the items you're buying usually cost — not just what the price tag says. You can get this information easily by comparison shopping online to get a feel for prices, then visiting your local stores to actually buy the items.
2. When buying an item you don't really need, it isn’t considered a bargain even if the item is discounted steeply, as it’s just an unnecessarily expense that eats into the profits made from buying necessary items at a mid-sized discount. Even an item that's steeply discounted won't end up being a bargain if you put it on a credit card and don't pay it off right away. The longer you carry the balance on your credit card, the more the interest will eat into your savings on the item.
3. You can save a lot of money by buying big-ticket items in the month that retailers traditionally reduce prices on that item. Though these general rules are most applicable to brick and mortar retail stores that carry inventory, you can see some of the same seasonal sale trends online.
