Unlike previous years where I’d do the textbookstyle CNY preparations of buying new clothes, I only made do with one new top this year and this was bought a few months ago during the end of year sales. Yes I do plan ahead

I also cut down on tidbits and decorations, opting to reuse my decor from last year. I did not really plan it so, but when I spoke to a few retailers, they did say that pre Chinese New Year sales this year was slower than previous years.

The restaurants are still full though. So, I’m not sure everyone is cutting down just yet. Maybe we’ll see the effects after Feb or March. Did you cut down on your Chinese new Year expenditure?

We can’t deny that we are now in the age of instant results. When we go to a restaurant, we no longer want to wait for our food and we get impatient when we do. We forget that food preparation is an art. We want to get our food NOW and eat NOW hence the proliferation of fast food restaurants.

With all that instant food comes instant fat and then we want instant results in getting rid of that fat – liposuction, plastic surgery, tummy tucks, never ending searches for the best diet pill to get rid of that fat RIGHT NOW!

Well, if you belong in that category of wanting to take a diet pill in the hope that it will help you lose weight quickly without having to exercise and cut back on food, be sure to do your research first. Remember, it is medication and that means it comes under the Health Ministry and they have to obtain the Ministry’s approval before letting the product go on sale. This is to ensure that the product is safe for consumption even if it might have other side effects. At least you know you aren’t going to die from taking a poisonous pill!

Here is a link to the Health Ministry’s site where you can check if a pharmaceutical product has passed the Health Ministry’s approval. It not only covers pharmaceuticals and medicines but also cosmetics and skincare! Don’t believe me? Try searching for Bobbi Brown and you’ll see a whole long list of items plus their owners/distributors. Pretty cool tool!

This is purely my view only so if you have had a bad experience with time shares I sympathise. Thus far, mine are fairly decent ones. I am a member of a time share where essentially, we pay RMX and get Y nights a year to stay at any hotel or resorts locally and worldwide. I actually got my package at a good price so I won’t complain too much.

I have used the time share nights allocation both locally and internationally and both times, I have no complaints. In fact, its saved me a ton of money on hotel rooms and vacation rentals which I would otherwise have to pay anyway!

If you are looking for a time share, you might want to bear these points in mind:-

• There are usually annual fees payable which aren’t that high but can add up.
• If you don’t use up your allocated nights within a certain period they are forfeited which means you end up losing money on them.
• If you don’t book early you risk not having any space available at your chosen hotel or resort or having to pay extra surcharges for an upgraded room
• You have to plan your holidays well in advance.
• You won’t be able to use your allocations in all hotels – some hotels might require a surcharge.

As I have said above, I have had decent experiences with my time share company (I will not name them) and my savings from overseas accommodation has far surpassed whatever I paid to join. So, for me, I would recommend it for those who plan their vacations in advance. Otherwise you might just want to stick to booking your hotels online.

Some loyalty cards are useful – they offer discounts or give you rebate points. Some others don’t serve very much purpose.

However, the key idea behind a loyalty card is to keep you loyal to the store – spend more and get more out of it.

The only loyalty cards I presently hold are – Isetan card, Jusco card, MPH card and the Esso Smiles card. I have a ton of other cards but I don’t use them as much because I’m not as loyal to those stores. Also, I’ve realised that if I keep my loyalty to as few as possible stores, I get to accumulate points and get my rebates quicker.

The Esso Smiles card for example, entitled me to a free bag of rice or oil. How many cards would give you that? I’d rather have that than some useless towel or umbrella that I’d have to accumulate thousands of points for.

So I think having loyalty cards is a good idea if you know how to work it and tailor your shopping needs. Otherwise, its just another piece of useless plastic.

What do you think?

The annual Malaysia Mega Sale is finally upon us. 2 whole months of nothing but sales sales sales! I used to wait a whole year for this sale because of all the many many sales we get in Malaysia, this is the biggest with the best bargains.

However, with the present economic climate, I’m not sure if we’ll be seeing bigger and better bargains or if the retailers will resort to holding back better or newer stock to sell at higher prices. If you notice, there has been a dearth of warehouse sales this year which I think might be due to retailers choosing to sell at slightly higher prices instead of the rock bottom prices found at warehouse sales.

I was not overly impressed with the Great Singapore Sale and I’ll be waiting to see if Malaysia’s Mega Sale will be the same. I took a walk through some department stores recently where promotional sales were on. There was no one in there. Not a single soul, except the promoters.

Are people just not shopping much anymore to save money for necessities? It is a point to ponder.

The Mega Sale kicks off with the Metrojaya Sale and the Isetan Sale. I might pop by the Isetan sale since I’m an Isetan member and therefore entitled to further discounts during the first 3 days of the sale, and besides, I need a pair of black shoes desperately! I’ll also be interested to see if it will be as busy as it used to be before consumer goods prices sky rocketed!

Note: I found it interesting that the Tourism Board of Malaysia has found it unnecessary to set up a website to promote the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival which is supposed to put Malaysia on the shopping map of the world. Singapore has a site dedicated to the Great Singapore Sale (GSS) but Malaysia has none. Way to go. 

The reason for this is that the Government is introducing a rounding mechanism for bills so that you no longer get odd total bills like RM589.99 but it will be rounded up to RM590.00.

Some points to note are:-

• The rounding is on the Total Bill NOT individual products. So, if your toothpaste costs RM4.99 it will not be rounded up to RM5 unless thats the only thing you buy.
• The rounding is on all cash and non cash (credit card) transactions
• Receipts, Bills and Invoices must show the total amount before and after rounding so check your receipts!

Here is a table from the Bank Negara site showing how the rounding mechanism works:-

The rounding up of the total amount of a bill (including goods and services subject to tax) are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of 5 sen

• 1, 2, 6 and 7 sen to be rounded downwards
• 3, 4, 8 and 9 sen to be rounded upwards

Most importantly, the 1 sen coin is still legal tender. So don’t listen to rumors that say that it is no longer legal tender or of no value.

I’m uncertain if these branded warehouse sales obtain their stocks from dealers who handle closeouts clothing or clothing liquidators. These companies help branded stores or department stores to sell off their overstock of clothings in bulk at cheaper prices. I used to wonder what happened to clothes that don’t sell and I think I just got my answer.

These liquidators handle everything from women’s clothing to handbags; and since these overstocks are sold worldwide, I guess it is only a fair bet to say that some of the branded warehouse sales held locally may be obtaining their wholesale stock from such merchandise liquidators. As an example, GAP was available at such warehouse or factory outlet stores years before the GAP store was opened in town. Its is a sure sign that the world is getting smaller, when you can buy a clothes brand at a warehouse sale that you can’t even get in a proper store in a mall!

Most people are familiar with the concept of Gifts with Purchase or commonly known as GWP. You will notice that usually, it is beauty counters or cosmetic companies that use this idea of a GWP to attract customers.

I say that GWPs are actually evil. They are there to encourage you to buy more than you really need which is good for the seller but less so for the customer.

How often have you stopped to buy a night cream that you have run out of only to have the sales assistant tell you that if you top up another RM20 or buy RM300 worth of products or buy another item, you could qualify for a 5 piece gift set? If you are already planning to spend all that money, or planning to buy a few items at a go, then by all means, do so and get your freebies.

However, often you will find that you find yourself thinking that the gifts offered have such a high value that it would be more than worth your money to buy another item just to get that 5 piece gift set worth RM280.

I’d say you are better off keeping your money. These are my reasons:

• The “gifts” are usually deluxe sized samples of skincare. Unless you use the skincare under that brand, it will just lie forgotten in your drawer.
• The samples (whatever size they are) are just that – samples. They have no true value so whatever value placed on them e.g. RM280 worth of gifts; is just pro-rata based on the full size value and is not a true indication.
• They try to entice you with a bag, but the bag is usually a cheap one. Some offer useful bags that can be used as document bags but most free gift bags aren’t useful at all
• Some cosmetics brands offer a free lipstick. Usually it is in different (usually plastic) packaging because its a free item. Thus again, it is of no real value.
• Some offer a free full sized eyeshadow or lipstick as a gift. Note that sometimes, the products may have been discontinued and they are just getting rid of extra stock this way.

I found this out the hard way. I used to succumb to GWP promotions all the time but am now much wiser in my purchases. It really isn’t worth spending the extra RM250 to get a GWP “worth RM280″ when all you are really getting is a cheap bag with samples in it. Well, not unless the bag is super cute or useful (e.g. Paul & Joe gave out trolley travel bags) or you get close to full size gifts.

A classic example is the by now infamous I’m Not a Plastic Bag bag by Anya Hindmarch. I fell prey to this madness and even tried to get it in KLCC when it was launched. Fortunately, sanity reigned and I opted not to queue up for it.

So, my little bit of advice for everyone thinking of buying a branded bag is to get one that is classic and that will never go out of style. Don’t buy a brand or model just because its famous or because some star was seen carrying it. Remember, celebrities and socialites can afford to change their bags every so often once they tire of it. Its a lot harder for the rest of us to do so. Above all, don’t encourage the madness that Louis Vuitton has tried to foist off on us by creating this monstrosity from scraps of cloth.

A classic design in a branded bag will last you through the years. A trendy design will merely date you in the future and if its no longer in vogue, it will simply be money wasted.

Also, you don’t have to own a branded bag to be cool. A cheaper option in a lesser known brand might look just as good, provided its well made. I have lots of bags, both branded and of smaller brands, and I sometimes find myself carrying the lesser brands’ bags more simply because the designs might be more practical or simply because I want to attract too much unwanted attention. But this will be the subject of a discussion another day perhaps?

When I knew that the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur was open, I was there on the first day to ogle at the new gigantic mall in the middle of the shopping district of KL.

The Gardens opened their doors to the public on 26 September 2007 and I don’t even have a post to show what it looks like.

I was quite puzzled at my reaction to it and thought to pen my thoughts here:

• Pavilion was a new concept store and a new building. The Gardens are Phase 2 of Midvalley Megamall. Being very familiar with the existing mall, I felt quite tired of the place, even if Phase 2 is spanking new.
• The Gardens have touted Robinsons and Isetan as their department stores but I don’t know what other stores to expect from them. There have been no advertisements or “Coming Soon” signs anywhere on the unfinished building that could tell me what other stores I might expect. I suppose there was therefore no anticipation.
• Pavilion had lots of hoarding with the names and advertisements of their upcoming stores so it was interesting to see what they might have to offer.
• The existing parking and traffic system at Midvalley sucks big time. These days, during lunch time, its virtually impossible to get near the mall due to the traffic. Parking is also a huge problem. Bukit Bintang isn’t exactly a wonderful place either, but I suppose I knew less of what to expect.
• Because I work near the Midvalley area, I go there quite often and the massive construction and traffic around there plus severe lack of parking spaces puts me off. That was where The Gardens really lost out.

All said, since I work quite near the Midvalley area, at some point I would pop by the Gardens and when I do, I’ll write about it here. Better late than never eh?