Comment: When A bargain isn’t a bargain

Sale season is nearly over  –  in the shops and online you can still buy beauty and skincare products at a reduced price.  For me it was payday on Friday and I had my wish list ready to press send from one minute past midnight… but I want to share a word of caution.  Sometimes, a bargain is not the bargain that you think it is.  Last year in the sales I made this error.  I ordered lots of products, from a variety of sources.  One of the items I received was a body cream.  I love a rich body cream, so the plan was… after looking at it, and smelling it and generally revelling in my new purchase, (what can I say – beauty products make me happy)  to put it aside for a couple of months ready to delve into it later in the year as the texture was more appropriate to the colder weather.  However, on taking the product from the box and inspecting it… like I do… I found that the expiry date of the product was the end of the month of that I had made the purchase.  It was approximately 10 days away.  I know that products often have an eighteen month or twenty-four month shelf life unopenned…but normally that timeframe is built-in.  So, as much as I am heavy-handed, I couldn’t get through  250ml of body cream in ten days  I just couldn’t.

I used my common sense and from the smell and texture, I knew that the product was not off.  I stored it out of direct sunlight and for the next six weeks I used the product morning and evening… in a heavy handed fashion…but… it did leave me slightly wary of purchasing my lotions and potions in a sale especially online, and especially when I knew  that I was not going to use immediately.  I appreciate that there is a need for retailer to make space for new stock and new lines…but, I think that there is also a need for retailers highlight, whether products are discontinued or close to the end of the shelf life.

Personally, it would not necessarily stop me from making a purchase, and as with most things,  the more information you have before making a decision, the better decision you make.

Have you every been caught out with a beauty bargain, that wasn’t a bargain?