Editorial: Make sure it's a bargain

OPINION: 'Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

"It's time to get set for the year's biggest shopping extravaganza, so crack out the credit and eftpos cards, warm up the car and make sure you're in early for bargains galore!"

Hang on, wasn't it Christmas yesterday? And didn't we spend the last few weeks seeking out those all-important, well-chosen gifts for everyone in the family?

So what was that, if not the year's biggest shopping extravaganza?

Yes, Boxing Day is not the day it once was, when we relaxed, perhaps recovered from a little over-indulgence on Christmas Day, maybe watched some cricket or hung out with family.

Of course, that is still the strategy for some some but for others it seems that Christmas Day is now simply a breather between shopping sprees.

Which is fine, if retail therapy is one of those things that really gives you pleasure, and if you can afford to do it without setting yourself up for a world of financial pain in the New Year.

Plainly, it is in shops' best interest to have as many people as possible through the doors on as many days as possible in the year and one can scarcely blame those businesses for doing all they can to bring as many customers as possible in.

Of course, what attracts people into shops in their hordes on Boxing Day now is the thought of a bargain, and it's not surprising that thousands of transactions are concluded on this day every year. There's nothing like the knowledge that you've got something you really wanted for a lot less than you would have paid earlier in the year.

The key question, of course, is whether or not that discounted purchase really constitutes a bargain at the end of the day.

Purchasing something at a discount for cash means a real saving has been made. But if you have to bung it on the credit card, or negotiate higher purchase terms, the interest starts to eat away at the savings that might, at face value, have been made.

So the message, surely, for those heading out to the sales is to use caution and ensure you can afford those items on top of the spending that went before Christmas. Otherwise the New Year could prove to be a struggle.

Road safety:

It scarcely needs stressing how important it is to drive safely at this festive time of the year. Four people were killed on New Zealand roads on Thursday as the holiday season started to crank into life, plunging families into the depths of despair on the eve of what should be a great family day. Please do all you can to make sure you stay safe on the roads these holidays.

- © Fairfax NZ News