Traveller’s Guide To Shopping Smart In America

America has some of the best shopping in the world with incredible variety and range, especially in clothing. Even with the arrival of international retailers in Australia and more brands shipping internationally, Australian’s still only have access to a limited range at higher prices.

My two trips to New York last year in October and December provided a great opportunity to shop smart using the steps below, allowing me to save 70% on clothing across a number of stores.

Order Online Before You Fly

Retailers in the US are almost always on sale and even with the Australian dollar only buying 68 US cents these days, the deep discounts mean there are plenty of deals for the savvy shopper.

If your trip is within a few weeks of major annual sales, especially Black Friday and Cyber Monday in late November, there are exceptional deals to be had.

And always check the discount sites of major department stores like Nordstrom Rack, Neiman Marcus Last Call and Saks Off 5th.

The key thing is you’ll have secured your preferred size and colour, plus be able to take advantage of free returns/exchanges if the item isn’t as expected.

If you are unable to access the US version of a website, use a free VPN service like TunnelBear that makes it look like your visit is from a US location.

Get Your Order Delivered to a Bricks & Mortar Store

Certain retailers like J.Crew offer free in-store pickup, saving you shipping fees and also allowing you to check the item is as expected before leaving the store.

With most retailers offering free exchange, you can lock in the sale price online and then exchange sizes or for another item in store.

Typically there is a ‘pick up by’ date of 7 days, but this can usually be extended within reason. I ordered a robe from J.Crew and a suit from Neiman Marcus and used Twitter to let them know I was coming from overseas and would pick up on my first day in New York.

For example there is a J.Crew store at Columbus Circle, conveniently opposite from Jean Georges, for pick up.

Or Get Your Order Delivered To Your Hotel 

If the store doesn’t offer ship to store, you can have it delivered to your hotel. Hotels will usually hold a package for you up to a week in advance but make sure to let them know via email. I had packages from Brooks Brothers and J Press (not to be confused with J.Crew) delivered.

Obviously, only do this once you’re absolutely certain that you’ll be staying at that particular hotel.

Read: Why You Should Never Prepay For Hotels

Pay With A No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card

Foreign transaction fees typically add 3% to the price of your purchases but in recent years a number of Australian-issued credit cards have been introduced that waive foreign exchange fees as a key benefit. 

Both Drew and I use our ANZ Travel Rewards credit card for our overseas transactions. 

Banks are increasingly waiving foreign transaction fees on their premium debit card products including CommBank with their World Debit Mastercard, NAB with their Platinum Visa Debit Card and UBank with their debit card. 

Pick The State With The Lowest Sales Tax 

If you are visiting multiple states in the US during your travels it can be worthwhile picking up your orders in the state with the lowest sales tax. 

Hawaii is on the lower end of the scale with 4.7%, compared to New York at 8.9% and California at 10.5%.

It’s worth noting that in New York clothing and shoes under US$110 are exempt from sales tax.

Summary

America really is a shopper’s paradise with deals all year round, and exceptional offers in late November for Black Friday. 

Savvy Australian shoppers who plan ahead and order online can make the most of the opportunity by locking in the items they want at a great sale price.