USA Shopping Youtube video: Tips, Tricks, Sale Season in the US, Outlet Shopping, and Tax Tips

Hola! Still can't get over my USA trip because it was the grandest trip of my entire existence and I'm proud to say that I earned every single dime that went to that trip plus forever grateful for to the universe for granting me the experience.

That said, I came up with a USA Shopping blog post and video today, sharing my realizations, tips, and tricks when shopping in the USA.

1. JUNE IS SALE SEASON

- June is end of spring and that means massive end of spring sale for almost all brands to prepare for the new collections that will come in on the last half of the year. I used to think that Black Friday is the biggest US sale just because it's what I have been participating in for the longest time only, but the half year sales in the US are truly something else! 

To give you an idea of how massive their end of season sale is, most items are initially priced at 70% off on display and another 10,15,20% off will be slashed from the current price when it gets to the cashier. AMAZEBALLS X 1000!

2. NO SALES TAX REFUND IN MOST STATES

- Most states in the US do not refund sales tax and that's going to come out pretty expensive considering the average pricing of the US (if you're going to shop for non- USA labels, it's going to be quite expensive versus buying it from say, Hong Kong). You should take this into consideration when budgeting your shopping money.

3. DO NOT FORGET THE OUTLETS

- If I could give you only one advise when shopping in the USA, it's: DO NOT MISS THE OUTLETS. Some of our favorite everyday brands like Nike, Underarmour, Adidas, Lacoste, Gap, Old Navy, etc. are on a CRAZY sale in outlets as well as cosmetics and fragrances. I personally love Las Vegas' North and South Premium outlets!

4. SALES TAX ARE NOT UNIFORM

- Since the US states function like mini governments on their own, their sales tax are different from each other. Based on your destinations, you have to know which state you're going to visit has the lowest sales tax in order to maximize your shopping money. In my case, Los Angeles had the highest tax at 9.25% and Las Vegas Nevada at 8.25%.

5. STORES ARE CONCEPTUALIZED BASED ON CATEGORIES MORE THAN ONE-STOP RETAIL SHOPS

- I have realized that most shops in the USA are not one-stop shops like in the Philippines; in here, if you want to get everything and have a good selection of everything, you can only go to just one mall. In the US, if you want gadgets, it's best to go to a Best Buy rather than a Walmart or Target. Before going, find out which store in your destination/s cater more to your shopping needs. 

If you like grocery shopping, toys, and general goods, go to Target or Walmart. If you want gourmet food, go to Trader Joe's. If you want pharmacy products, go to CVS or Walgreens. If you want gadgets, go to Best Buy or Fry's. If you want beauty products, go to Sephora or Ulta.

6. TRANSPORTATION IS EXPENSIVE SO TRAVEL WISELY!

- I spent a good 500 dollars on Uber in the three states I have visited; that could have afforded me a new pair of shoes from Gucci!

The thing is, the USA has such HUGE land and it's like one block with them is equivalent to five blocks here in the Philippines. That's why you have to plan the shops and malls that you will visit in order to save on transportation. For a good selection of fashion and other lifestyle goods, I suggest go to the outlets. High end labels are usually located in upscale malls and neighborhoods; for example in Los Angeles, you can find luxury bag and leather goods brands along Rodeo Drive.

Hope you liked this post! Here's the video sharing these tips as well as more experience!

Got any USA shopping tips and tricks to share? Share it with us! :)