Ty Tips:Luxury living for less

Calm down….I’m not here to advocate for the repeal of hand guns laws (many of which I object to and feel that the proliferation of assault weapons being sold under the guise of “sports weapons” (which in itself is an oxymoron) so that one can better go into the woods to blast Bambi’s head all over the forest is another rant, for another time.

Besides, Maureen Dowd and Tom Friedman do a much better job in the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times.

No, I’m not talking about “those kinds of guns”. The gun that I’m referring to, the one that will have to be pried out of my “cold, dead hands” is a “tagging” gun-the ones used in retail establishments to put price tags on garments.

It is without a doubt the best thing to have if you’re a serious shopper with an eye for purchases and a need to return things occasionally (or a lot).

I acquired my tagging-gun years ago when I owned a Tee-shirt company. The company is long since closed but I still have the gun and found it to be very useful when I have to return an article of clothing to a store.

You can’t imagine the amount of questions I DON’T have to answer simply because the person receiving the garment sees the tags.

Of course having the sales receipt is paramount in having a successful return but I’ve found that re-tagging the garment to be a very effective way of pretty much guaranteeing success. There are none of the annoying queries about why, when or where.

So, if you have a “one-time” special event coming up and no need to be seen in that suit/cocktail dress/tux/ball gown again….get yourself a “tagging-gun” and you won’t have to walk around your event worried that the tags (that you were afraid to remove) will embarrass you by slipping out or (horror of horrors) become visible to someone standing near you that you’re trying to impress.

With your tagging-gun you can simply re-tag the next day, return the garment and use the money to pay your rent or mortgage.

While I am not advocating the above-mentioned behavior, I’m just saying……

Your tagging gun can also come in handy for labeling little Johnnies clothes for summer camp or tagging gifts.

No matter, what your rationale for buying the tagging gun-it’s a great no muss, no fuss, no questions asked aid to successful returns (with or without questionable behavior or dilemmas of character.

TyTIP: Keep all sales receipts in a plastic pouch or binder for at least 90 days.

TyTIP: File all receipts for one year (return and exchange policies vary greatly from store to store so it’s best to have the receipts on file just in case you need to make a return or show proof of purchase for whatever reason).

TyTIP: I suggest keeping all other tags that come with your garments as well in a separate plastic pouch or binder (this includes the designer’s label and/or anything else that may have been hanging off the garment) The more of these original things that you have to return along with you garment and sales receipt gives the impression that you’ve not worn the article of clothing or that it was a recent purchase (even if it wasn’t).

Also, having these tags makes it easier for the store clerk to put the garment back out on the floor to re-sell-giving them less of a reason to not accept your return.