Shopping
Food
Shopping
Sales
and Discounts
New York City is known worldwide as a shopper’s paradise.
The key to a successful New York City shopping experience
is figuring out what you need to purchase and in what area
you are likely to find it, and planning your shopping trip
accordingly.
For necessities and small household items, it is often simpler
and cheaper to stay in your neighborhood—look for “dollar
stores,” discount stores, or branches of K-Mart, Duane
Reade, Rite Aid, Target or CVS
If you’re looking for one-stop shopping and a taste
of New York, visit one of the city’s many department
stores where you can find an array of products for a variety
of prices all under one roof. Known as “the largest department
store in the world,” Macy’s (34th Street and Broadway)
is a popular place to start, or try the well-known Bloomingdale’s
(59th Street and Lexington Avenue). Manhattan stores and the
streets around them will be at their busiest on weekday lunchtimes,
after working hours and on Saturdays. Weekday mornings usually
offer the best chance of finding stores a little quieter.
Most items purchased in New York City stores are subject
to a sales tax of 8.625%. Groceries (food items) are not taxed,
but food prepared in restaurants is taxed. Note that the prices
marked on goods in stores are all pre-tax; once you make a
purchase the tax is added. Smart shoppers sometimes choose
to head to New Jersey where there is no sales tax on clothing!
There are occasional “Tax Free Weeks” in New York
during which no tax is levied on certain purchases of clothing
or shoes.
Always ask for a receipt whenever you make a purchase
and find out about the store’s refund and exchange policy.
Should you need to return a purchase, make sure you show your
original receipt and, if possible, keep all price tags intact.
Most stores will refund your money in the form in which you
paid, issue you a store credit, or allow you to exchange for
another item in the store. If a store fails to honor its stated
return policy, you can contact the Better Business Bureau
at (212) 533-6200 (www.bbb.org),
the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs at 311 (www.nyc.gov),
or the New York State Consumer Protection Board (www.consumer.state.ny.us).
Food Shopping
Local supermarkets are the best place to do most of your food
shopping; small neighborhood grocery stores or “deli’s”
generally charge higher prices. One way to save money on groceries
is to use coupons, which you can find in newspapers or in
supermarket circulars. Coupons entitle you to a discount on
items advertised. You must present them to the cashier when
you make your purchase. Note the expiration date, face value,
and any restrictions before using them.
Farmers from farms outside New York City sell their fresh
produce at outdoor markets (called “Greenmarkets”)
throughout the year; one of the largest is the market at Union
Square (East 17th Street and Broadway). For information on
Greenmarket locations and schedules, call the Council on the
Environment of New York City at (212) 788-7900 or go to www.cenyc.org.
Sales and Discounts
Sales are a blessing for the budget-conscious student. Department
stores and boutiques offer sales at various times throughout
the year. Usually the best time for bargains is during holidays
(especially just after Christmas) and at the close of each
season (for example, summer clothing goes on sale in July,
and winter clothing in February). If you watch for sale announcements
in newspaper or television advertisements, you can buy quality
items at reduced prices. A great bargain shopping opportunity
for the clothes shopper is the New York City sample sale—a
short sale during which a designer sells off samples of the
upcoming season’s collection or leftover stock, usually
at reductions of 50% to 70%. For the serious shopaholic, there
are publications and websites that detail all upcoming sales
and discount offers such as the shopping section of www.newyorkmetro.com.
You can also find inexpensive clothing and other items at
street fairs, which are typically held on weekends during
the summer, and at flea markets. Prices at street fairs and
markets are often negotiable—don’t be afraid to
bargain! Go to www.newyorkled.com
and click on “New York City Events” for street fair
times and locations. For cheap furniture and household items,
students often look for used, or “second-hand,”
goods. Second-hand stores or “thrift stores” like
The Salvation Army (use the “thrift store locator”
at www.salvationarmyarc.org/stores/index.shtml
to find a branch near you), Goodwill (goodwillny.org/stores.jsp)
and Housing Works (www.housingworks.org/thrift/hours.html)
are smart places to start. Another resource is the popular
website Craigslist (www.newyork.craigslist.org/).
In the “For Sale” section of this site New Yorkers
who are moving, leaving the city or cleaning out their closets
post ads selling all kinds of items—there’s even
a “Free” category!
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