Is there a better time in the year to buy a new Filofax from a retail store or on-line?
I was once told that retailers are not allowed to change the dated diary inserts in a Filofax organiser, so they have to sell them with the current year still inside or supply the following year at their own cost. Or reduce the price of the organiser with the current year still in it.
I decided to put this 'theory' to the test whilst in London. Visiting John Lewis in Oxford Street, their range of Filofax organisers and inserts is much smaller these days than it was 5-10 years ago.
However, the sales assistant spotted me looking at the organisers that were all locked in a glass cabinet. She unlocked it and left me to look through what they had in stock.
I spotted a Heritage Personal and a Heritage Compact. The Personal had been marked down from £86.00 to £62.20. The Compact was still priced up at £85.00 and it wasn't in the correct box, the Personal was.
I took both to the sales assistant and asked them to check the price on both items. The Personal came up at £43.00 (half price) and the Compact was still showing up at £85.00! I bought the Personal one!!
Why the price difference? The Personal had a week on two pages dated insert in it. The Compact had an undated white paper with blue and black ink insert in it... so that confirmed the theory!
I had been tipped off by one of the people that attended the meet up a few days before, so I thought it was worth a visit to John Lewis to see what they had in stock and at what prices.
It pays to shop around and if you see something at the right price don't hesitate!
Steve, what do you do with all your planners? Rotate, display, give each a purpose? I'd love a post on this!!! Did the sales assistant recognize you I wonder from your online postings?!! Well done on the London sales BTW. xxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteThis post makes it feel like a good time to pass along some information I came into recently. I did a search, and didn't see any indicator that anyone has ever mentioned Poshmark. That is an eBay for name brand clothing and accessories, populated 99.4% by women. It took me 6 weeks of daily visits, but I finally emerged with an absolutely gorgeous navy Lockwood A5, that I'm not sure was ever used. I got it for $65. It came to me in a box with all of its stuffing intact, including the little super thin foamy protector things. So FYI: if you like bargains and are willing to be patient, young ladies often make impulse buys and then end up turning around and selling what they bought for a lot less money in a very short period of time. (Not speaking from experience. 😁) One small warning: you're going to see lots and lots and lots of Saffianos.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you got such a great bargain!
ReplyDeleteThe Heritage looks like a great binder & I hope that you enjoy it.
Wow! I so wish we had more retail stores here in the U.S. that sold Filofax so I could benefit from some of these sales. Good for you for finding such a bargain!
ReplyDeleteSteve, where in London would you recommend for a good Filofax shopping experience? Want to hunt for the Centennial limited edition that has sold out online.
ReplyDeleteTry the Lower Ground Floor of John Lewis in Oxford Street. Or their Brent Cross store, which is a bit further out I know.
DeleteOr staying in central London look in Selfridges in Oxford Street, but from experience their stock levels were very low last time I looked. Similarly Paperchase in Tottenham Court Road.
It might be worth ringing around some of these before you waste time and energy going around them.
Hi, after reading this, i tried to test this theory. I walked into John Lewis in Canary wharf today (May 2022) and enquired for the price of a Navy Lockwood Slimline. The marked price was 77 quid and unfortunately the person at the till also confirmed the same. This still had the 2021 insert and the 100 year flap on the outside. One funny aside was the cashier on the till was shocked that a mere book or diary could cost as much as 77 pounds and said that can't be right and got two of her colleagues to check that that wa indeed the price! Unfortunately I didn't get the bargain hoped for :(
ReplyDeleteI got mine during their summer ‘up to 50% off’ sale, in August. It had already been reduced and in the same there was a further reduction.
DeleteThank you for taking the time to respond Steve. Much appreciated. Noted and i will keep an eye out for their summer sale. As it happens, Coleman's have had a sale on for a couple of weeks now as part of them closing down some stores in case anyone is interested
ReplyDelete