The ‘abandoned basket method’ savvy shoppers are swearing by to get their clothing, homes and food hauls for less
WE’RE all looking for ways to save money – especially when it comes to shopping.
So it’s no wonder thrifting pro Caroline’s hack to get money off hauls has gone down well with people online.
In a video on TikTok, Caroline explained that she always uses the “abandoned basket method” to save cash.
“Here’s how it works,” she said.
“Simply go onto a website where you want to buy something and put those things in your online basket and then don’t buy it.”
Then, if you leave it a few hours, or even a day or two, the site may send you a discount to use.
“In fact, some might even send you a discount for up to 50%,” Caroline added.
“This is because they would rather have your custom at a lower price than not at all.”
Caroline then listed some of the companies that offer abandoned basket deals: Asda, ASOS, Bloom & Wild, Boden, Boohoo, Boux Avenue, Buyagift, Currys, Dunelm, Graze, H&M, Lloyds Pharmacy, Monsoon, Moonpig, Mountain Warehouse, New Look, Ocado, River Island, Shark, Very, Virgin Media, Virgin Wines and Waitrose.
“The abandoned shopping basket trick is something that I use regularly and I have saved loads of money by doing this,” she added.
And sharing the video on TikTok, Caroline captioned it: “This is such an amazing shopping hack!”
“I do this all the time! It’s brilliant,” one person commented on the clip.
“This is my favourite hack to use! Super helpful!” another said.
“I do it all the time,” a third revealed.
“This is soooo true!!!” someone else wrote.
“I use this all the time – 9 times out of 10 I get 10-20% discount,” another said.
As someone else added: “Yes, this happened, unintentionally, to me this morning!
How to look chic on a budget
Fashion stylist Gemma Rose Breger, and beauty journalist Samantha Silver revealed how you can make your outfits elevated without spending hundreds of pounds.
- Don’t ever spend on designer denim: River Island ”always has such a great selection with fashion- forward jeans that follow the current trends”. The high street retailer offers a great range of sizes to fit UK 6 – UK 18, and three leg lengths – and prices start from an affordable £25.
- There are no rules for jewels: ”Pick up something at a car boot sale, or charity shop, scroll on Vinted & eBay, snap up something from the clothing section in your local supermarket when doing the food shop or check out high street clothing stores.”
- Don’t forget the pre-loved sites: With a rising number of second-hand sites, such as Vinted and Depop, there really is no excuse of not buying – or selling – pre-loved garments. Gemma, for instance, has managed to get her hands on chic Chanel sunnies for a mere £17.
“I left a pair of shoes in my basket and got a 15% off email!”
“What a coincidence!” Caroline replied.
“It’s even better if it’s unintentional too!”
“That’s good, thanks for sharing!” another praised.
“You’re just like me!” someone else wrote.
“I do it all the time with Temu, Shein, being a size 22.
“I get T-shirts for £3 and dresses for £5!”