Trying to navigate the sales can sometimes feel like an absolute minefield.
When you really want something, but know that the sales are just around the corner, it can be difficult to decide whether you want it there and then, or whether you'd be better off waiting to see if it gets reduced or not.
However, there is a way to tell whether or not something is about to go on sale, and how much it will cost.
Some shops have a 'hidden' ticketing system where they mark how much a product will be in the sale - ahead of things getting reduced, reports Wales Online .
According to Channel 4 show Supershoppers, the mysterious codes tell shoppers how much an item will be reduced by, and how to spot an imminent sale.
Presenter Sabrina Grant scoured some of the shops to discover what these written codes mean.
To put the theory to the test, Sabrina headed to Oasis to find a dress worth £42 which had a handwritten code on the label.
The code read ‘RF25’, and was then reduced to £25 two days later.
In another shop, a dress worth £70 had a handwritten code reading ‘128749’. The dress was then reduced to £49 in the sale.
Sabrina says that the last two digits of the codes are what shoppers should keep an eye on, as this reveals how much the item will be in the sale.
The codes can also reveal when a sale is near, as staff will have been prepping the labels for the sale.
Retail consultant Katie Woodhead said: “Look at the tags and take note if anything is scribbled on there.
"Sometimes they might mark ‘S’ or ‘C’ on there, which could mean sale or clearance."
Katie also advised shoppers to look at the displays of the items in a shop, saying: “When they go into sale, instead of being set out in nice displays and collections, it starts to be by product type.
"So all the tops are together, all the jeans are together, because that’s the way shoppers will browse these items."
