Some people prefer to shop in downmarket areas in order to save on expenses. This is especially the case with the service industry where you find a drastic variance in prices for the same service. It also applies to goods where you find the same item costing thrice as much in a different locality for the same item.
For me cheap isn't what I look for first. Quality comes first. So I'll buy whatever I want to buy from the store selling quality products at the lowest prices. One thing I learned a long time ago about buying the cheapest products is that you'll most likely buy poor quality products or counterfeits. You'd not be saving any money if you have to replace something you bought no matter how cheap it was.
What I so is I buy bulk of my necessities in cheap areas and I buy the complementary expensive or luxury items elsewhere. This way, I get to save on things that I don't care that much for or won't be too noticeable if I buy them cheap and I get to stock up on them and save myself some trips as well as unnecessary expense if I had bought them at expensive outlets. For example, I'd buy multiple everyday shoes from a cheap area so I'll have many to circulate during the regular says when I don't need to dress up but I'll also buy one or two expensive ones for special days.
It depends on what it is I'm buying, but as I live in what's considered a fairly well off area on the whole I prefer to go to a cheaper area to buy many things. Supermarkets here hike their prices up to match the richer people so those that can't afford that need to go elsewhere even for groceries. It's worth it though. If I go to the next town over from us, I can save on average around $40 on groceries, just by not shopping in a more local shop. When it comes to clothing though I like to check out the goodwill type stores here as, being a more affluent area, the clothing can be better quality in those sorts of stores so you can get better quality at a lower price.
I'm always looking for deals and savings. Like a few others have said super cheap things aren't always quailty. I prefer buying gently used things, especially electronics and big toys for the kids.
