It might be the last week of the Great Singapore Sale (GSS) but it is set to be a good-buy goodbye.

To entice shoppers to open their wallets during the last stretch of the sale that kicked off on May 29, department stores are offering fresh bargains even at this late stage.

For example, they are slashing prices on previously non-sale items and offering discounts on newly launched products.

Isetan Scotts, which recently brought in Rosebullet, a Japanese brand that sells women's clothes and bags, is already offering a 10 per cent discount on the upcoming autumn/winter collection of trendy tops and dresses.

Prices of its older Fall/Winter collection of knit dresses and sweaters have already been cut by 70 per cent.

To clear stocks, electronics store AudioHouse is offering further discounts of up to 80 per cent on display LCD television sets. Previous discounts were only between 20 and 30 per cent.

Its spokesman Joanne Ho says: 'This year's discounts are definitely much better than last year's, mainly because of the availability of lower-cost products.'

Sales staff at stores such as Armani Exchange are also informing customers that there are further discounts being offered on top of sale prices.

A last-minute flurry of deep promotions towards the end of the sale might be common practice. But the deeper discounts this year of up to 80 per cent on both past and current season items are an attempt by retailers to lure shoppers, says Singapore Retailers Association executive director Lau Chuen Wei.

She adds that since the downturn started biting in November, retailers have been hoping that this year's sales figure will match last year's.

While the sale started with a bang, hopes of strong consumer spending soon tapered off.

According to a MasterCard survey on cardholders' spending, sales started strong with a 7 per cent increase on transactions for the debut weekend, compared to the same period a year ago. Final sales figures will be released later.

Similarly, sales at Takashimaya Department Store increased by 4 per cent at the start of the sale compared to a year ago.

Its spokesman says: 'We added more promotions this year to counter the economic downturn, which transpired to a slight increase in sales this year.'

But the department store still saw a slight slowdown in sales this month despite offering promotions of up to 70 per cent storewide on a wide range of brands.

She explains that this was due to a drop in tourist numbers at the store in recent weeks.

Although AudioHouse managed to hit a sales figure comparable to last year's, this result came as a surprise, says Ms Ho.

It was unable to provide sales figures, but she says: 'We expected sales to drop due to this year's poor economic climate. It was better than we expected.'

But as the sale enters its last leg and retailers keep their fingers crossed for a surge in sales, consumers are smiling about the good buys.

Graphic designer Jonathan Wee saved about $800 on a queen-sized mattress from Tangs department store. It was originally priced at $2,800.

The 29-year-old reckons the clothes sales were no big deal because of the 'lack of selection', but says that discounts on items such as kitchenware and bedsheets were 'pretty decent'.

But for accountant Linda Lin, the 30 to 40 per cent discounts offered at Spanish fashion brand Zara were an incentive for her and her 24-year-old daughter, Hsu Lin, to blow more than $400 on clothes and shoes.

It was worth it as discounts added up to more than $200 in savings, she says.

'I always try to hold back on shopping once the sale nears because I know the items I want will be on sale,' says the 52-year-old.

Shopaholics like her need not wait till next year to enjoy similar discounts.

Retailers including Takashimaya already plan to roll out a National Day promotion.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.