Now let’s talk shop my #powerfulwomen! Sales are what drives consumers to go shopping, am I right? Think about your favorite times of year to shop: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Nordstrom Anniversary Sales, end of season sales, Holiday sales and all of our favorites, DESIGNER SAMPLE SALES!!!
Designer’s like to create the Black Friday effect and have us running the second we find out they are having a sample sale. To be honest, you should be running. The first day is always the best, because the possibility that a new fresh product might actually be retail mark downs and not just samples. Who doesn’t want to find the best deals around?
The next best thing to do is go the last day within five to seven hours before the sample sale is clothing. Why you may ask? EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! Sample sales add even more markdowns in their final hours because the designers want to push all of the inventory out.
Here is a great example of why you go at the end of the sale. In October, I was at the Jimmy Choo sample sale. All of the shoes I had picked out were $250 each and were originally marked down from $1000 or even higher! After spending about an hour trying on shoes and running around the store like the shopaholic I am, I saw a gentleman with a hot pink marker walk over to the signs that were posted around the room with prices listed. He crossed off all of the prices marked all footwear down to $100 per pair!
Can you believe that I almost bought two pairs that would have been for more than the four total I ended up getting? (It was originally $2000, so a great deal, but still.) I immediately ran back through the store to double check I didn’t forget anything I really wanted. I picked up one more pair I loved and I even found an amazing pair of men’s sneakers for my husband (bonus points when you bring something home for you man because then he cannot be made that you were shopping, well at least that’s what I like to think!) I left Jimmy Choo today with two gorgeous stilettos, one beautiful pink flatform, and one trendy men’s sneaker all in perfect condition for a total of $400! Without this sample sale, all of these shoes were a total of at least $4000 retail!
Each company does things differently so you have to learn from past mistakes. Last year I went to the Rebecca Minkoff sample sale hosted by 260 Sample Sale. I went toward the end of the sale and they did not have any marks downs, their product was very limited and I didn’t really find anything worth spending money on. So, when I found out that they were having a sale, this time around I went day one with no hesitation! They had $1500 fur coats for $295 and so many other amazing, clean, new products.
As much as I knew I had three sample sales in the same week I knew I had to go, I had to explore this fashion vault. I ended up leaving the Rebecca Minkoff sample sale with a small electric yellow purse that I had my eye on for the last few months, a perfect size grey purse that could fit my lap top perfectly, a cold shoulder grey ombre sweater and the cutest fairy pink long sleeve dress! I can definitely say I left there with a smile from ear to ear. I immediately ran home to try on my clothes!
Oscar De La Renta also had a sample sale this week hosted by another one of 260 Sample Sale’s locations in NYC. I honestly just went to take some pictures for my fashionable viewers, but I was amazed with the prices. It was the second day and there were still amazing pieces. The fur section had $5000 large coats marked down to about $1200, but I am not a fur supporter so I went straight back where they had the gowns, dresses, suiting, sleepwear and my favorite, SHOES!!!!!
I left the sample sale with a pair of beautiful painted toe heels for $89 (originally $820), a black silk pajama set for $80 and gorgeous white, pink and red suit paints that were $1300. The tag said $150 and when I got to the register they were down to $75! What a steel that was!
So again, I say to you don’t buy full price when you can shop the sample sales!
You have to be prepared because these samples sales are not announced until they are opening, which makes it hard if you aren’t local. They usually last 3-7 days though so that gives you time to get your life together and get into Manhattan!
Some great places to follow for sample sale information:
- @shopdropapp posts different NYC sample sales
- @260samplesale NYC + LA based hosts sample sales
- @trendyambitiousblonde_ of course my insta story is always up to date and I am continuously looking for the next best sale!
“Dared to ask, is this it?” –Betty Friedan credited as the mother of the second wave feminist movement