As we enter August, we’ll see some strong Fall promotions as well as deep, deep discounts on Spring and Summer merchandise. We’ll help you keep track of the sales and find the best values.
Now is a great time to stock up for next year – at these prices, you can afford to take some risk and chance that the clothing will fit your children 6-9 months from now. As we watch the sale, keep in mind here are 3 different categories, each on different schedules:
- The major department stores lead the sales and are already offer 60-70-80% off. They will want merchandise off the floor by the end of August.
- Secondly, children’s specialty retailers, many of which are featured in this column, are primarily offering 40-60% off, with some 70% off opportunities. The stores will also push to move merchandise by the end of August, commencing with back-to-school. However, many websites will continue to offer sale merchandise until it’s gone.
- And finally, the smaller children’s designer boutiques are currently offering 30-50% off. Deeper discounts may not be seen mid-August or even September. Most boutiques will keep the merchandise on their floors through September, and even offer some deep discount racks into October.
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Current Sales
- American Girl
- Check out July’s month specials, where you can save 15 – 20% off selected current merchandise.
- New items have not recently been added to Sale Clothing. I’m watching for further reductions greater than 50% off. Even at 50%, the holiday dresses with accessories are a good deal as they should resell very well after they are completely retired.
- Abercrombie Kids
- Spring Sales – Save 30-50% on Boys and Girls in Clearance
- Note: This is the slowest moving sale! I’m beginning to think we won’t see further reductions.
- Baby Gap & Gap Kids
- “Give and Get” promotion coming up: August 1 -3. Get 25% off. You must have a code. Codes have been distributed to Gap/Banana Republic credit card holders. A great part of this sale, is that the Card Holder gets to select a charitable cause, to which 5% of your sales will be donated.
- New items added to Summer sale – now marked down to 30 – 70% off retail. If you have a code for the August 1 -3 Sales event, my advice is to try to use it on Sale Merchandise to get the most bang for code and buck.
- Crazy 8
- Watch the remaining Summer sales closely, this merchandise is likely to reduce further in the near the future. Right now, save 40-60% (occasionally more).
- Back-to-School deals priced at $5.99, $7.99 and $9.99
- Coupons are available promoting Back to School clothes. Save 20% through August 24th.
- If you aren’t getting Crazy 8 coupons in the mail, subscribe here.
- CrewCuts
- The Extra 20% off sale merchandise is no longer available on line. I would expect we’ll soon see further reductions on summer merchandise. Wednesday is a good day to check, as they generally make their markdowns on Tuesday nights.
- Shop in stores to take an additional 25-40% off all Summer Sale and Clearance items.
- Crewcuts receives their store markdowns each Tuesday after closing. So, Wednesdays are typically the best days to shop.
- Garnet Hill
- Get a sneak peak at upcoming Back-To-School savings, previewing July 30th.
- The site and catalog-wide semi-annual sale and clearance is now in progress. Save 30-70%. If you are lucky enough to find your sizes, you can get some great deals right now on last year’s winter/fall selections for back-to-school.
- Coupon sites, such as Retail Me Not, usually have codes for $10 off $50, $20 off $100, and $50 off $250.
- Sale of the Day for Girls: Two-way cargo pants. Also see Sale of the Day for Boys: Zip-Neck Pullover for Toddlers,
- Gymboree
- $6.50 shipping for a limited time.
- Register to win $500 – $2000 in the Baby Shower Sweepstakes.
- Though not on sale yet, you might want to watch the two new lines: Classroom Kitty for girls and Extreme Animal for boys — there are some nice basic items in these lines.
- 20% off coupons available:
- “You & Your Family” Magazine (available at your OB Gyn office) — good only in stores through July 31st – Ends soon!
- August issue of “Parenting” Magazine has a 20% off coupon that is good through September 15th. (Again..there have been many reports of people stealing coupons from the Magazine. If you want the coupon, please buy the Magazine!)
- Hanna Andersson
- This week’s back-to-school deal: Save 20% on all Denim!
- School Deals Sale on over 150 new Hannas – save 20 – 25%.
- Have favorites from last season? They are possibly still available on the website, even if they don’t display. Just type in the catalog SKU’s to search.
- Janie and Jack
- The popular giraffe-themed “Safari” line for both girls and boys is now on sale – 40% off! I suspect it will sell out fast.
- There is still plenty of inventory left on the Sale – I’m seeing an average of 4 pages per size.
- $500 Gift Card Sweepstakes. Enter to win. Note: Even if your kids have grown out of Janie and Jack, enter anyway! If you win, it’s an awesome opportunity to buy baby gifts, gifts for friends and family with children, or even clothing to re-sell at Loobalee!
- Lands End Kids
- Receive Free Shipping and a $20 voucher when you shop the new Fall on-line catalog through July 29. Single-use coupons frequently arrived via email — this is a good reason to subscribe to Lands End email.
- Earn 3% for your school on all purchases for a limited time! Look for your favorite school and register before you purchase!
- Stock up and Save – Back to School “2 for ” deals
- Save $10 on select Girls and Boys pants when you buy 2 (pair this offer with free shipping for a great deal).
- There are a lot of Summer-End savings for kids in Overstocks. Save up to 65%
- There are some great items for kids “On The Counter” today! Hurry!
- The best deals (e.g. 60-85% off) can be found in “Not Quite Perfect” on the website. There are a couple of swimwear items for kids out there today and some boys corduroy pants for just $9.99.
- Limited Too
- It’s still Double Too Bucks Time! Spend $50 and get $80 in future savings. Get TWO $25 savings cards, each with a $15 off Bonus Card. This is a great time to buy – be sure to spend your initial $50 on Sale and Clearance items to optimize the deal.
- Take an extra 40% off Clearance Apparel on-line, and an extra 50% (or more) off in Stores. Lots of summer marked down 30 – 60%.
- LL Bean Kids
- The Summer sale continues, with inventory dwindling. Save 30-75% off most summer items.
- Watch Thursday for the Thursday Morning Markdown, for an occasional special on kids clothing and gear.
- Mini Boden
- Summer sale continues (which is “more satisfying than chocolate, according to Johnnie), though sizes are limited.
- New catalogues arriving in the mail – Get 10% and Free Shipping on orders over $125.
- As an aside, you should watch the delightful scenes from the girls and boys fall catalogue photo shoot – adorable. Thanks for posting these Johnnie – they’re terrific! I have a new appreciation for the catalogue scenes.
- Did you know you can earn up to $20 per month by referring new customers to Boden? For each new customer, they will credit your account $5 — up to 4 referrals per month. The best part? Your friends only have to register. They don’t have to make a purchase in order for you to earn your credit. This is potentially a nice way to earn some “free” merchandise!
- Naartjie
- Girls Netting Trim Print Skirts on Sale – one week only, just $14.99 (sale ends July 30)
- Enjoy a $10 off a $75 purchase as “Thank You” gift for being patient with Naartjie’s website developments and growth. Nice gesture.
- End of Season Final Sale- All Summer merchandise is not $9.99 and under. Varying size selection.
- Nordstrom
- Anniverary Sale in progress. Save about 33% on new merchandise for Fall. The best merchandise is sold out, but you can still hunt things down.
- Additionally, most Summer inventory is marked down 30 – 60% (both on-line and in stores).
- Old Navy
- Back-to-School “2-for” Deals on tops and bottoms through July 31. Stock up and Save.
- Ongoing Clearance: Save 40-65% online with probability of even greater savings in stores. Many of the current sale items can also make great back-to-school outfits in warmer climates.
- Register daily through July 31 to win a 1,000 Spree!
- Are you signed up for Old Navy e-mail? If not, join the list to receive a $10 of $50 Thank You code.
- Pumpkin Patch
- “Final” Big Patch clearance now in progress – save up to 60% in stores and on-line.
- Enter the Fall Patch Star Competition for a chance to win a $1,000 Pumpkin Patch wardrobe and be seen in on-line and store advertisements.
- Pumpkin Patches’ Australian website is a full season ahead of us. Although you can now purchase some ck-to-school lines though Pumpkin Patch USA right now, it’s fun to see what’s coming this Winter on the Australian site. Of course it won’t all be the same, but it’s still a great preview!
- Try to get $15 off $75 or more – check for Coupon at Retail Me Not If you haven’t purchased on-line in the past, you will find a 20% off coupon for your first purchase here, too.
- Strasburg Children
- In Stores Only: Save an additional 20% on first clearance item, an additional 30% on second clearance item, and an additional 50% on third clearance item plus any more items in the same purchase. Sale continues through August 3rd.
- On-site clearance priced at 50%-60% off.
- Note: Clearance items are not returnable. Be very careful, especially when buying on-line.
- Talbots Kids
- The Talbots website has been down all day. I hope this sale is still available: Take an additional 25% all Clearance items for savings of at least 60%.
- The Children’s Place
- Pick up “Place Denim” for school – 2 for $22
- Take an additional 50% off all sale items at the Summer Monster Sale. Limited sizes are available, but you can now buy summer tee’s and shorts for as low as $1.99.
- Click here for the July Birthday Coupon for 20% off your entire order.
- 15-20% off and Free shipping codes are often available on-line or via mail — look for one before you buy. I never shop Children’s Place without one.
Suzanne Rielle, Co-Founder, Loobalee.com
