The seasonal focus and promotions will shift by August 1. I’m already see the turn toward Fall promotions, such “2-for” back-to-school deals, and 20% – 30% off promotions. We’ll help you keep track of the sales and find the best values.
This shift also means deep, deep discounts are to be found on Spring and Summer merchandise. 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.
- Abercrombie Kids
- Spring Sales – Save 30-50% on Boys and Girls in Clearance
- Baby Gap & Gap Kids
- Summer sale and clearance now marked down to 30 – 70% off retail. But, you will likely find deeper discounts by shopping in stores.
- Save 25% on “2-for” Back to School Deals at Gap Kids
- 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 arriving in the mail promoting Back to School. Save 20% through August 24th.
- If you aren’t getting Crazy 8 coupons in the mail, subscribe here.
- CrewCuts
- Enjoy an extra 20% off on-line Summer Final Sale — enter EXTRA20 at checkout through July 25. I’m curious what will happen with the sale inventory on July 26?
- Btw…the blue and ivory versions of the Silk Posey Poof Skirt I’ve been watching is marked down from $229 to $128.)
- 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%. Check out the massive 70% off deals such as the floral girls cargo skirt for just $6.00.
- 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: Toddler petticoat skirt and matching tanks for little girls (43% off)
- Gymboree
- Gymbucks redemption ends July 27. If you have any coupons, don’t forget to use them (or at least share with others)!
- A 20% off coupon arrived in the mail to registered customers. It’s good July 8 – July 27, which overlaps with Gymbucks redemption. The coupon, however, does not work simultaneously with Gymbucks.
- $6.50 shipping for a limited time.
- Register to win $500 – $2000 in the Baby Shower Sweepstakes.
- 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.
- Hanna Andersson
- Save 25% on “Unders“, this week only! If ou are lucky enough to have received a Free Shipping Code this is a great deal! Otherwise, the discount should at least cover your shipping charges.
- School Deals Sale on over 150 new Hannas – save 20 – 25%.
- Some (but apparently not all) of the recent catalogs include a one-time use Free Shipping code – Yeah! This is very unusual for Hanna.
- Sneak Preview on School Back Packs and supplies for Fall. My suggestion is to be patient, they will go on sale.
- 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
- There is still plenty of inventory left on the Sale – though explicitly not advertised on the site. Simply look for the Sale section on the Left Menu and filter the selections by 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.
- There are a lot of Summer-End savings for kids in Overstocks. Save up to 65%
- There are currently a a few nice items for both boys and girls “On The Counter” (great for back-to-school).
- The best deals (e.g. 60-85% off) can be found in “Not Quite Perfect” on the website. Check frequently, selections are limited and go fast.
- 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.
- 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 children’s departments at my store were extremely picked over this year due to pre-sale shopping – it was very disappointing. For example, there were just 2 pair of Ugg boots for Girls left when the store opened Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. It’s still worth checking the store, though, as they have a much larger inventory than you will find on-line.
- 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.
- Note: Clearance items are not returnable. Be very careful, especially when buying on-line.
- Talbots Kids
- Now, take an additional 25% all Clearance items for savings of at least 60%. There are some great deals, though my advice is to stick with the classic Talbots styling that we know will resell well and be in demand next year when Talbots Kids is likely a thing of the past.
- The Children’s Place
- 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