Doors Opening!
Yesterday I was at Nordstrom, opening day of the Anniversary Sale, when the doors opened at 8:00 – the same place I am ( at the same time) the 3rd Friday every July.
You may not know that I have to drive 2 hours to get there! Thank goodness the closest Nordstrom to my current home is one of the bigger stores. Needless to say, I’m not in the store very frequently, and the whole store had been remodeled — which made for a couple comical scenes yesterday that tripped up my usual targeted shopping:
- Even the parking lot was getting a face lift, and the 2 lots closest to the kids department were closed!
- Departments had moved! It took me a bit to get my bearings. But, once I did, I was very happy to realize the amount of floor space for babies and kids was even bigger than before
- The cash registers moved, the dressing rooms changed, the bathrooms changed — you name it.
- But, its even more gorgeous than before, so I’m not complaining
A Favorite Annual Display
You might find it simply irresistible to avoid the countless 30% off deals on merchandise throughout the store – and especially in the children’s clothing and shoe departments. After all, 30% off is not (by many standards) a great deal, but it is the best deal you will find on new Fall merchandise — in July.
Here’s some of my tips that guide my Nordie’s Anniversary Sale shopping purchases (and, truth be told, keep it check). Keep in mind these tips are for kids. Shopping for myself!? That’s another story!
Where to Focus your Purchases
- Upcoming shower & baby gifts
- Upcoming birthday gifts
- Back to School Shoes (casual shoes and tennis shoes / sneakers)
- Pajamas for cool nights that can hit early in the Fall
- Outerwear needed early in the season
- A couple of new trends from either Nordstrom lines or higher end designers — things you are unlikely to find elsewhere
The following brands are to be seriously considered…
but only if you love them and are a true fan. 30% off is still pricey, but you won’t find a better deal before this season’s merchandise moves to close out.
- North Face outerwear. Available in all departments. If you are aNorth Face fan, 30% off on new styles is a great deal. And, many of the styles are unique to the Nordstrom Sale.
- True Religion Jeans. The classic style is available in every department, even babies!
- Ugg boots – 30% off is one of the best deals you will find until closeouts at the end of the season
- Widgeon and Corky & Co. Coats. Gorgeous selection this year!
- Roxy and Miss Me – for older kids
- Flowers by Zoe - fabulous small line available on the sale
- Ralph Lauren – always a classic at the sale
- Juicy Couture – what’s there to say? I’m not a fan, but I know many people are
- Naturino. Primigi. Geox, and Lelli Kelly — all high-end and high quality kids shoes
Baby True Religion Jeans
A few stand outs Deals (and not as expensive)
- In Little Girls – they have a fabulous Little Angel line, and not too expensive
- In Little Boys – you’ll find a lot of Quicksilver
- For infant & Toddler – don’t miss the Tea Collection (I’m guessing these are special edition)
- Nice selection of Barefoot Dreams & Little Giraffe blankets (great for baby gifts)
- For Little Kids , Pumpkin Patch large selection this year – styles may be unique to the sale
- I love the zippered back leggings (Nordstrom brand) for girls, just $7.90
- My store had bins full of Crocs for $19.90 in several colors (classic Croc style)
- I shopped mostly big Girls this year, and found a nice selection of Tractor stretch “jeggings”.
- Good buys on Puma, New Balance, Nike, Converse, etc. for back-to-school shoes, but other stores are also likely to offer similar deals
- Baby/Little Kid Adidas Sambas (actually, the best deal I found all day was the $34.90 Sambas I bought for my husband!)
What’s Noticeably Missing from the Sale?
- Hanna Andersson
& Mini Boden
— where are you? I was hoping to see them represented at the sale, but no such luck …at least not this year
But,…. you will find a nice selection of MIni Boden (at least) on the Sale racks and even on-line in the Sale / Clearance section . The funny thing is… I think they have more than the catalog did during Summer Clearance! - Ooh! La La! Couture - I would have loved to have seen this fabulous line at the sale. But, you will find a few styles on-line and in stores on Clearance. Snatch them up before they are gone! The designs are timeless.
What I Personally Bought for the Girls:
- Tractor skinny Leg – Jeggings/ Stretchy Jeans (in Corduroy and “Denim”)
- Several Ivy Moon basics
- Keen Shoes for my oldest daughter
- Puma ballet flat sneakers for my youngest daughter
- Zippered Leggings
- A North Face fleece (first time every, eldest couldn’t live without)
- Socks, Tights, and Underware
- P. J. Salvage and Laura Dare pajamas / sleep sets
- A couple items in Big Girls from “Julie’s Closet” and “Miken”
This is very helpful thank you. I would love to hear your strategies for shopping for myself for this sale.
Interesting question… my own shopping usually takes a back seat to shopping for my kids and husband. And, there is so much MORE for women! If I didn’t live so far away, I would take a whole second day just for myself. Every year, I take stock in what I need/want, so I go in with a focus — not dissimilar than the approach I take for kids shopping at the sale. This helps me from making too many spontaneous purchases and focuses priorities as to which department(s) to hit first. This year, I hit Shoes, then Coats, then Athletic Wear, then Lingerie, and finally Apparel. I really wanted some new shoes, so I went there first. Over the past 10 years, I have purchased ankle boots at this sale (probably 7 out of 10 sales) — I wear them a lot each Fall and Winter. I’m ready for a new updated pair, but this year I was disappointed that they didn’t have any I liked
Departments I love to shop just for fun are Jewelry, Handbags, Accessories. There are some excellent buys here on items that rarely go on sale, and I love to see the new styles. e.g. it’s a great time to buy a cashmere scarf or wrap if you are in the market (these won’t be on sale elsewhere until very late in the season). A trip through Cosmetics can be fun too.
If you are interested in splurging on some big names, as with children’s clothing, now is the time to try them out… such as Tory Burch, Elle Tahari, Trina Turk, Michael Kors, Nordstrom Classique’s Entre line anything in the designer shoe department, like Pliner. Each department will have unpublished deals too.
Hope this helps!
Suzanne
Oh, Suzanne, thank you so much for this detailed report. Your shopping guides rock, as usual:) It looks like you will have to branch out, as people want more of your chic-onomic shopping 101, but this time in the grown-up department:)
my daughter loves the shoes you have for the anniversary sale like shoes she could use for the fall like the fold up boots and the hightops the really tall ones