Happy Thursday gals! Anyone feel this was the longest short week ever? 🙂 I’m looking forward to a little rest this Saturday/Sunday since next weekend will be a flurry with the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. For me this is the best sale of the year and I’m here to share more about what it is, when it starts, and how to shop it. I know what I’m writing makes this sale sound really competitive, but I want to be open and honest with you about what I’ve noticed so you can what you want out of it. (I made some big mistakes the first year I shopped and wish someone had given me the advice below!)
What is the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale?
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is Nordstrom’s biggest sale of the year. For a limited time, brand new arrivals are deeply discounted (25-30% off). In other words, it is a pre-season sale, unlike most sales which are post-season. No promotional code is needed; tags in store and online will reflect the original and sale prices. The Nordstrom Anniversary sale is a great opportunity to scoop up wardrobe staples as well as Fall 2017’s hottest trends. I especially love the time of year it happens because Fall clothing tends to be more expensive (jackets, boots, sweaters), so the savings are even better!
When is it?
Early access to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale runs Thursday July 13th through Thursday July 20th. On Friday July 21st, the sale becomes available to everyone. The last day to shop the sale is August 6th, and on August 7th prices go up.
How to Shop It
Alrighty, now that I’ve gotten the details out of the way, here’s the nitty gritty. 🙂
- Leaf through the catalog ahead of time. Nordstrom has dropped a preview of their catalog here so you can get an idea of what’s for sale and mark the items you want.
- Get either a Nordstrom debit or credit card or a Nordstrom Rewards card so you have early access to shop 7/13 instead of 7/21. (You can apply for the card here.) SO much sells out this first week before the Nordstrom sale opens to the public! People rush to get in huge online orders right when the sale opens, knowing they can later return items that don’t fit or don’t work out. I know several people who even order multiple sizes of the same item to make sure they get the size that fits before it’s sold out. This is a totally understandable, but what it means is if you want to end up with the items you want, then you have to play the same game. That said, if for some reason an item/size you want is sold out, keeping checking back because there’s a decent chance someone will be returning it.
- Focus first on items that sell the fastest. I’ve noticed that “staple” items sell the quickest:
- Cardigans
- T-shirts
- Designer denim
- Neutral boots and booties
If you’re interested in items from these categories, try to get them on the 13th. Also if a big blogger posts an item you want, get it immediately. You can always return it, but if you hesitate I promise it’ll be gone. If you want to try on before purchasing but still save time, call your Nordstrom this week and and set up an appointment. When setting up the time, tell the associate what you you’d like pulled ahead of time.
- Don’t neglect the other categories. Ya’ll I was browsing the online catalog and let me tell you—there are some amazing beauty items on sale. The T3, the hair dryer I swear by will have a model included in the sale and several at-home skincare devices like the clarisonic will also be available for remarkable prices. If you’ve been eyeing one of these, this is the time to make the investment. These items however are more likely than clothing/shoes to still be around further into the sale.
And now, for the very best part: I’ve teamed up with two of my blogger gal pals to give you guys a Nordstrom $100 gift card to shop the sale! Be on the lookout for a post on my Instagram tomorrow with the deets on how to enter!
I hope this helps! Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions related to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Also, be sure to check back here the evening of July 13th as I’ll be doing a full post of all my favorite items as well as what I’m purchasing!
XO,
Terra
PS Here are a few items I got at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale last year. It happened right before I launched Fifteen Minutes to Flawless, and I featured several picks in my very first posts!
AG jeans and Vince Camuto lace-up heels:
Leith burnt orange cardi:
BP scarf:
