Every year people make a big deal about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and up until just a couple of years ago, I didn’t understand why.
Why It’s a Fun Sale
Usually stores put things on sale when it’s the end of the season, but the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is such a big deal because it’s a sale on brand new inventory for the coming fall. It’s a sale on some of the hottest stuff for the future season.
People also get excited about brand new, of-the-season brand name designer handbags and shoes at steep discounts. Personally, I haven’t paid much attention to that kind of stuff, yet, I still find the Nordstrom Anniversary sale to be awesome. Last year I acquired at least 7 pieces from the sale that not only became my fall closet staples, but have become my overall closet staples!
So, whether you are the kind of person that loves having pieces that are on-trend or whether you are looking to build a closet full of fantastic staples, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale can be a great resource for you to take advantage of.
My Plan to Help You
That said, I do find the sale slightly overwhelming to shop because there are so many darn things to sift through. This year, since I’m on staycation right now and off work (woohooooo!) I’ll be able to post a little more about the NSale. I’ll be able to act like a personal shopper for those of you who don’t want to sift through all the stuff by providing you with my sale picks, reviews of whichever items I can get my hands on as I brave the crowds in-store so that you don’t have to, and potentially some outfit ideas with some of the best pieces.
For now, here are some of my tips for shopping it. (Heads up: I repeated a lot of what I wrote last year.)
Tips for Shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
- A Nordstrom retail credit card – earn 2 points for every dollar spent at Nordstrom
- A Nordstrom Visa card – can be used as a regular credit card, but you get 2 points per dollar spent at Nordstrom plus 1 point per dollar spent anywhere else
- A Nordstrom debit card – 2 points per dollar spent at Nordstrom
- tops – mostly blouses and gingham or chambray button-up type tops
- ankle boots (be still my heart!)
- flats
- designer jeans (scooooore)
- bags (the “normal people” cheaper ones, haha)
That’s about all I could handle looking through last year. But this year since I’m on staycation I also want to look into:
- makeup sets
- activewear
- running shoes
- workwear
- dresses and shoes for fall weddings or dressier events
- home decor
- gifts for the holidays (I can never get myself to think this far ahead though)
– Shop online. The store can be overwhelming. Nordstrom always has free shipping AND free return shipping on any amount. It is risk free to buy online, and it’s sooo easy to return as they send you a label to slap back onto the box so you can just put the package on your doorstep to send back. There’s also not a real cutoff time period for how long you have to return items. They have a generous return policy that makes it very easy to shop online.
– Don’t overthink it. This is not normally how I recommend shopping. Typically I encourage you to be thoughtful about purchases. For this sale, because things can go pretty quickly I would say if you’re at all interested, just buy it. The same way if you’re in the store and interested in something, you pull it off the rack and bring it into the dressing room. I basically do that when I shop online, but instead of the dressing room I’m trying it at home. THEN, once it arrives definitely definitely definitely think about it logically and if it’s actually good to keep. If not, return it easily with free return shipping. Last year SO many of you told me you saw something I posted, were thinking about it, waited a day or two, and then it was sold out.
Above is one of my favorite tops that I got from the NSale last year! It sold out SUPER fast and never got restocked.
– Buy multiple sizes. Since items may go quickly you probably won’t have time to return and exchange for another size. I’ll do my best to provide reviews and sizing, but if you’re shopping online and unsure, just get two sizes. Again, free easy return shipping makes that convenient.
The shirt above wasn’t technically part of the NSale, but it was on sale during the same time. I bought 3 sizes to try, including the petite cut.
If you’re shopping the sale, let me know what kinds of pieces you’re looking for! That way I can pay more attention to those kinds of items and be the most helpful for you. My plan is to play “personal shopper” for you and save you some time, telling you which items are worth some attention and which aren’t. So let me know what you’re looking for!
