Top 5 Shopping Hacks to Make the Most out of Sales ...

1. Choose Brand Offices over Hosts and Showrooms

There are two general types of sample sales. The first type includes all sample sales hosted by a third party vendor. The second type includes sales hosted by the brand independently: in its office or showroom. Both types of sales have advantages. The sales at the host are generally professional: generous selection, lots of personnel, and cash registers that will let users pay any way they like.

The sales that take place in the brand offices typically have better prices. The brand isn’t paying a third party real estate and labor fees, and the brand wants to liquidate merchandise before the arrival of the next season’s inventory. That is how people find $500 tops for $20 and dress in Haute Couture on the salary of a marketing associate.

Differentiating between the two types of sales is generally easy: office addresses such as 355 W 37th St, 15th floor, typically indicate an independent sale. While clean street addresses suggest that the sale is hosted in a third-party location.

2. For the Best Merchandise, Choose Early Access

Since the goal of sample sales is to get rid of excess merchandise at unbeatable price points, items at these events disappear really quickly. Often times, people will line up outside before the sale just so that they could get first dibs on the merchandise. If having a generous selection is a priority, then you want to make sure you’re on the early access list for the sale. Early access can be attained in a number of ways.

Certain brands offer early access to their VIP members. ShopDrop partners with brands to offer early access to its users. And certain hosts have early access for bloggers and members of the press.

3. For the Lowest Prices, Go on the Last Day

If your priority is getting the lowest price possible, then the last days of sample sales are for you. That is when the brand will do almost anything to get every item of clothing out the door. Prices are slashed once or twice. At that stage, items are discounted to the low point of 90%, and traffic is greatly diminished.

4. Do Your Research in Advance

While most sample sales indeed offer good deals, others are what we refer to as ‘fake’ sample sales. The discounts are around don’t dip lower than 40% and the prices aren’t more attractive than any regular discount at the store. Read descriptions of sample sales before for percentages off and price ranges. Descriptions are better when they include information on whether the sale includes samples or overstock items, on payment information and on whether special passes are required to get in.

5. Check for New Sample Sales Often

Of the 50+ shoppers interviewed at designer discount stores, over twenty believed that there were four to five sample sales annually. In reality, there are between 13 and 20 sample sales in NYC every single week! That’s right, 300 brands reach a point where they have to get rid of excess inventory twice a year. Decisions to host sample sales are often last minute, with brands publishing information about their sample sales a day or two before the actual event. Make sure to check in every couple of days to plan your shopping schedule accordingly.