Started in 1955, this sale was the first of its kind to offer preseason fall fashions at a discount, before raising their prices after the sale. It was a way to drum up business in the dog days of summer- a historically slow time for most fashion retailers. The sale grew outrageously popular, with folks lining up outside shopping malls before open just to be one of the first to snatch up the new “it” item of the season. Nowadays the sale has changed drastically since the rise of online shopping and social media. Check any influencer’s feed during the month of July and you’re bound to see a bright yellow shopping bag or two, along with their list of “must haves” they hope you’ll buy via their affiliate links. It begs the question, is the whole thing worth it anymore? Here’s my inside scoop from the first summer in 9 years that I won’t be working the sale.
The N Sale is not Meant to Sell you Stuff, it’s Meant to Sell you the Credit Card
It wasn’t always this way, but the N Sale is now an event designed to push the credit card rewards program. If you understand this framework, the rest will make a lot more sense. There’s a lot of confusion about who can shop when because there’s 2 weeks of “early access” when card holders get to shop before the general public. Did you spot a juicy deal on your favorite leggings? You won’t have a chance to shop unless you come back or open a credit card. There are also different tiers to early access, with top spenders getting the first two days exclusively to themselves. The only way to ensure access to every item in the catalogue is to spend over $15,000 annually on your Nordstrom credit card. Oh, and don’t freak about the “influencer early access”, this just refers to the level of spend for a card holder, not the Instagram fashion queen we associate with the term.
Everything Really Good is Gone Before you get to Shop
Everything juicy sells out before public sale, so don’t expect that beautiful Coach handbag to still be sitting on the shelf in 2 weeks. Direct-to-customer (or DTC) services are utilized at every store, which means that inventory allocated for in-person shopping often gets fulfilled by online web pickers. Even if you see 15 of the same bag on display, I promise, it will be gone. Don’t ask to put these items on hold anymore either- holds are forbidden on Anniversary sale items, and is a practice that was sunset in 2018. Also, employees aren’t getting the deals either so don’t ask. They cannot shop until the first day of public sale at 2pm.
Employees are Burnt Out
Don’t take out your frustrations on the employees denying you entry to early access. They will be overworked and exhausted by the time August rolls around- especially managers. They come in overnight to set the sales floors multiple times (gotta change it all around for early access, public sale, and then takedown), have to cover their floors while employees take customers into other departments, and cover for lunches that are often not taken because of the pressure to host back to back appointments. This was not their decision, and the prices won’t ring up on sale unless you “unlock” the register with a Nordstrom credit card. It has happened this way for YEARS, and customers routinely shout at salespeople claiming this wasn’t a practice last year (yes, it was, and the years before that too). If you have a problem with how the sale operates, (and I don’t blame you, it’s pretty gross to deny access to consumer goods based on credit) take it up with the suits in Seattle.
You Need to Book an Appointment
If you plan on shopping the sale in person, book an appointment. The first few days are always a little chaotic and if you have a dedicated salesperson to help you navigate the store, you won’t feel as overwhelmed. Also, salespeople are paid entirely on commission, and are pressured to hit appointment goals. If you were going to shop the sale anyway, make sure that someone can put food on their table. Tipping is a practice that Nordstrom does not allow, so either ask for help carrying shopping bags to the car, where you can then thank your salesperson, or leave your cash at home.
The Truth About Returns
Brands use the sale as a way to offload product. Meaning, things may be marketed as brand new, introductory pieces, but they were created by the brand specifically for the sale. Every sales floor will have to execute a ton of RTV’s (Return-to-Vendor) when the sale is over because the quality of the product isn’t truly Nordstrom standard. This means tons of returns after the sale too. And yes, the employees get docked pay when you return what you purchased, even though they did the work to set up your fitting room, fetch you more sizes, keep you hydrated, help you to your car, and followed up with a hand written thank you letter. If you aren’t used to receiving this kind of top tier service, it’s probably because employees are used to getting burned and don’t slow down and take the time to service you. They know if they don’t help at least two people at a time, their paycheck is on the line.
The Sale Doesn’t Cater to Plus Sizes
The sale isn’t really for plus size folks. A quick search on the website shows 1,938 women’s clothing items on the Anniversary sale. When filtered for plus sizes, the number drops to 394. And that’s honestly kind of impressive. In previous years, there had been even less options online and hardly anything to browse in store. Also, can we discuss the fact that the name of the plus size department is called “Encore“? That’s what the band plays after the concert is over- meaning, “show’s over, this department is literally an afterthought.” Some stores are working to incorporate plus sizing onto the regular sales floor, while some, if they even have Encore departments, still have them relegated to a corner between kids and the café. I hate that the sale isn’t more inclusive, but knowing this upfront can help manage expectations.
It’ll All Get Marked Down Again
Finally, note that everything still available during public sale will be getting marked down EVEN FURTHER in September. Yes, prices will be full retail once the sale ends, but when the summer clearance event happens, those items that didn’t clear the racks in July will be meeting their final markdown price. Which means you’ll get an even better deal than the fancy cardholders got on July 12th. Take this advice with a grain of salt and see it as a treasure hunting opportunity. Perhaps someone returned that Coach bag after getting her credit card statement in the mail.
Is the Anniversary sale really worth it? It depends who you ask. Yes, it’s the only time those Spanx go on sale, and you could get those brand new RayBans for a great deal, but if you aren’t interested in opening up a line of credit, it’s probably not worth it as the good stuff will be gone anyways. Have you shopped the Anniversary sale before? Let me know what you like or don’t like about it in the comments!
Yes. Yes to EVERYTHING written here! Very well said.
Thanks Julianne!
100% accurate! Even without my employee discount now, I still have “must-haves” that I will be getting every year.
I couldn’t of said it better myself! 👏🏼😉
Thanks Brandi!
Well, damn…. so glad you know all the info! So good to know before I fell down the ad rabbit hole on this sale!
yes! It’s all designed to give you FOMO- don’t fall for it! haha
This was soo well written! Thank you for all the tips sister! Keep on going! You are doing a fantastic job!
Thank you love!
Wow, this was such an impressive read! Historical and informative. So interesting to read! Thank you for this!!
Glad I could help!
Even Instagram bloggers are bashing the sale this year! Everyone already has the same cardigan and camel booties from last year.
So true! I’ve even heard the Zella leggings aren’t the same quality…
Thanks for the great article! I never hear anything about Nordstrom until every blogger or influencer is talking about their sale every summer. And I don’t know if I’m just not the target or what but anything I ever see there I can probably find for less somewhere else. I guess I just don’t get what’s so great about it
Yes, they definitely want you to feel a bit of FOMO, its why only cardholders can shop and its kind of a tease. Reality is, to me anyways, it’s not necessarily worth the hype!
I just got into shopping at Nordstrom and as usual you knocked it out of the park. Excellent writing. Very informative.
I still do a lot of shopping at Nordies, it’s just good to know the tricks! I’m glad I could help you!