Every year I write about shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and it’s always one of my top viewed posts for the month, sometimes even the year. Last year I wrote about how to get the best deals at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (and the tips are still relevant so head over there to read it!)
This year, I wanted to cover a few things to know before you shop the Nordstrom Sale. To those of you who haven’t shopped this sale before, what makes it special is that the items that are going on sale, are brand new fall and winter styles. I worked the Anniversary sale when I was in college and there were a lot of customers that only shopped once a year and this was the occasion. It’s a big deal only because the prices are amazing and you’ll get the best pieces for your fall and winter wardrobe.
6 things that you should know before shopping the 2019 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale
Not everyone gets to shop at the same time
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale used to start on the same day for everyone. But they started to reward their Nordstrom cardholders by letting them shop first and I have to say that with this change, it’s made a HUGE difference in what you get to buy. The past few years have shown that once the early access time is over, most of the popular styles are sold out and you have to wait for returns. They have now added more dates depending on what level you are as a Nordstrom credit cardholder!
Get a discount on Gucci with your Nordstrom card
It may seem silly to sign up for a credit card just to shop a sale, but considering that the Nordstrom sale is once a year and a lot of items are limited in quantity, it’s worth it for the ability to shop early! But not only that, if you get the Visa card, you can use it everywhere, not just at Nordstrom and it’s so easy to build up points to get the Nordstrom notes, which is basically like a giftcard.
If you are like me and like to shop for designer bags and shoes, it’s actually one of the best ways to save money on high priced items that might never go on sale! So when you are shopping for your fall and winter basics at the sale, you are earning points to basically get a discount on that Gucci bag you’ve been eyeing 🙂
Follow your favorite bloggers/instagram accounts to find the best items
I’m not saying this because I’m a blogger, it’s seriously the truth! Shopping online or in store can be a headache as things are never organized so that it’s easy to shop. You’ll spend too much time browsing and trying things on and later on you’ll see someone wearing something cute and say “why didn’t I see that?”
Last year’s dressing room review and haul
Find bloggers/instagrammers that are around your same size and see what clothes they recommend and what looks good on them. On instagram, look up hashtags related to the sale like #nordstromanniversarysale #nsale #nordstromsale to find bloggers that are covering the sale. A lot of bloggers rely on the Nordstrom Anniversary sale as a large part of their annual income so it’s almost guaranteed that they will have the best coverage with a lot of photos and reviews of the best items. Once you find items that you like on them, keep a list and screenshot their looks so if you go in to shop, you can ask the sales person to track down the items.
I often do dressing room reviews and then also share how I’ll style the items for fall and winter. On my instagram I will be sharing more “real time” updates via my stories and I may even shoot an IGTV to share everything I got.
Get a baby sitter, cancel your lunch plans, take PTO
This sale is a whole day affair. Don’t expect to be in and out in an hour especially the first few days that the sale starts. Even if you think you’ll just browse, I guarantee that you will get sucked into the vortex of the sale and keep on finding things that you will want. Especially because you’ll be shopping for shoes, coats, clothes and everything for your kids too!
Look for these specific brands to go on sale
Nordstrom works very closely with the brands that they carry on which items will go on sale. Often times they are exclusive to Nordstrom. Some of the best pieces that go on sale are Nordstrom brands. Usually Nordstrom’s in house brands like Caslon and Halogen have the best sales on sweaters, tops and workwear. For trendier items, look for Treasure and Bond and Chelsea28. Something Navy which is a blogger collab with Nordstrom will also have a ton of cute trendy items. One of my personal favorite brands, Free People will also have quite a few items included in the sale!
Here’s a preview of some of the items that you will find on the 2019 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!
For designer brands, look for Tory Burch bags, Kendra Scott jewelry, Stuart Weitzman boots, and Hunter boots to go on sale!
Your best bet though, is to go with the staples that you will wear ALL season. Last year this cardigan was one of my best Anniversary Sale buys. I still wear it a ton even in spring and summer and they have a few similar styles for this year.
Buy everything that you like, it won’t be there if you go back
The good thing about the sale, is Nordstrom’s return policy, there is no timeframe for returns and you don’t generally need to keep your receipt as they have stickers on the items that will have all the data on when/where you purchased and for what price.
If you are deciding between two things, my advice is to get both and take them home to try them on with things you already own. If not and you don’t buy the items, it most likely won’t be there when you return. So don’t be afraid to buy too much and return it later.
I’m not usually one for this method, being a mom, I barely have time for returns. I have kept many items just for the sheer fact that it takes me forever to get to a store to return an item. But for the sale, this strategy definitely applies.
Shop the sale both online and in store
Because there are so many items included in the sale, you’ll end up finding different items when you are in store and when you are online. Even for me, who shops at the store multiple times in the same week, I will always find different items that I didn’t see before included in the sale.
I will be covering everything that I buy and see at the sale, so stay tuned for more! But in the meantime don’t forget to check out my top tips and tricks to getting the best deals at the Anniversary Sale and what I bought last year to give you an idea of what will be on sale this year.
How I styled my Nordstrom Anniversary Buys from Summer to Fall
