Found my future car out front! (if only...)
Don't get me wrong, I love a good warehouse sale as much as the next person. But the complete chaos my friend and I endured this weekend sparked the idea to write this survival post to help any one out there with any sort of question as to what to expect from these bargain-hunter fueled extravaganzas. So without further ado, here are my do's, don'ts, tips, and tricks, and overall personal experience with the Vineyard Vines Whalehouse Sale.
BEFORE the sale:
-Join the Facebook group for the specific sale going on in your area. This can be helpful when people post questions about the sale, as you may have similar ones.
-Make a plan of attack. Last year, I went on a Saturday afternoon 2 days before the sale closed, and walked in with no line, and waited maybe 10 minutes in the check out line. Sure, I didn't find everything I was looking for as it was kind of picked over, but I ended up with some other steals I never would have found! This year, I decided to be more aggressive and woke up early Saturday morning to be there when it opened, but not before. Kind of a mistake, as we waited 90 minutes just to get into the store I found out the hard way that people are not exaggerating when they say GET THERE 45 MINUTES BEFORE THE DOORS OPEN, or take your chances of potentially waiting twice as long.
-Prioritize what and who you are shopping for. I knew some of the top hits for myself would be shep shirts/pullovers and graphic t-shirts. Besides that, I was just going to look for anything cute in my size. My mom was shopping for my brother and dad as well, so I helped look for her while she was in the men's section. My friend was looking for shorts, which went a LOT faster than we expected them to. We hit that table as soon as we walked in the door while there was still a good selection, by the time we were in the checkout line the table was almost bare. Sort items out into things that you really want from this brand, and things you wouldn't be opposed to buying somewhere else.
The line when we first got there
DURING the sale:
-Linking to my last tip: hit the tables with your top items first.
-After that, check EVERYWHERE. Even though there is a designated table for things people don't want, some get lazy and throw them anywhere. I found one of the cutest shep shirts ever hanging on top of a rack of sundresses!
-Grab anything you could possibly want, you can always get rid of it later, but if you can't decide and leave it chances are it will get picked up.
-This one again depends on what time during the sale you go, but if the check out line looks intimidating, have someone stand in it a bit before you are ready to check out. My mom was done shopping far ahead of me and my friend, so she went and stood in line about a half hour before we were finished. In the other 45 minutes we spent in line, we sorted through our bags and put stuff on the do not want table, or passed it off to the people behind us. They had two girls probably 4 years younger than us, and they ended up buying a couple of the things that were too small for us!
Miscellaneous:
-Wear tight fitting clothes (i.e. leggings, tank tops) and easy to remove but comfortable shoes, so that it is easy to try things on over your clothes or shoes if need be, THERE ARE NO DRESSING ROOMS! I tried on multiple shorts and skirts and even a dress over my outfit to make sure they would fit, especially since there are no returns.
-Don't go crazy!!! It is after all just a sale, but there were a couple people acting out both in line and on the floor, and they just looked silly. Everyone else is in the same situation, so relax, breathe, and happy bargain hunting!!
I ended up getting
this grey shep shirt with sparkle detailing, a sea foam green quarter zip, a deep purple quarter zip, a navy polo, a navy and white striped sweater, and a men's large graphic tee shirt which I plan on bumming around in or using as a coverup, I was very pleased!
XOXO,
Claire
