the anti-nordstrom sale post: why i have not, am not, and will (probably) never shop the nordstrom anniversary sale
every summer the hoards of bloggers emerge for the annual money-maker event of the season. and to be honest the content never fails to be completely overloaded. but why am i so against a sale? well, because it’s a couple days before the public access, i’m going going to share why.
the coverage is too much
it’s no shock to my parents that i’m probably one of the most stubborn people on the planet. if you tell me do jump, my response is “but, why?” if you tell me the sky is blue, i’ll tell you it’s purple. it’s just the way i am. so having every single blogger i follow telling me to “shop this once in a lifetime sale,” just by nature i’m probably going to do the opposite. and i get it, this is a huge income time for bloggers and all affiliate programs are endlessly telling us to push the sale but if i see one more try-on session of “the best pieces from the nordstrom sale” i think i’m going to scream. so i just keep tapping away.
i don’t need to buy anything
while i get the concept behind why the nordstrom sale is so “incredible” simply because it marks down new pre-fall and fall product first…i don’t need a new cashmere sweater when it’s currently 97 degrees in nyc. and even in the off chance that i come across a really cute sweater and want to buy it, i know there is going to be another cute sweater that i’m going to buy when it’s actually cold and i will actually wear it - while the nordstrom sale sweater will be stuffed and forgotten about in a drawer. i just know the way i shop and i end up wasting so much more money when i do things like that. so i always make an effort to buy pieces when i’m actually in that season to ensure i’m going to wear and get good use out of it.
i typically don’t like the products
yes, there may be some cute products here and there included in the sale, nothing ever “wows” me. and whenever those few super cute items are published, the bloggers go crazy and everyone and their mother is wearing the piece. so why would i want to buy something that literally everyone else has? that’s why i’ve never bought a barbour jacket or whatever piece is the current craze of the moment. if i do ever buy a piece that is overly photographed, i will go out of my way to try to style it in a way that’s unique and different to me.
i think they mark the prices up to mark them down
after working for companies like bloomingdale’s and kate spade, i know the drill for sales like this. so many times there are sales that look so appealing from the outside but it’s all just one big eye roll. when i worked for bloomingdale’s there were so many pieces that were always marked down throughout the year and barely went on an additional sale for the big friends and family event. and those surprise kate spade sales that are 75% off? well those are all pieces that are made exclusively for outlets and you are actually paying more for them on that sale than if you went to an actual outlet. so my theory is that a lot (not all) of the pieces in the nordstrom sale are just cheaper-made versions of the full price merchandise that are included in the sale. just a theory but i’ll be the first to tell you i’m very skeptical haha.
it’s really just a push to open up the nordstrom credit card
again, as someone who has worked for a retail company that has a proprietary credit card, i know how cost efficient it is for the companies to have their own credit cards processing the transactions and there are huge incentives for the company to have customers use them. i also know how insanely high the interest rates are on these cards and will never have one as a result (except for the bloomingdale’s cc because that was the only way we could get our employee discount). to this day i’ve never missed a credit card payment *knock on wood* but with staggering rates, even if you miss one bill, it’s almost like you didn’t even get the item on sale! so with all of the early access perks of this sale, it really makes people impulsively open up these credit cards just to access the sale a few days early…and not taking into consideration the effects of store cards down the road.
i’ve never personally shopped the sale
at the end of the day, it’s a sale i’ve never shopped in the past myself (even when i lived near a nordstrom), so why would i tell you all to shop it when i don’t? sure i’m probably missing out on some commission through affiliate links, but i would rather be true to myself and not push something i don’t personally do.
at this point, nearly everyone covering the sale seems disingenuous to me and just trying to make money and it’s a sale that seems to be dragging on forever but i will say that there are three people who have not bothered me in their coverage. jenn lake made her content fresh and chic (the fact that her and her husband bob hiked to boston from nantucket just to cover the sale was major commitment), krista robertson made it real and told her true feelings about each piece, and liz adams (with special appearance from her husband - did anyone catch his instastory try on? i died laughing haha!). there was also someone that dana had mentioned seeing on her feed (but i could not remember who it was for the life of me) who did a post about less expensive amazon look-a-like versions of all the pieces from the nordstrom sale! now that is creative!
when it all comes down to it, i personally prefer sales that are just a percentage off of the retail price. it makes it easier for me to plan, calculate and see if i really want to shop the sale. i’m obviously not against sales because who doesn’t love a good one, but i do find that i do a lot of justifying to myself and recklessly and unnecessarily spending when there is a sale going on. i clearly don’t want to pay full price for things but sometimes when things are full price, i really put more thought into if i truly want something or not.
so before you buy something that’s on sale only because it’s on sale, really think to yourself if you actually need it or if you’re buying it because it’s a “good price.”
dress: caroline constas
shoes: raye (last seen here)
bag: chanel
earrings: kate spade (old)
necklace: cartier
sunglasses: dolce & gabbana
