Hurry up and buy!

Hurry up and buy!

Pulling the title from the classic movie Menace to Society I am here today to remind you that even though the beautiful things of Spring have arrived don’t forget about the great deals left over by the not-so-cold winter. This year the weather failed to get truly cold and for that reason many stores still have great finds that had to be marked down. This is the time when we stock up on some of the basics and cute pieces that go along way. There are a few designers that I frequent and because I know their pattern I can usually get great deals on items that I love. Being the shopper that I am I thought I would let you in on my little out-of-season shopping secrets.

1. BCBG : I love, love, love BCBG and when I need something and don’t have much time I know I can go there and find it. When buying their items I watch close because they are famous for re-releasing items. A coat, skirt or pair of pants may be released one season and get marked down at the end of the season only to be re-released the very next year. This happens all the time with them! I have a coat that I love that I bought in January of last year after it was marked down during their semi-annual 60 plus 20% off sale. The same exact coat came back this year and is flying off the racks for full price. Original price $468, my price $125! The key is that you must love the item and see the timeless nature of it. If you are buying trendy pieces then you may or may not see them next year but some things never go out of style!

2. J. Crew: Another store that I personally know all of the sales associates and managers at. Now, they are not the best for sales but every now and then you will get an extra 30% off jackets and blazers ( usually the day after Thanksgiving) but that’s about it. It’s also not always a good idea to wait with J.Crew because items go to the land of the factory store and that’s it! If you are in a major market J.Crew will pre-release items to test them out before sending them to all of the stores. Once the seasons over these items will get marked down and next season they will be back up to full price. Items like the Maritime dress that I got on a shopping trip at King of Prussia (great mall) last season for $68 and now it’s on their site for $88. Overall I will spend the money in J.Crew because these pieces hold their value.

3. Ann Taylor: Wait!!!!!!! In this day and age of e-mail coupons, twitter coupons and text messages from stores the crew at Ann Taylor will give you the discount! If you ever go into Ann Taylor and don’t have a discount you should be upset with yourself because there are usually 2 or 3 going on at once! Here’s an example: I spotted The Petra Buckle Boots in Fawn the day after Christmas for $248 and even though I loved them I didn’t $248 love them. The next WEEK they got marked down to $149 but I didn’t get a chance to get to the store. The next week on Martin Luther King’s birthday I got an early e-mail from them saying all sales items were an additional 60% off but it was on-line only. Called a store and they said they would match the online pricing but the boots were still $248 in store. Went and got my boots for $60 that day! PS if you look on-line they are still $149 and in stores still $248.

So as you hit the malls this weekend and get your spring colors don’t forget to go and look at items that you love for next season! Happy Shopping!