Confessions from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

For those of you who are uninitiated, Nordstrom has an annual sale in July (starting the second Friday in July to be exact) where they put new fall merchandise on sale (about 33% off usually). Every department. I have been shopping at the anniversary sale since the local Nordstrom opened. Must be 15 years. I remember taking off from work on the first day to get there. Some might call me nuts, but I think I'm.......nuts. And yet, I go. I make an effort to go. I plan on how I will get there. My shopping strategy. What I need, what I want, what the girls need. How much money I'm saving. Like I said: nuts. I will say that over the (many) years I've gotten things I've loved at the anniversary sale: work clothes, fabulous boots and shoes, great tops (rarely pants, but that's a whole other story), winter jackets for my kids, great kids shoes. But I've also noticed the following:

- you can't wear most fall clothing until.....the fall. So they sit in the closet for some undetermined period of time. Try explaining that to a 6 year old.
- when you feel you will miss out if you don't buy, you sometimes buy more than you really need (duh! you say. I know).
- it's hard to know what you really need when your fall clothes and shoes are packed away (do I need brown or black shoes? who knows......)
- I always feel that if I pass up on these things now that I will miss out on fashion, style and savings forever. Well that might be an exaggeration. But that I will miss out. Everyone (?) will get cool stuff at great prices and I'll be left with......whatever you can buy in September. Don't you hate that time of year when the stores run out of clothes? Oh, that was in 1982 in the Soviet Union.

So I took my girls and we got to Nordstrom at 9:15 this morning. I marched them through kids shoes and kids clothes. They were a little over stimulated. Maybe it was all that coffee at breakfast. Oh, that was me. Then I took them to women's shoes. We had passed the one hour and fifteen minute mark, i.e. they were wacky, bored and really really annoying. There was spying from under the tables, horsey rides, spinning on the little stools. Whose fault? Theirs for not being able to sit still on command or mine for dragging them there. I'm sure you can guess. Somehow the fabulous boots made it seem worth it (33% off, to wear in October!!!!)

So how is this like Derby Lite? Hmmmmm. I did buy a new pair of cool skates, and green shoelaces to match my helmet. I think fabulous skates are at least as important as a pair of fabulous boots. I got a deal! Didn't want to miss out.

And wherever you go, there you are.