This past spring I had a shopping experience that bordered on being religious… In a sense, it was a religious experience, actually – it converted me from a foot-dragging, begrudging as-needed-only shopper into a hard-core deal hunter.
I had just found myself in the need for really good stretchy athletic clothes for yoga and pilates, but at prices ranging from $50 - $150 for a pair of pants, coupled by the fact that I was 5 months pregnant (w/ #2) and growing at the time… There was no way I could afford a multi-sized wardrobe of Prana, LuLu Lemon or Lucy gear… not if I wanted to also keep up with the other splurge items in our family budget like diapers and whole milk.
What happened was that just as I was bemoaning the cost of these casual / exercise clothes, I randomly stumbled across an ad in the local newspaper website (SFGate.com) that announced a warehouse sale for travel and athletic clothes.
The sale, hosted by LiquidEvents, was unbelievable. The mob of women attacking the piles of clothes was overwhelming, the open-air changing room with 50+ women stripped down to their skivvy’s and discarded clothes piled feet deep was a mad house and, at prices like $5 / shirt, $8 / pants and $10 / sweatshirt, I was in hog heaven.
As I changed into a few pairs of pants among the throng of ladies in the changing pen, I remembered the thrill of bargain hunting that had been instilled in me early on from special weekend trips to Filene’s Basement in Boston (May It RIP). Five pairs of pants, two shorts, eight shirts, one hoodie and $90 or so later, I was a firm convert to the warehouse / liquidation sale lifestyle.
I’ve since discovered that there’s no central hub of advertising information for sales like this and that, while I live in a metropolitan area with lots of corporate headquarters (Athleta Clothing, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, etc), it’s quite hard to hunt down a good sale when you’re really craving one!
And, that’s where the idea for this site / blog (WhereSale.com) was born. I’m earnestly striving to create a site that can serve you, whoever you are, in your great quest for deals and steals that are either local to your area or online.
Initially, this site will probably serve mostly the San Francisco Bay Area, but I’m hoping to expand over time to other metropolitan regions. I’m also going to add information about liquidation sales and warehouse events that happen online, but only ones that are really good and fit certain niches, such as child / baby supplies, furniture, or pet supplies.
If you’re looking for a place to get coupons and incentives for shopping at a particular store, there are lots of online forums, which I’ll create a page of links about at some point. This site, however, is really meant to serve what I like to call SCREAMING DEALS where the business owners are really motivated to get rid of their inventory. I think true liquidation events serve all involved – they help businesses unload the burden of unwanted merchandise and they help consumers get really satisfying values on things they hopefully really need.
Thanks for visiting the site and please check back often!
Oh, also, if you want to HELP OUT and know of any great warehouse sales or liquidation events, especially the kind that happen on a routine basis (monthly, quarterly, annually), please email me at contact (((AT))) wheresale (((DOT))) com.
Furthermore, if you go to a sale that’s listed on the site, please come back and leave a comment about your experience – namely, if the deals were worth it. Since I can’t get to every sale out there, I’ll need people on the ground letting me know if the events are truly great markdowns, or if they’re just another attempt to drill up more traffic for a business.
THANKS!!!
