When: ongoing sale
Where: in stores and at the Hanna Andersson site
Description:
Presently offering prices of up to 75% off. This is a great sale on some beautiful children’s clothing. They also have adult stuff, but it’s really the children’s clothes that I like. The styles are very hit-or-miss for me, but those that I like, I love.
When: 12/23/08 - 1/31/09
Where: 850 4th Street, San Rafael, CA and 1556 Mt. Diablo BLVD, Walnut Creek, CA
Link: http://www.liquideventsales.com
Description:
This is an ongoing holiday sale that has been extended past Christmas & the end of Hanukkah because of its popularity. I haven’t been by the store locations yet, but heard that one of the sale items are these beautiful jewelry boxes for cheap, cheap, cheap!
Liquid Events always comes up with extra great ways to make their sales fun, and this is no exception - one of their “hooks” is that the are running $1 days every day, where one item is $1 only until it sells out that day.
Further Links:
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When: Now, while supplies last, I think
Where: online. see link below
Link: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/clearance
Description:
I don’t know bupkus about musical instruments and their perceived value (do people race out to get the latest model of a drum set, or, like a good wine or cheese, do instruments get better with age? Are certain models from certain years better than others?). Therefore, I couldn’t tell you if the prices that are “slashed” in this pre-holiday clearance sale are really that steeply cut on good stuff, or if the business is just trying to dump junk no one wants. Also, couldn’t tell you if the site jacked the “original” price before slashing.
I don’t mean to condemn the site for bad practices - this is probably a great deal for those on the hunt for musical instruments. I just wanted to be clear about my own ignorance.
Anyway, supplies are limited. Check it out and see if you find the guitar that makes you the next Neil Young.
When: Sunday, October 5, 2008
Where: Cabrillo College parking garage, 6500 Soquel Dr., Aptos, CA 95003
Link: http://www.seconds-sale.com/
Description:
Again, it’s a disappointment that I was unable to get this sale posted in time. This is a bi-annual sale on really nice hand-crafted pottery and glass works. Will post again for the next sale!
Just wanted to apologize to those who check this blog regularly.
You may have noticed the blog has been inactive for a few weeks - temporarily M.I.A., as it were.
I just had my second child on Labor Day weekend and, let’s just say, it’s taking a little while getting back up to full steam! That, coupled with my laptop’s power cord frying out, and then the battery dying… it’s been tough to get booted up, much less get posts going.
Check back soon! We WILL be back up ASAP.
Thanks!
When: Sat, Sept 6, 2008, 9-11 RETAILERS ONLY, 11-3 GENERAL PUBLIC
Where: 1651 Challenge Dr, Concord, CA 94520
Link: http://www.ctpub.com/client/client_pages/warehouse_sale2008.cfm
Description:
Are you feeling crafty? Do you find yourself headed to Joann Fabrics or Michael’s Crafts with far more regularity than you’d like to admit? Looking for further inspiration for projects?
C&T Publishing specializes in craft-related books, especially quilting ones. They also carry patterns and “how to” books for knitting, sewing, papercrafts and more.
C&T Publishing is having its annual sale and prices are chopped to a minimum of a 50% discount.
Please note that the first two hours of the sale are specifically for resellers with a copy of a resale license.
I actually got the chance to go to the San Francisco Blue Dot Boutique Sale last weekend. Initially, I thought I would miss it because my baby was due on 8/22, but, he’s late!
Turns out this was a great break for me, since I took advantage and went to the sale with my mother, who is visiting. I was able to do some “recon” on the sale and also pick up a number of items we really needed in our family at stellar prices.
As I expected, there were great boutiques represented at the sale, offering a range of discounted items from jewelry to designer clothing and shoes to children and baby clothes and accouterments. Since, as I’ve already mentioned, I’m unbelievably pregnant, we skipped looking at clothing for me (shyuh!!!) and focused on the baby / children offerings.
Before I give my “review” of the sale, I’ll mention this disclaimer: one of my initial hesitations about the sale was the “entry” fee for pre-sale hours of $25. The regular sale hours entry fee was $15. Because I run this site, both my mother and I were given a “guest pass” entry during the pre-sale time, which would have cost $50. I honestly would not have come to the sale during the preview hours had we not received the passes, but I can say that, based on experience at the sale and the deals I got, I WILL DEFINITELY PAY THE $25 PREVIEW ENTRY FEE AT FUTURE BLUE DOT BOUTIQUE EVENTS.
Now for my review…
NOT A BIG EARLY BIRD CROWD
Unlike at other big warehouse sale events I’ve been to, there wasn’t a huge line of folks waiting to get in during the first rush and choose from the greatest amount of merchandise. This was interesting to me because I know this sale was pretty well advertised and I wonder why it didn’t draw a larger crowd. Perhaps as the day wore on it got popping more - I hope so, as I really want this sale to succeed in future years and draw in even more vendors - it’s a great idea.
IS PREVIEW TICKET COST WORTH IT?
YES!!!!!!!!!!
Because of the lack of a thronging crowd, one might think that it would be a waste to spend an extra $10 a head to get in to the event early. This would be a GRAVE MISTAKE. Unlike other larger warehouse sales that deal with unloading large quantities of overstock from distribution centers, the Blue Dot Boutique sale features a number of small, local boutiques that are looking to unload extra merchandise that comes from a much smaller selection. This means that quantities are limited, so the early bird gets the worm. It’s not like at the Athleta Warehouse sale, where there are dozens of the same pair of pants in the same size sitting in a pile. At the Blue Dot Boutique sale, there may be only one particular outfit in a certain size… once it’s gone, it’s gone baby, gone!
HOW WERE THE PRICES?
In a nutshell: the prices were fantastic. Again, as compared with sales focusing on larger businesses, the prices were higher at this sale - it’s not like I saw shirts flying out the door for $5 a pop that had been priced at $65 originally. But, again, these are not volume businesses that are being represented. The median discount range I saw at each boutique booth was from 40-80% off retail. Seriously nothing to sneeze at!!!
Here’s a breakdown of my “haul:”
I scooped up about 8 pairs of toddler and baby shoes priced from $8 - $10 at two different booths - one from the Mill Valley Baby and Kids Company, the other from San Anselmo’s Dixie Park. These were on brands of shoes like Pedipeds and See Kai Run, which are normally priced around $28 - $36.
In addition, at the Ciao Ragazzi booth, I got a set of Hatley toddler raincoat (listed for $37, I paid $20) and boots (listed at $34, bought at $10 — impulse buy, but SO CUTE) that was about 55% off.
Finally, in the score of the century, at the Goodnight Moon booth I found two quilts for my daughter’s “big girl bed” that were originally priced between $150 - $230 (they’re adorable, look hand crafted, unbelievably sweet) for TWENTY DOLLARS EACH. Apparently, the store had a massive overstock of bedding and was therefore really motivated to unload these fantastic items.
The quilts are the prime example of the benefit of getting into the sale early. There were only a few available and we picked up two of them right off the bat, leaving just one extra for some other lucky sale-goer. Had we waited until the “regular” store hours, it’s very likely these gorgeous pieces would have already been on their way to their new home.
IN SUMMARY:
The sale was fun, there was a great range of products to check out and we were able to pick up a number of items we really needed - much higher quality than we could normally afford - at unbelievable prices. If I had purchased everything we got at regular retail, my total would have easily been greater than $600. Instead, I spent about $150. If you add in the cost of the early-entry tickets (again, read the disclaimer - I didn’t pay that this year, but will next year!!!) for two people, this would have made my total about $200. That’s a $400 cost avoidance on thing we really need and will use over the next several years (the shoes are in ranging sizes).
When: Sun, 8/17 - Wed, 8/20, 2008
Where: online
Link: http://www.babydagny.com/Default.aspx
Description:
If you read the “About” section of this site, you’ll learn about a few sales that inspired me to start Where Sale. One inspiration that I neglected to mention were the Baby Dagny periodic sales. Last year Baby Dagny had a warehouse sale and the discounts were so steep, I was able to stock up on a number of really high quality gifts for friends with new babies.
The gifts I picked out were ones I had already wanted to buy, but they were ultimately out of my price range, especially the “gag” type gift, like the exclusive “Elvis Sleeper.” I also picked up some fantastically sweet sunhats for my daughter. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they have any more in stock right now .
Baby Dagny is a great site to find alternative presents for baby gifts in general. The idea behind the site is that it represents “mom-created” designs, thus helping mom entrepreneurs to get exposure for their products. The products are unique! For instance, I’ve found the large seat chiller to be very handy in the summer months.
The site periodically hosts extremely steep discounts, such as right now. Hurry - the sale ends Wednesday!
When: Saturday, August 23, 2008 10 AM - 4 PM
Where: 1137 57th Avenue, Oakland, CA 510-534-7141
Link: http://www.concreteworks.com
Description:
Do you have a fetish for the concrete form? Or, does the notion of anything made from concrete make you think of the a college dorm style bookshelf made from two concrete blocks and a slab of wood? Either way, this is a great event to go to.
If you belong to the former group, this sale offers the opportunity to scoop up rare pieces that are functional art at a smidgen of the usual price.
If you belong to the latter group, come to the event anyway and be prepared to have your eyes pop at the realization of how gorgeous concrete can be.
When: August 2, 10-4 / August 3, 10-4
Where: Santa Clara Convention Center, Exhibit Hall A, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA, 95054
Link:http://www.thewarehousesale.com
Description:
Do you have a yen for designer jeans, but a bank account that’s running more on the Levi’s*** end of the price range? The Warehouse Sale events specialize in bringing high-end jeans to bargain hunters. They hold events around the country throughout the year and there’s one coming up in the Bay Area in a few weeks!
As with everything I’ve posted about so far… I haven’t actually been to one of these events, so it’s kind of a blind posting. Go at your own risk. Lord knows if I wasn’t a size god-knows-what (READ NOTE BELOW REGARDING SIZING) and 8 1/2 months pregnant, I’d be there in a flash. This particular event is labeled as a “Clearance Sale,” and I’m fairly sure that means the prices will be further marked down. Mebbe I’ll even call them tomorrow to find out for sure and update this posting.
IS IT WORTH IT?
Online reviews and articles about The Warehouse Sale events are mixed. For the most part, people are satisfied with the value, but the selection is limited and it’s not like you’re strolling out with $10 jeans that used to be $300. Think more like $70-100 for jeans that used to be $300. Still pretty cool if you’re willing to cough it up.
From what I’ve read, it’s best to make reservations ahead of time, which you can do by signing up at TWS website, and this also avoids the $5 admission fee.
ARE YOU READY?
For a big sale, always go prepared. In this case, the folks at TWS have been kind enough to outline an FAQs section on their site that covers some important info, such as whether or not they have private changing areas (they don’t). Check the FAQs out here.
A NOTE ON SIZING:
Keep in mind that they specialize in selling SAMPLES, so their size ranges on jeans are limited to size 23 - 32 for women and 28-40 for men. They also carry a brand called “Frankie B” that has sizes 0-10 (women’s)
***I actually think the price of Levi’s are even pretty exorbitant, but, a girl’s gotta wear something, right? I remember when buying a pair of jeans seemed like a fairly nonchalant purchase, but nowadays it’s a regular investment!
FURTHER INFO:
Great article: http://www.lasnark.com/the-warehouse-sale-la-convention-center
