The nordstrom anniversary sale is coming up this week and it’s one of my favorite sales of the year. It’s an amazing sale! But it’s also crazy town, and gets really overwhelming because, basically everyone is talking about it for the second half of July/first week of August. I’ve been covering this sale for 5-6 years now, and while it is a great sale, honestly, the hype around it is a little over the top. Last year was massively disappointing. Some of the items were not the best quality (vey surprising because usually Nordstrom is awesome) everything sold out very quickly and wasn’t restocked, and honestly I just wasn’t that excited about most of the pieces offered. The good news is, Nordstrom is usually very good at listening to their customers/responding, so hopefully they’ll stock better this year, and based on what’s in the catologue, it looks like the offerings are going to be much better this time around.
One final note: No sale is worth losing your mind/going into debt for. And I still stand by the intentional closet approach 100%, especially when it comes to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. I hope this post can help you plan how to shop the sale with intention.
Here are my top tips and tricks for shopping the nordstrom anniversary sale.
To shop early access you have to have a Nordstrom Card. I hesitate even talking about this because the last thing I want anyone to do is go into debt for a sale. I have had a card for years, I literally just pull it out for the Nordstrom sale and then I put it away again until next year. But so many things sell out before public access begins so for me, it’s worth it. There are still lots of options available if you wait, but if you want access to everything before it sells out, the card is the only way. So take that with a grain of salt.
Make a list. There are literally thousands of pretty/fabulous items in the nordstrom sale. It’s easy to get distracted and overwhelmed. And I think it’s fine to grab that top you weren’t planning on because “it’s just so cute!” But, if there are specific items you’re looking for, make sure you’ve made a list to keep it all straight and prioritize them. If you are looking for specific items, leave me a comment and I will make sure and find some good option for you!
Shop online. Do yourself a favor and shop online. I go into store so I can do try-ons and show you the awesome pieces and how they fit, but the selection is never as good in store, and it’s a zoo. Come here first thing on the morning of the 12th, and I will have a post up that breaks down all the best of the nordstrom anniversary sale. I’ll sort through all the thousands of items for you, and I’ll let you know what I think is at a high risk for selling out.
Buy online, pick up in store. This is my secret weapon. There are plenty of online-only items that I order and thanks to Nordstrom’s fast and free shipping, they’re at my door in a jiffy, but if it’s in store, you can buy online and select “pick up in store.” That way when you get there your whole order is waiting in a nice little bag for you. They even send you an email when your order is ready and it’s so nice/convenient, and it’s way, way better than dealing with the insane crowds flooding the store during the first few days of the sale.
Check all the departments. I know clothes and shoes are the most fun, but there are always amazing beauty deals, and really great kid’s and men’s deals too. The home section is actually one of my favorites during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. They have tons of great stuff. Last year I bought our beautiful rug for our living room and it was almost $200 off. The home section of the sale has tons of good stuff.
If you find something you really love, don’t hesitate. If you love it, buy it quick and then decide if you want to keep it. Cause if it sells out, you won’t be the one making the decision. ;-) The most popular pieces sell out crazy fast, so keep that in mind.
If something sells out in your size, buy it in a different one. I know that sounds weird, but nordstrom has an awesome long return policy, and they do usually end up stocking the anniversary sale stuff later on, but at full price. If you buy it at the anniversary sale price, and it comes in stock later, you can exchange it for the right size without having to buy it at full price. If it doesn’t come back in stock, just return it.
Here are some of my favorite pieces that will be available this year for a huge discount during the Nordstrom anniversary sale:
This leopard dress is such a fun piece for wearing year-round and it’s a great capsule piece because it’s so versatile and you can style it tons of different ways.
They always include these amazing barefoot dreams cardigans in the sale and they sell out so fast. They are insanely soft and the perfect lounge sweater.
So excited that Madewell’s Ryder cardigan is back again in the sale this year. I am literally going to buy this in 2-3 colors (especially that mustard, love it.) And I also love that they are bringing back the color block version as well. Can’t wait to see what other Madewell goodies they have!
The fleece pullover was one of the most popular items last year and for good reason. It is so soft! I’m super stoked because they are stocking it in XS as well (small was the smallest size last year.)
Really excited about this gorgeous turtleneck and will be scooping it up in this pumpkin color. It’s a great fall staple.
Lots of great booties included in the sale, I usually grab a pair. Love this deep warm brown pair, and I’m also loving the stitching on these cute gray booties.
I bought some Adidas running shoes in last year’s anniversary sale, and you better believe I’ll be grabbing this pair again. The sale is a great time of year to snag some new athletic shoes, and I pretty much always grab a new pair during the sale.
I love slippers so much and these uggs are so pricey normally, but they are marked down for the sale so it’s a great time to treat yourself to a pair.
