Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is Coming… Tips to Shop

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is coming soon and it is always a big event around here.

Here is the info you need to know to kill it during this sale.

WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL ANYWAY?

Well this is a big sale on NEW merchandise coming in for Fall and Winter.  We do see sales on old merchandise a few times a year but not brand new stuff just hitting the stores.  So you can get really big discounts on things before the season begins.

This does include really big names from shoes to cosmetics to home items and jackets… the best brands, the newest, most popular items.  It is really a sale you don’t want to miss.

WHAT’S THE CATCH? 

Here is the catch.  You can only shop the early access pre-sale if you have a Nordstrom credit card.  Two things on the credit card.  The first is that this is not a blog that recommends credit cards.  My husband and I did a painful year of Dave Ramsey-ing when we were first married and eliminated all of our credit card debt.  We have never used credit cards again- I don’t apply for them and we only have one for my business that is paid off monthly.  I do however, have a Nordstrom credit card just for this anniversary sale.  I usually buy a ton of stuff at the start and then return the things that I don’t absolutely love and then pay the card off immediately.

You CAN still shop the sale without a credit card.  You just don’t get to shop until later.  The items that are featured in the Anniversary sale catalog should still be available (those are supposed to restock if they sell out) but all the other stuff not in the catalog may or may not restock in time for the sale to open to the general public. There is always a ton of amazing items that don’t restock and will be gone in the first day or two.

Here are the dates to note:

July 9-11: Icons and Ambassadors can shop in store (online on the 11th)
*To be an Icon or Ambassador you need to spend $5000 or more on an annual basis at Nordstrom.

July 12-18: Anniversary sale begins online and in stores for ALL Nordstrom card holders.

July 19-August 4: Sale for general public without Nordstrom card

I’LL JUST SHOP JULY 19th.  

It makes sense that you might be thinking- I don’t want the bother and I’ll just shop July 19th when it opens up to everyone.  Well you absolutely can but often the majority of the best items will be gone and won’t restock.  In fact, some very popular items will likely sell out by July 12th.  This is a super hot sale and year after year I find something cute I really want 2 or 3 days into the pre-sale and it is already gone and then I watch the item like a hawk through the sale and it never comes back.  Boo.

CURRENT BONUS OFFER.

Again this is not a space to pressure people into credit cards.  I don’t believe in them personally, but if you do want to get a Nordstrom card, they are offering a nice bonus right now.

Nordstrom tracks your spending with the card and you will get perks based on your purchases- including a $20 Nordstrom note for every $2000 you spend.  I absolutely love getting my Nordstrom notes.  I know this sounds like a ridiculous amount but if you shop Nordstrom a little here and there throughout the year, it does add up.  Plus with the card, you can get double points and even triple points days where your purchases count for double or triple to get that reward.  When you apply for a Nordstrom card from now until July 10th AND you buy anything at all from Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack the day you are approved, you will get a $60 Nordstrom note to spend as you please.  Click here to see all the details on this promotion. 

OTHER TIPS.

As I mentioned, things will sell out VERY fast and I would assume they won’t restock.  My plan every year is to make a list of what I really want and then I shop immediately when the sale opens online.  I have as much as I can ready to pick up at my local store and then I tend to go into the store just to see things in person.  Nordstrom will meet you at the curb to give you your bags or they have a special station set up to pick up your items with dressing rooms right there so you can literally be in and out so quickly.  I tend to wander through the store just in case I missed anything cute online.  Once the sale ends, I take a look at everything I purchased and narrow it down to what I really love and return the rest.  I tend to overspend during this sale so I usually have to part ways with a few items.

Everything in the sale will be online to purchase either through local store pick up or free shipping.  In store, however, you will only see some items.  Nordstrom has buyers at each store so they won’t carry identical merchandise from store to store and they won’t carry everything.  The best plan is shopping online to see everything.

So that about covers the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

You can click here to see the sale preview catalog just to get an idea of what they will have this year.