The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is easily the most promoted, hyped up event of the year in the blogging world. Yes, even more than Black Friday and Christmas. Why? Well, I think there’s a couple reasons for that.
1.) A lot of big bloggers partner with Nordstrom on a regular basis, so obviously they’re going to promote the crap out of their biggest sale of the year
2.) Most sales mark down clothes at the end of the season, this sale marks down new fall items in the middle of the summer (and let’s be real, girls LOVE fall and fall clothes #psl)
So, the big question is.. is the sale worth the hype? Short answer, NO. Long answer, yes. Here’s why:
Access to the Sale
Starting with access to the sale, in previous years Nordstrom had two parts to the sale: Early Access & Public Access. To get early access the only requirement was that you had a Nordstrom Credit Card. I believe in 2018 when I first shopped the sale they had extra early sale access for their top cardholder level but it was in store only. So in general, in the past most people had access to the sale at the same time.
Then, last year they added ‘tiers’ to the sale. I’ll leave info below noting this year’s. Basically, depending on how much you spend with Nordstrom each year determines your Nordy Club status & how early you can shop the sale. I don’t know about y’all but I don’t spend $2k with any one store each year.
- Member: $0–$499
- Insider: $500+/card members automatically unlock Insider status
- Influencer: $2,000+
- Ambassador: $5,000+
- Icon: $15,000+
Sure, I understand why Nordstrom wants to reward their top paying customers and incentivize people to spend more with them, but it made for a very poor shopping experience with a HUGE difference between 2018 and 2019 for Insiders. In 2018 I shopped it right when it opened (yes, at 3 am) and got everything I wanted vs last year it seemed like the majority of items were already sold it out by Insider access.
It’s just important to level set your expectations if you are shopping Insider Early Access or Public Access. A lot of things will be sold out and you just need to hope for returns & restocks. And if something you really want is in stock, put it in your cart and check out IMMEDIATELY.
Inventory
As I said above, in 2018 when I shopped everything was fully stocked online for Insider Early Access (the only early access that year). Last year by the time the sale opened to Insiders it seemed like most items, at least the good ones, were already sold out. And for Public Access… let’s just say there wasn’t a whole lot to choose from.
Important Note: If there is something you want that is in stock, add it to your cart and checkout, do NOT hesitate! Nordstrom offers free shipping and free returns on everything.
Also, do not be surprised if your purchases go through and then you get an email a few days later stating part or all of your order was cancelled. That happened to a TON of people last year.
Restocks
During the past two years when I shopped the sale there were no big restocks. It seemed like as items were returned restocks showed up here and there. My suggestion is check the site a few times a day for items where you are hoping for restocks.
Buy Online, Pick-Up In Store
Based on my experience last year, do NOT do buy-online, pick-up in store if you are shopping Insider or Public Access. I placed my order shortly after 11 am when the sale opened to Insiders and went to Nordstrom around 8 pm to try and pick-up my order. It was pure chaos in terms of the buy-online, pick-up in store orders.
The girl working there told me they were extremely behind (seemed overall very unprepared for the sale) and if I did not see the items I ordered out on the store floor my order would be cancelled. She basically told me to go through my order on my phone and try and find them in-store & buy what I could find. Needless to say, I only found 2 of the items I had originally ordered and 90% of my order was cancelled a few days later.
If you are really wanting things the day of the sale I recommend placing your order for everything online (select shipping not pick-up in store) and then go to the store and buy what you can find. You can always return your online items for free!
Sale Items & Prices
One of the reasons this sale is so huge is because they offer brand new Fall items at a discount prior to the fall season. This includes affordable brands and a lot of designer brands. The sale is not only limited to women’s clothing, it also includes men’s, kid’s, shoes, accessories, beauty, etc.
Here’s the thing: A lot of the items will be restocked 1-2 months after the sale and will be discounted more than they were during the sale. Personally I think you can get better deals in Nov – Dec around Christmas.
Also, don’t get sucked into the ‘hype’ of the NSALE & buy more than you need! The first year I shopped I got SO much stuff and realized after the sale that there were a lot of very similar items offered at other stores for A LOT lower prices. Or I realized I flat out didn’t need the item and had huge buyers remorse. Just don’t get sucked into buying just for the sake of buying. Know your ‘needs’ vs your ‘wants’ and, if you set one, stick to your budget!
Reasons to Shop the NSALE
Ok, after reading this you’re probably thinking I despise this sale. I definitely don’t hate the Anniversary Sale, I just think it’s important to level-set expectations for the sale. Also hoping last year was a learning experience & their customer service / processes will be improved this year! Below I’m going to list some items I do think are worth snagging during the sale.
Items I recommend focusing on during the NSALE:
- Any designer items you’ve had your eye on
- Good quality boots and shoes
- Jackets
- Hats
- Denim
- High quality sweaters & cardigans (a few I got in 2018 & 2019 ended up falling apart and I should have returned them instead of keeping. Now I’m more picky about what I actually keep)
So that’s the gist of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! Like I said in the beginning, I think a lot of the sale is hype and not really worth it, but there are a few good items you can snag! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message if you have any questions about the sale!
Below I’m going to list my top picks for the sale + the items I already own & can 100% stand behind
2020 NSALE Recommendations
