Sample this!

Before the explosion of online sample sales, sample sales were relegated to lucky girls in New York City and Los Angeles who could hurry down to nearby warehouses to snatch at designer goods for low prices. I always imagined the Chanel and Prada I could be donning if only I lived in one of these major cities. Alas, I was a poor college student spending her paychecks on groceries, textbooks, and outlet store finds.

Since then, I have been to one sample sale while visiting New York City. I was with two girlfriends in Soho, and we happened upon a sparsely decorated space with racks of designer clothes. Women swarmed through these racks, and soon my friends and I were in the mix, snatching at anything remotely cute in our sizes.

The dressing rooms were hollow spaces with curtains draped over the fronts - the type of makeshift dressing rooms seen in Halloween stores. I found a black sweater (which I’m actually wearing today), and one of my girlfriends found a steal on a dress to wear to her birthday party that weekend.

The problem with sample sales, as I mentioned, is that they don’t take place everywhere. And if you want to get the best clothing, you have to be there early in the morning to fight your way through crowds of stiletto-clad girls for the best deal.

Those of us who work desk jobs Monday - Friday in ho-hum suburbs know that neither the time nor location is conducive to our lifestyles. We have had to kiss sample sales, and their good deals, goodbye.

Until now.

Brilliant entrepreneurs decided to put these sample sales online, probably saving themselves overhead, but bringing fashion discounts to anyone who has access to a computer. Often these sample sales start near lunch time, so even if you are at work, you can hop on for a few minutes over lunch and find yourself a good deal.

As we begin our discussion on sample sales, I want to remind everyone that these are not bargain basement prices. Depending on the brand, you may still be paying a lot of money. For example, $7,000 Valentino dresses are not going to be marked down to $50. They may be $2,500, and if you have the budget for Valentino, this is going to feel like a steal. Don’t let this discourage you though. Some sample sales may be way out of your price range, and others may be just what you want. For example, $685 Sergio Rossi wedges for $118 may be exactly what you need, putting something out of your price range into your price range.

Like storefront sample sales, online sample sales only last approximately forty-eight hours, and the competition for some items is fierce. Be cautious not to get wrapped up in the excitement of the sale and forget your budget. It’s only a deal if you are going to wear it and you can afford it. Those six-inch electric blue heels may be discounted tremendously, but if your entire wardrobe consists of khaki pants and fair isle knits, they are only going to make a stunning decoration to the bottom of your closet.

Stay tuned as we begin our sample sale discussion. May the shopping begin!