Contrary to what incendiary retailer emails might lead you to believe, sale season is a marathon, not a sprint. Sure, there’s an initial clamor to scoop the very best stuff up before it sells out, but by and large, patience and a steady jog are key in pursuit of the finish line. And by “the finish line,” I mean, “the point at which the REAL deals begin.” We’re about to reach mile 13, which means retailers are about to start discounting stuff even more drastically. Their goal is to clear out dwindling inventory — fast. 30% off will soon become 50% off, 50% will become 70%, and so on. You’re about to start getting emails with subject lines like, “3 days only: Take an extra 25% off all sale with code SCORE17.” That’s an actual subject line I stole from Shopbop’s newsletter yesterday morning, so feel free to utilize the code. You’re welcome!
I’ve said this before, but when the going gets tough (a.k.a. you’re tired from running the summer sale marathon and you’d really rather be sipping a margarita poolside than trolling Net-a-Porter in a windowless room), the easiest way to save yourself some sweat is to track items ahead of the mega-price-drop dash and pounce like a cool cucumber when the numbers go down.
I’ve sorted my bookmarked items into two categories so you can see what I’m talking about and strategize accordingly:
Category #1: Stuff that appears to be well-stocked (a.k.a. no need to freak out yet)
Category #2: Stuff that’s almost sold out (a.k.a. TIME TO GET MY FREAK ON)
Keep in mind that we’re only on the cusp of mile 13. The marathon is only halfway over. There are copious discounts yet to be reaped. If I were an octogenarian grasshopper I would say something like, “patience is a virtue,” but since I’m a 25-year-old human woman I will say this instead: “May the savviest bird get the worm.”
