Since everyone has been asking how I get such great deals at Banana Republic, and much of today's outfit is from there, I am spilling my deal-scoring secrets today! My tips:
1. Buy in-store. Proceed with caution when shopping online. 95% of the time, the price is much higher online, even if you have a coupon. Almost all of my great deals were found in the store.
2. Don't miss the day-after-Christmas sale. This sale is amazing, I never miss it. This is where I scored many of my crazy good deals including the nude pumps I wear all the time for $20, a silk shirt for $15, a dress for $50. By far the best way to get a great deal.
3. Look for the "sale" signs that are NOT in the sale section. That means there are too many left to fit in the sale section, and are often the lowest prices in the store.
4. "Figure out the retail cycle." I do this with tons of stores I visit, but I try to figure out where they are in the process of putting out new stuff and marking down old stuff. The day when new merchandise hits stores is usually when they mark things down crazy low. Such as yesterday's pants. When I visited the store, they had just put out new stock so ALL the sale pants were marked down to $14.
5. Try to predict future markdowns when there are multiples. I had my eye on a purple cardigan for a couple weeks. They had 20 left in my size that were $30. I took a gamble, came back the next week, and they were marked down to $15. Score!
6. Sign up for the credit card. Most retail credit cards are a waste of time, but Banana/Gap gives you awesome rewards and coupons. This is another way I stay so savvy about shopping at those stores.
7. Explore your options. Find something amazing in the sale section, but it's not your size? You can have them ship you the correct size from another store. If you have the credit card the shipping is free. If not they charge you for shipping but could still be worth it if you found a great deal.
8. Acknowledge regional differences. I lived in Boston for 4 years, and while I was able to score the occasional $10 shirt, it seems like there are much better deals here in Orlando. All the more reason to go shopping while you are on vacation!
9. Stay smart about outlet shopping. Clothing at the Banana Republic Outlet (and many other retail outlet stores including J.Crew) are made specifically for the outlet stores and are NOT the same quality or style. They are often made by a totally different company, and even if the item looks identical the material is different. I'm not cautioning you from outlet shopping altogether, but I think it's important to be a smart consumer and know what you are paying for!
Occasion: Work
Inspiration photo: J.Crew
Cardigan: LOFT, $20
Shirt: Banana Republic, $17
Belt: Banana Republic, $30
Skirt: Banana Republic, $35
Shoes: Chinese Laundry/Piperlime, $34
Necklace: Banana Republic, $20
Charm: c/o Stella & Dot, $19
Watch: Michael Kors, family gift
Bracelet: Forever 21, $10
40 comments:
Great tips, J! I agree about 95% of the time, in store prices are much lower than online prices. Thanks for the tips.
I completely agree with the regional differences. I live in Boston and can hardly find good deals on really nice clothing that are my size. I tend to find better deals down south.
Yay thanks for doing this post!!
Thank you so much for this! Now I'm no longer too afraid to step foot into Banana-- I'll take these tips and hopefully score some good deals!
Great tips! I'll be sure to keep these in mind the next time I plan on going out to do some damage. ;)
Thanks for the tips!! LOVE the outfit!
Yeah, it definitely depends on the economy you live in. Deals are getting better in Toronto. I bought a pair of cargos yesterday for $30 marked down from $110. Awesome deal, but it also concerns me that BR is marking down so quickly and so heavily. It's hurting them big time. Margins aren't there and in the long run it could mean they'll start closing stores..
I am not sure if this works for all BR, but for mine you can use your student discount. I graduated college several years ago but still have my ID. I get 15% off ALL items, even sale items.
SO HOT!
That's a great tip, thank you Brooke!
These are some AWESOME tips! Thanks for sharing them :)
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This applies to The Limited as well. Although I cannot remember if they offer 10 or 15% to students. I think it is only 10%.
Stephanie, that's a great point about profit margins. I do sometimes wonder if the deals I'm getting are "too good"? It's definitely a balance, because I don't want Banana to close, but as a consumer I want the best deal possible!
J, So would you suggest visiting the stores weekly to see when the prices drop, and if so, is there a better day of the week? I live pretty near to both Gap and BR and wondered when the best time would be to strike!
I am new to this blog but have already picked up so many great things from you, J! Thanks so much! I feel like my style has been set aside since becoming a mommy almost two years ago but your blog is a quick easy way for me to get fresh ideas. Thanks so much! I feel inspired!
***And, another tip for banana republic shoppers: If you are a cardholder and missed out on a coupon because it expired, just call the customer service number on the back of the card and they will usually send you another coupon or give you a credit to your account! I just did that a couple months ago and the guy was so nice and made it easy!
Banana and J.Crew also offer a 10-15% discount for students if they show their student id. Most stores don't advertise this so you just have to ask (pretty sure J.Crew just upped their 10% discount to 15%!)
Banana is one of my favorite places for deals! Both BR and J Crew can have some great sales if you're patient, they're stuff can go on sale quickly enough (but I think BR has better quality!)
It would be a terrible shame if that happened. I LOVE Banana as much as you do and I think 80% of my wardrobe is from there but I also love a great deal. I always wait to see if it'll go on sale.
Unfortunately for them, (perhaps fortunately for us ) what they're doing right now is training us to shop on sale and bargain hunt. It would be tough to untrain us,if you know what I mean, should they elect to change their pricing style at some point in the near future. They would likely lose a large part of their customer base..
But, $100,000 in sales at regular price far exceeds $100,000 in sales at 60% off. It's such a catch 22 at this point.
I work for a large shopping centre developer and in light of the recent "sale" model a lot of retailers are adapting , doing new business with them has gotten increasingly more challenging.
Thanks for the tips! You look fly in that color green.
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J, I lived in NY and Banana Republic was so great esp at the Westchester Mall..Now Im in London and I have found the B.R store and they had a sale last month I bought a shirt for £10/$13 and a 2 days later I went to get it in another colour and the price had gone back up to ful sale price at £55/$60!! Why???
J, I lived in NY and Banana Republic was so great esp at the Westchester Mall..Now Im in London and I have found the B.R store and they had a sale last month I bought a shirt for £10/$13 and a 2 days later I went to get it in another colour and the price had gone back up to ful sale price at £55/$60!! Why???
As a former BR manager, the best tip is to make friends with a BR employee. They will be happy to put you in their client book and call when there are new shipments and sales. Shipments come on certain days of the week, and generally there's a certain day for markdowns. For the best merchandise selection, shop before the weekend and early in the day. Merchandise in the sale section is often the end of a run/broken sizes, not the best markdowns and there are always markdowns throughout the store. There are regional differences, volume differences, and mall differences in stores -- what they receive in merchandise and what sells, and how something is marked down. In larger cities it makes sense to get familiar with the character of each store. Make sure your email is registered with BR; there are so many email discount offers that can be combined with sale prices.
wow.. awesome tip about the outlet shopping at Banana and J. Crew!! I had no idea that the clothes were any different. you never cease to impress me J ;)
As a former BR manager, the best tip is to make friends with a BR employee. They can keep your sizes and preferences on a client card, and call you for new shipments, sales, etc. Shipment is received generally on certain days, and markdowns also occur on a certain day. The best time to shop is early in the day before the weekend. Weekends mean heavy volume sales, and no new merchandise until shipment arrives early in the week. Stores are stocked based on region, sales volume, mall location, etc. These factors also influence what markdowns are occurring, and how low the markdowns will be. Always make sure your email is registered with BR so you will receive notification of many discounts that can be combined with markdown prices.
I'm pretty sure the student discount does not apply to ALL sales but it never hurts to ask!!!
Wow! Those are some great tips!!! Thank you so much for sharing! It seems like everyone else can find some amazing deals at BR, but I never really had any luck there - but now I can use a little more strategy! Love this look too - great neutral outfit!
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Because it was a promotional price, not a true markdown. J. Crew does that often.
Totally agree with you on the Gap/Banana/Old Navy card. As a former Gap employee, I can tell you that if you shop their stores a lot you will definitely save. The card opens up lots of access to rewards, coupons, etc. As always love your posts! Thanks for sharing your "secrets!"
Thanks for the great tips on scoring deals at Banana!!!
Thanks for the heads up about outlet shopping. I did not know that about the quality of the garments so that's good to know. Also, you inspired me to take dressing room pictures the other day after I read your Target designer dresses post. Fun!
Thanks for the great tips J! I have always wondered how you were able to get great things for so low at BR and know I know! lol...I do agree that there are huge differences in terms of what you find in one store and what your find in another store. The BR where I live is hit or miss at times and I love visiting other BR when I am on vacation and checking out what they have.
Brilliant tips! Your mention of regional differences particularly caught my attention. I moved to a small city in KY a few years ago and there is one BR in the entire city. But for the after-Christmas sale, amazing deals are rare in this one store.
Very true about Outlet stores!!! I love great deals though...Cute look
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I'm tiny so nothing there fits me! :(
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Juliette, they have a great petite section, have you tried it? I also have problems with their regular XS tops being ginormous. I love their stuff though, so I I'll try the petite XS, or I find that tucking the top in or belting it really helps.
I never knew they had petites.. I haven't been inside a Banana Republic in YEARS because I disregard the store completely thinking that nothing will fit. Thanks for letting me know! I'm definitely going to check it out on my next trip to the mall.
Is your skirt dry clean only? If not, how does it wash? Do you need to iron it?
Colleen, it's dry clean only, but I use Dryel (at home dry cleaning). It comes with a little stain-remover thing that is basically Shout for dry-clean items, works like a charm!
Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
I actually just started shopping at BR. I use to not even think about walking in there thinking they were too expensive. However, since shopping there I have found some great deals. I don't think I paid more than $25 for anything.
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