How To Shop The 2021 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

It’s that time of year friends, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is almost here! 💛 This sale is always one of my favorites to shop year after year and it truly holds a special place in my heart. I started working at Nordstrom right before I graduated from college, and the Anniversary Sale was the first big event I ever had to work in retail. I got such a thrill from it and loved seeing all of the beautiful pieces come in and merchandising them on the floor to represent them in the best way possible. It was also so fun to see customers get so excited about the sale too and help them check everything off their wishlist. I have worked 7 Anniversary Sales in my lifetime, and while I’m glad that I’m on the customer side rather than the sales associate side now (during the first week of the sale I would usually work 12-14 hour days—I definitely don’t miss that!), I’ve learned a few tips & tricks when it comes to shopping the sale that I want to share with you! This sale truly offers some of the best deals on top designer brands, I’d even go as far to say that this sale is even better than Black Friday, so it’s important to have a “plan of attack” and prep your wishlist so that you know what you want to purchase ahead of time. This year there will be 100+ new brands on the event which is so exciting and I can’t wait to see all of the amazing products that they’ve curated this year. Okay enough chit chat, let’s dive in to my tips for shopping the #NSale! 🛍

Know when you’re eligible to shop

Your Nordy Club status determines when you’re able to start adding items to your cart and hitting that checkout button. However, previewing ALL of the items that will be part of the sale is available to everyone starting TODAY, July 6th! This is when you’ll want to start building out your wishlist and figuring out which items you can’t live without. I recommend checking out shoes first (fall boots are one of the most popular categories every year 👢) followed by beauty. There are tons of great beauty deals from top brands and they usually involve sets/kits of bestseller items at an amazing value! Now that you can start previewing everything, when can you actually buy it?

First, log into your Nordstrom account to check your Nordy Club status and see your sale access date. Icons (the highest tier) can begin shopping on July 12th. Ambassadors can start shopping on July 14th while Influencers can shop on July 16th (Note: this is the name of a Nordy Club tier, this does not refer to “influencers” on social media 😉) . Check your Nordy Club status here, and if you don’t fall into one of these groups, no worries! The sale is open to everyone on July 28th and online shopping begins at Midnight PST. But don’t forget: prices go up on August 9th, so take advantage of these amazing deals before it’s too late!

When in doubt, just buy it

When I worked at Nordstrom, I saw first hand when people were hesitant to buy something. They’d take a walk around the store to think about it or sleep on it and see how they felt they next day. When they finally made up their mind and decided to purchase, the item was already sold out. Don’t let this happen to you! If you’re torn or not sure if you think you should get something, just buy it anyway! Nordstrom’s return policy is pretty much the best and you can always bring something back if you don’t totally love it. In my experience, it’s so worth it to buy/order all of the items you’re considering on the #NSale and take them home so that you can try them on/think on them. That way, if something sells out, you don’t even have to worry because you already bought it and if you still aren’t 100% sold, you can bring it back!

I bought these suede Marc Fisher boots last year during the #NSale and I wore them so much during the fall/winter! My favorite pair of boots that i own.

if an item is sold out, Don’t lose hope

During the first week of the sale, the most popular items tend to sell out quickly, like a great pair of boots or the coveted Barefoot Dreams throw blanket. But just because an item sells out within the first week doesn’t mean it won’t come back into stock. Like I mentioned in tip #2, it’s very common for people to return items they ended up not loving, which could be the item you just have to have! Ask a salesperson to keep an eye on the inventory for you and notify you if an item comes back in stock. They can see inventory levels for all stores in the company and the online warehouses, so use salespeople to your advantage if there’s something you really want. They’re there to help!

Focus on classic items

My favorite purchases from years past have been pieces that I still wear to this day, like a pair of jeans from my favorite brand, a gorgeous pair of suede ankle boots, or a beauty product that I wear daily. It’s classic items like these that I appreciate most, rather than trendy pieces that will maybe only last a season or two.

Stay tuned later this week as I share my top picks and all the items that are on my wishlist. Throughout the sale I’ll also be sharing some popular items in various categories to help make shopping easier for you! Are you planning to shop the #NSale this year? What are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments!